To many, 2016 has been a horrible year. The war in Syria, the loss of refugees from that conflict and others, the record number of celebrity passings, record homicide numbers in my home town, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. Presidency … I won’t go on. It’s too painful.
For me, it’s been a turbulent year, too. I broke my knee in May and went through months of intensive physiotherapy and exercise to get back the range of motion and strength I needed for my two-week whitewater canoeing trip. My son had appendicitis, my other son had some issues with school and work.
In the fall, I came down with a wicked case of pinkeye. There were more problems in this single year than in many that I can recall.
On the other hand, there were some “ups,” as well.
- I published three books this year:
Under the Nazi Heel, Book 2 in my Walking Out of War trilogy based on the World War 2 experiences of my father-in-law, Maurice Bury.
It won Second Prize in the East Texas Writers Guild 2016 Awards for nonfiction/memoir.- The Wife Line, a Sydney Rye Kindle World book that features my spy-thriller characters, Van Freeman and Earl LeBrun.
- Dead Man Lying, my third Lei Crime Kindle World title, featuring my FBI Special Agent character, Vanessa Storm. It won First Place in the 2016 East Texas Writers Guild Mystery Awards.
- I edited three very strong books by independent authors:
- Gateway, a horror novel by the outstanding David C. Cassidy, author of The Dark and Velvet Rain
- Cassidy Jones and the Eternal Flame, the fifth in Cassidy Jones superhero adventure series by Elise Stokes
- And Dragon, an upcoming title by new author Louise Sorensen.
- I participated in some group publishing efforts along with other members of BestSelling Reads, an authors’ group that cross-promotes members.
- New members joined Independent Authors International, a collaborative publishing venture where members share skills to provide all the functions of a full, commercial publishing company.
I canoed 325 kilometres down the Missinaibi and Moose Rivers in northern Ontario to Moose Factory on James Bay, and capsized only once.- I visited the Finger Lakes in New York, and met some very nice, interesting people and drank some excellent wine.
- I crafted an outline for The Triumph of the Sky, the follow-up to my first full-length novel, The Bones of the Earth.
- I outlined a new Lei Crime novel featuring Special Agent Vanessa Storm: Echo of a Crime, and have so far written about half of it.
- And I came up with a concept for a new Sydney Rye Kindle World novel which will feature Van and LeBrun.
So 2016 has been a year with ups and downs, and now that I look at it, for me at least, there were more good points than bad. And for the family, too.
But for the world, it’s been a tough year. For Aleppo and the rest of Syria, for Iraq, for France, Belgium and the U.K., for Japan, Italy and Fort McMurray. For the U.S., 2017 is going to be … interesting politically.
I wish you all a healthy, happy, loving, peaceful and plentiful 2017.
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We’d take our scouts up to Canada when I was much younger; when in OH up near Wawa and when in MD up to Haliburton. Wanted to take them canoeing and I remember Missinaibi coming up in the discussions but we never did that trip. Now, as to Finger Lakes – I love that area. We’d take the scouts to the campground there a couple of years and the driving adults enjoyed a leisurely trip back to the DC area, enjoying the vineyards and tourist areas. Also, for those who haven’t read the “Walking Out of War” series – I’ve read the 1st two books and enjoyed them immensely. As to 2017 – hang on, let’s see what this baby can do.