Happy New Year!
I’ve been so excited for 2023, for the clean slate of a fresh calendar and the mental reset that comes every January. And we are finally here! It’s silly to many, I know, the idea that there’s a specific date when we will suddenly change, and become better versions of ourselves—stronger, faster, sleeker, smarter. That bad habits will be shed and positive ones will take their place. (Anyone who’s been in the gym the first few weeks of the year will see this in action. The attrition by week 4 is both remarkable and sad.)
And yet, I, like many of you, am driven to try.
I am glad to see 2022 in the rearview. It was a weird year, with too many unscheduled interruptions and personal health issues for my liking. COVID (twice), a shoulder surgery, months of rehab, a sick cat, the continued adverse effects of the booster mRNA vaccine and COVID on my poor heart (improving now with medication and a strict no salt, no alcohol diet) and a very sick kitten all kept me busy. I was shocked to find out how many of my friends have suffered from the same health issues this year. I pray that it’s all temporary, for all of us.
This new reality affects my planning for 2023 and beyond. I can’t do as much as I’d like while I continue to heal. And that’s okay. This enforced rest gives me time to reset.
My annual review goes into all of this in greater detail but my word for 2023 is Ritual.
It’s something I feel we lost during the pandemic, those small but important, memorable activities that defined our lives. I know I did, at least. So this year, I am working hard to reestablish my rituals, from when I write fiction to how I schedule my days to how I approach my annual planning to how and when I read, exercise, eat, play, rest—everything. I’m bringing back the tried-and-true methods that I leaned upon for so long. There are Pomodoros and specific writing hours and a more normal sequence to my days, and that makes me happy. These keystone habits build upon themselves. And they make the celebration of their achievement all the richer and sweeter.
The annual review also has an entire section of upcoming 2023 releases, both novels, and short stories. There’s a lot to come this year, the result of my enforced sabbatical from events. It worked so well that I’m planning to repeat this in the second half of the year, so I can become a hermit again and fill the pipeline even more. But the first half is chock full of events.Â
The IT’S ONE OF US tour is shaping up nicely. I am thrilled that I will be out on the road doing a few in-person events at bookstores across the country, including the launch party at Parnassus on February 20, where I will be in conversation with Rea Frey (Nashville, represent, please!). In addition, there will be some of the tried and true online forums we’ve all grown to love. I’m looking at my calendar with a bit of side-eye because it’s now so filled I’m feeling my inner introvert scream a little. I’m excited to see you out there, though. I hope you’ll come out and visit with me for a while.
Here’s to a beautiful CALM 2023 for us all!