Hi Folks!

I saw a post like this from a friend, and it put my feet to the fire. It’s a new year, and for the first time in a long time, I have some optimism about it. Let me clarify: Not an overwhelming amount of optimism, and it’s also framed by realism. I’m certainly less than thrilled about our incoming political situation, but that’s not what this post is about.

Every year, I sit down and I choose one word to frame my intentions about the kind of year I want to have, and then I write out five “guidelines” or reasons why it’s relevant to me. Last year, the year was FOCUS. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. I didn’t know just how hard it would be, and in fact, it turned out to be one of the hardest of my life. I won’t get into details here, but it changed the meaning of FOCUS for me. What was meant to be a year of progress toward my writing projects, my physical health, and my finances, also became a daily battle for my mental health. The context was more situational than anything else, so first I want to assure you that I’m ok! For one thing, I got right into therapy. I will forever champion the importance of destigmatizing therapy and help-seeking behavior, and there are particular challenges for men in this area. (For me and other Mexican-American men, there’s even more context around machismo in our families.) I was lucky to be able to take some time off work, and when I was there, I knew my colleagues had my back. This was so important, because some days, all my FOCUS could achieve was to get me out of bed, shower, and show up. This was also true in my 5-9 life, but I also felt very well-supported there.

And despite the challenges, FOCUS made some beautiful things happen:

My doctor has been more pleased than ever with my progress toward my health.On a particularly difficult day, my uncle gave me his old Yamaha keyboard. I’ve never played, but he said, “Sometimes when I’m feeling a lot of things, I just turn it on and bang on a few random keys and get it all out.” And that became another tool of healing for me. All I can really play is a few beginner’s exercises, the main theme from Final Fantasy X, and an arrangement of Scarborough Fair, but as my uncle said sometimes, all you need is something to bang on. (He would say that. He’s a drummer.)During my summer program, my colleagues persuaded me to rent a saxophone, something I hadn’t played in over 10 years. So we formed a little band with the students and played at the annual talent show, and I’ll never forget it!I’ve been working on my Spanish for a long time (414 days on Duolingo, to be exact.) This started as a career goal. After all, it would be very helpful in many contexts living in Tucson, talking to students’ families, and even during certain author engagements where I’ve needed translation in the past. And this focus opened up doors I didn’t expect in my personal life. I renewed my passport, and I recently traveled to Hermosillo for a weekend with two of my best friends. I did get to use my Spanish quite a bit, and I’m excited to develop it further. There are deeper stories about what that means to me, but today they’re just for me.

The writing well was pretty dry, if I’m being honest. I think part of this is “book hangover” and needing to let go of Godfather Death, M.D., which did pretty well in its first year. It’s selling out at just about every event I do, followed closely by Roses in the Dragon’s Den. This is another point of gratitude this year–events went very well, from the AZ Renaissance Festival to YumaCon. And I enjoy being able to tell people that there’s something for everyone at my table. A family-friendly dragon adventure; a dark, dreary Grimm story; an unhinged fairy tale mash-up; and a short, sweet Halloween story with LGBTQ rep.

And so we turn the page to 2025, a year of FREE. I know what this word means to me, and there are many subthemes here (not necessarily “free coffee”, but it IS primarily financial). But one thing I’ll share with you is that I want to write more “freely,” without the pressure of “is this as good as my other books?” With every book, I guess my standards grow, and it actually makes each book feel more difficult than the last. But, I have TWO simmering, and I want to make sure at least one becomes ready for an editor this year. Maybe it will be DARK DEALS at last, after over 3 years of struggling. But that’s likely to be a slow burn that will take even more years. That one really needs to simmer and take its time.

All this to say, in the last days of 2024, I turned my attention back to something more fun and light-hearted–a stark contrast to the gloom of GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. Nothing has ever been more on-brand for me, though, and after a false start in early 2023, I see the potential of this thing at last. I’m setting my writing intention here: the year of FREE is the perfect time to tell the story of THE IMMOVABLES... more to come.

Happy New Year to you, my friends.