Today is the first day of 2020.

Time is an illusion and the calendar is a compromise, but I am ready to eat up a new year. 

I have a few traditions I keep. I'm in new underwear and new socks today. I've got fresh sheets on my bed, cash in my wallet, and a list of determinations about the year. I made up fresh spreadsheets to track what I do and what I accomplish, so that I have easy counts and accountability when I want to know how I'm doing. I'm making black-eyed peas just to be safe. 

Last night, I was deep in champagne and the company of friends. I was thinking about how grim and grinding the last few years have felt, despite a great deal of personal success. We live in interesting times, and there's a reason that wish is considered a curse. 

I'm an optimist, and I believe better days are ahead. That's not always an easy or a comfortable belief, but I'm holding on to it just the same. It keeps me moving forward without fear. 

I read a few great things as 2019 was winding down. I read this story about makeup and revolution.

I read this Millennial retelling of Rumplestiltskin. 

I read this retrospective of the best things to eat. 

I loved this story of a year in martinis, because I love martinis and good writing. 

The first of the year saw my inaugural 2020 story published by Nightmare Magazine, and I can't think of a better day for it. It's about ghosts and revenge and American Sign Language. Not everyone knows this about me, but I studied ASL for five years. I learned ASL linguistics and Deaf culture, and it enriched my life in a thousand ways that I didn't expect. Most of my instructors were Deaf and I use the language every day. I've only read a couple of horror stories with Deaf people in them, and I couldn't think of a time when I encountered a Deaf ghost. So I wrote one, and I hope you like it. 

Two books coming out this year from me, and I think it's going to be a good one. I hope you see some good things coming to fruition for yourself, as well. 

Grab your spoon and fill it with whatever you like best. Ambition. Contentment. The blood of the rude. 

Let's get our teeth into 2020, friends. 

Meg