2019 in review

Xposted from my main blog on Dreamwidth.
Since it's almost over, I'll go out on a limb and do my year end post. The decade one will be turning up in a day or two.
So the writing part first.

Catherine Lundoff - books and stories either published this year or accepted for next year:

• Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic (Queen of Swords Press). Single author collection of my horror, dark fantasy and weird fiction.
  
• “By Her Pen, She Conquers” - LHMP Podcast, Heather Rose Jones, editor/host. Historical setting - young female playwright in Regency England finds new opportunity and a love interest at Drury Lane Theater.
• “Good for Your Career? Evaluating Events for Writers” - SFWA Blog
• “Inheritance” - forthcoming, media tie-in story for Wraith: The Oblivion edited by Matt McElroy (Onyx Path Publishing). If you read my story "Incarnadine Seas" in The Cainite Conspiracies for Vampire the Masquerade, this is a sequel.
• “Lost Girl” - Fireside Magazine October, 2019, edited by Julia Rios (Fireside Fiction). Lesbian ghost story.
• “Hunger” - American Monsters Part Two edited by Margrét Helgadóttir (Fox Spirit Books). A story about Minnesota nice, Minnesota monsters, Minnesota winter and toxic masculinity.
• “The Rani’s Dream” - forthcoming, Sherlock Holmes and the Occult Detectives edited by John Linwood Grant (Belanger Books). Mystery short story in which the acclaimed detective has to work with an Anglo-Indian agent who specializes in the occult to solve a jewel theft.

As Emily L. Byrne:

• “Nights in Red Satin” - The Sexy Librarian's Dirty 30 Vol. 3 edited by Rose Caraway (Stupid Fish Productions). A middle-aged Latina tries to find her spark again.
• “Arachne” - forthcoming, Nobilis Erotica Podcast, Nobilis Reed, editor/host. Reading of my Arachne and Athena story from Knife's Edge.

As publisher at Queen of Swords Press:

• Wireless and More Steam-Powered Adventures by Alex Acks. More Ramos, Simms and Deliah! If you liked Murder on the Titania and Other Steam-Powered Adventures, this is the sequel (and if you haven't read either of them yet, you should check them out).

Selected events - MultiverseCon, Twin Cities Book Festival, Untitled Town Book and Author Festival, The Loft’s Wordplay, WisCon, St. Cloud Pride, 13 Gears, MCBA’s FallCon, the Minnesota Ampersand Club. Plus 3 classes taught at Cat Rambo's Rambo Academy and a whole bunch of readings, presentations, talks, book tables, etc.

Other things that happened this year:

• I worked 60-70 hours a week all year, between my day job, writing and publishing-related stuff. This was on top of doing the same thing last year and the year before.
• It was, in short, unsustainable madness. I got laid off at the end of October and have spent the last 2 months recovering.
• I lost my dear friend Beth to ALS earlier this year and several other friends to other unpleasant things. I miss them all.
• There are ongoing family health issues that I won't go into.
• I am actually reasonably healthy at the moment, knock wood.
• Reconnected with some friends I haven't seen for a while.
• Finally got the furnace replaced and put in central air.
• I've done a whole bunch of writing on a couple of novels in progress, revived my Patreon and did a bunch of things to get Queen of Swords Press to the point where it is mostly paying for itself. The next steps are covering all its costs and paying me.
• Travel this year has been mostly regional, with the exception of a trip to D.C. for Outwrite. Other places visited for events: Madison, Green Bay, St. Cloud.
• The endless political and environmental trashfire has definitely taken a toll on me and everyone I know.

So there it is, my 2019. Better than a lot of people's, worse than a few. Here's hoping 2020 is a better year all around for all the best reasons. Let's make things better, people!