And then all hell broke loose

I'm moving to a new job at the end of the month. Up until last week, the transition was going smoothly and everything was more or less on track. And then all hell broke loose. Therefore, it is with bitter disappointment that I announce that all writing goals are suspended until sometime in February.

I'm still writing, but my work schedule is making it impossible to do it with any regularity and dependability. The good news is that the new job should bring more balance into my life so I will hopefully be able to achieve more writing time.

In other news, I've read some books since we last spoke. I just finished Patricia Briggs' IRON KISSED last night. Whoo-boy was it good. Reaaaaaally good. Like, run out and buy it right-friggin'-now kind of good. Well paced action, an engaging mystery, and characters that are brought to life so easily, you don't even realize it's happening until someone interrupts you and you realize that, in fact, it's your surroundings that are reality, not the story.

I also finished Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series. The final book was good. I learned something about myself reading this series. Apparently, I'm a bit more of a traditional reader than I thought I was. The amount of conflict between Danny and Japh surpassed my tolerance level and in the end I mostly just felt irritated with Danny for having to be so goddamned contrary all the time. As you've noticed, I generally only post positive reviews so I want to clarify my point here. I -- me, the person, the reader -- couldn't handle Danny and Japh's relationship. The dynamics were too far outside my comfort zone and Danny became an unlikable character for me because of how she treated Japh. I think this has to do with me, though. I think Lilith Saintcrow is an exceptional writer and I'll continue to read her work. I highly recommend her for a number of reasons. I found her writing to be very educational from a fellow writer's standpoint. This woman can worldbuild like nobody's business!!! I also fell in love with the first book in the series. I'd recommend it to anyone without hesitation. Beyond that, I'd be curious to see how many people struggled with Danny's likability and her relationship with Japh like I did.

Okay, I'm off to research Nicaragua for The Gatherer. Not sure when I'll have the chance to post again, but if there's a bit of radio silence it's just because I'm busy. I'll be back on a regular posting schedule in February when things settle down at work.