The Wheel of the Year
State of the Library #25
In this issue, you will find:
A few thoughts on the cyclical nature of life.
Link round-up for November.
What to expect for our friends, Emma and Reggie, in Bramblerest.
The wheel of the year is turning.
I really do wish that calendars came as wheels rather than the linear, page-turning variety. It makes more sense to me. What is the passage of time but the constant turning of seasons? We invented year numbers and month names. But winter will always be winter, whether we call the month December or something else entirely.
But, anyway, it’s December now. I’ve bought presents and a few new Christmas decorations. However, no decorations are going to go up until Christmas Eve. We celebrate Christmas into January, sometimes into February, so there’s no rush in our house to decorate.
I finished the initial rewrite of The Wind Has Teeth, but there are no plans for publication just yet. The story has loads of potential but still requires a lot of work. I will want this to go through a couple of rounds of beta reading, as well.
In some ways, writing is its own wheel. There’s the constant turning of creating new projects, refining them, releasing them, and then creating new projects to start it all over again.
May the wheels keep turning.
ICYMI: November 2025
November Tidings
What you will find in this issue: winter season announcement; link round up; "Lost and Found."
Lost and Found
When the town’s football mascot goes missing, Reggie and Emma are inadvertently pulled into the mystery. To solve it, though, Reggie will need an extra dose of courage.
Dungeons and Dragons and Found Family
What do you get when a tiefling bard, a drow wizard, a half-elf paladin, a half-elf cleric, and a human barbarian all walk into a tavern?
What to Expect in December 2025
First, the short story…
Our Winter Season continues with another story from Bramblerest. This is a sequel to “Lost and Found,” so if you haven’t read that yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. See the link in the ICYMI section.
Synopsis: Things are unsettled between Reggie and Emma after the Missing Goat Incident. Their attempt to clear the air, however, is complicated by a protective sheriff and the arrival of a surprise guest with wings.
Excerpt:
A familiar face ducked down into view. “Hi, Emma.” Sheriff Connelly smiled. “Why are you parked on the side of the road with your hazards on?”
“I have a flat tire.”
“Need help getting the spare on?”
“I don’t have a spare.”
“Waiting on the tow truck, then?”
She heaved a sigh. “My phone is dead. I was waiting for the rain to stop so I could walk into town.”
Connelly tilted his head, eyeing the sky. He looked back down at her. “Weather man is sayin’ it’ll keep raining for another hour or two. I can radio for a tow. And, uh, maybe I can take you into town for some dinner?”
“I have merchandise in the car. I need to unload it at the store.”
“I don’t mind helping with that.”
She crossed her arms. “Matt, what are you doing?”
It had always been Sheriff Connelly, or just Connelly, after the break-up. Using his first name felt like ripping off a façade. The veneer of congeniality fell from his face, the line of his mouth turning grim.
“I think we need to talk, Emma,” he said, “and I’d rather do it over a hot meal than on the side of the road.”
“This is about Reggie.”
“Yeah.”
She looked away. “Fine.”
“I’ll go radio it in, then.”
“Second Chances for Christmas” will debut Friday, December 5 at 10 am Eastern USA.
Now, the nonfiction…
I am still working out my own writing schedule for coming up with the monthly nonfiction piece. This month, though, I think I will be word vomiting my feelings about certain themes in The Mummy (1999). I know, not very Christmas-y of me, but I have thoughts, okay??
Either way, it will be dropping on Friday, December 19 at 10 am Eastern USA.