There are years that are great years, years that are bad years, and years that just...are years.

2025 was one of those. I spent a lot of time with the spouse working on a house to sell, and while it sold, eventually, the labor on the place ended up sucking out a lot of time and money. It slowed down my writing work and, as a result, I didn't publish anything new this year, besides an extensive revision of Klone's Stronghold into Klone's Stronghold: Reeni, setting it up for potential sequels--that is, if anyone bothers to read or buy the damned books. There may be more of the same for 2026, but this time around I don't anticipate it being quite as tiring or problematic.

In any case, part of the writing problem was that I had challenges getting into the world of Goddess's Vision. That's remedied now with Vision of Alliance on track for a late February/early March release, and starting preliminary work on Vision of Chaos. I plan to have all three books of this series finished and released in 2026. Additionally, I have other things going on for once, tied to my teaching history working with remedial writers and translating it into suggestions for writers looking to find ways to self-edit without resorting to software crammed full of generative AI.

I've also seen one of my ongoing projects with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association start to take off, thanks to a visionary and energetic new Communications Director at SFWA. The Heritage Author Republication Project is small but mighty, and 2026 will be dedicated to getting it even more developed and on a firmer foundation. Additionally, I am now one of the co-chairs of SFWA's Independent Author Committee, and hope to see the Committee's projects really take off and thrive.

The other thing is that I turned sixty-eight this year. 2026 will be the year I turn the age that my mother died. That shouldn't be a weight on my thoughts but nonetheless it is. All the same, I'm still active, going out to the forest to cut firewood with my husband and spending time riding and training Marker.

I'm down to one horse again. I realized that this was Mocha's last year in February. She had developed a small abscess in her right fore in December of 2024, and while it resolved quickly, she never stopped limping. That winter was not very severe, but it was also hard on the old lady. She never really recovered from winter, despite my efforts to keep her warm and blanketed (she hated stalls in her last years). Her farrier had to kneel to put her hooves on his thigh when he trimmed her. The ranch owner saw her tripping and falling in the field for no obvious reason. Bone spurs kept popping out on that right knee in particular, and the vet just shook his head and said "no more winters" when he saw her for spring vaccinations. We made tentative plans for euthanasia in the fall, giving her one last good summer which--it was pretty good. She moved to her last field in June and was happiest with deer for companions, though she was also happy when Marker spent several weeks with her in July.

But her story came to an end on Labor Day, when I went to see her on my way to ride Marker, and discovered that she could barely walk. Several days before, she had resumed cantering, head high and proud--she was a horse who loved to run, and losing that ability was hard on her mentally. I could see it. Then the canter became a trot to my call, and finally a walk, and then that last day when it was all she could do to hobble to me for her last dose of painkiller. Evidence pointed to a possible neurological event, at least that's what I think. Thankfully I had the full support of Vixen, Jeffrey, and Destiny Wecks as well as my husband in making the decision to put her down and bury her that night. Didn't make it any easier, especially when Marker started screaming as the empty trailer came back from where she was buried.

Marker made huge gains this year under saddle and in hand. He carried Miss Rodeo Oregon 2025 as one of the horses in her 50 horse challenge, and went to his first horse show, where I learned that he could graze and scream at the same time. We worked hard on his canter--even though he's a trotty gaited horse, he still needed a summer of focused training to not only work toward a smooth, rocking-horse canter but to pick up the proper inside lead on cue. But he also stepped up to the plate after Mocha's death, becoming much more polite in ground handling and working more at liberty. While having a bit of spunk, he's pretty much a good safe saddle horse for an elder rider. Which is what I need these days, along with that lovely little fox trot of his. He's no Mocha but he's definitely a good Marker. Not sure what we will do in 2026 but I have some notions in mind. He comes to call 99% of the time and is very human-oriented. A classic Foxtrotter characteristic, whether he's purebred or not.

So that was 2025. Not gonna talk about political stuff because...these days I am focused on what I can do in my communities and that keeps me plenty busy. I'm hoping to do more writing and be more visible in 2026. We'll see what the year brings.