Sitting on the border of a new year.: seanan

Sitting on the border of a new year.

So it's about six hours to midnight where I am, and I just woke up from a necessary and restorative nap; I think about half the last week has been spent in similar circumstances. I'm starting to take shorter naps, however, and I'm actually beginning to feel halfway rested, which is of deep importance to me.

2013. Well, that happened. In 2013, I made the New York Times List twice, and didn't make it once; I wrote more books than I really care to think about; I wrote more words than I can possibly count. I became the first person to ever receive five Hugo nominations in the same year, and learned how much hate mail that achievement generates (a lot), but didn't so much care when I got my five little silver rocket pins and my one big brass one. I won my second Hugo.

I nearly lost the ability to walk. I'm still getting it back a tiny bit at a time, and the whole process has been painful and upsetting in the extreme. For those of you who have never spent time with me in person, I love to walk. It's my primary exercise, and it's something that I usually do when I need to focus. Having it taken away from me has been horrible and upsetting. Here's hoping 2014 sees me finishing my recovery.

There were no major medical crises in either my family or my home. The cats are doing well, and apart from my foot and one bout of flu in January, this year has been one of my physically healthiest in a long time. I guess that's balanced by mental health; I spent much of 2013 incredibly depressed, and around six months actively wanting to die. Please don't respond to this post with "I'm so sorry" or "oh honey," because I know; there's a reason I didn't talk about it while it was going on. I'm doing better now, for the most part. So, you know. Yay recovery.

In 2013 I released four books: Midnight Blue-Light Special, Chimes at Midnight, Parasite, and Velveteen vs. The Multiverse. I released nineteen short stories, some through anthologies, others via my website. I got self-published fiction onto the Hugo ballot. I started writing poetry again. I didn't write enough fanfic.

I went to Disneyland. I went to Disney World. I hugged my cats. A lot.

So that was the year; it was productive but hard, and I'm ready to be done with it. Roll on 2014, if you would be so kind. I hope you all have the sort of night you dream of, and please, if you do anything, remember to be kind.

We're all we've got.

hms42

January 1 2014, 02:18:37 UTC 3 years ago

New comment

Happy New Year! May 2014 turn out to be better than expected for you.

seanan_mcguire

January 1 2014, 02:26:01 UTC 3 years ago

Same!

lilrongal

January 1 2014, 02:30:14 UTC 3 years ago

Yay, recovery. Depression is a bitch. Here's to more Disney in 2014!

archangelbeth

January 1 2014, 02:42:19 UTC 3 years ago

What lilrongal said.

3 years ago

geekhyena

January 1 2014, 02:37:06 UTC 3 years ago

Happy New Year! May all your surprises be happy ones!

January 1 2014, 07:24:37 UTC 3 years ago

Here's hoping!

lazzchan

January 1 2014, 02:59:46 UTC 3 years ago

Yay for new beginnings to build on the old ones! You are amazing and all your nominations are well deserved. :) Cats and Disney are magic. While I cannot have Disney for hte moment, I do have cats and I hug them on a daily basis.

Thank you again for doing your Hogswatch contest! It's a fun thing and something to see every day as to what goodies you tantalize your fans wth. ^_^ May your 2014 be filled with snakes and colorful spiders, Disney and songs and always lots of cats and accolades for your awesomeness.

January 7 2014, 18:08:18 UTC 3 years ago

I hope your 2014 is just as awesome. :)

renesears

January 1 2014, 03:00:49 UTC 3 years ago

Happy 2014! May it be better than 2013. This was the year I shared the Toby Daye books with my sister & she loved them as much as I did & glommed them. Thank you for that.

January 7 2014, 18:08:30 UTC 3 years ago

You are so very welcome.

deakat

January 1 2014, 03:08:11 UTC 3 years ago

Yay recovery! I'd like some of that myself this year, universe, please and thank you.

I am displeased that I read so few books this year; of the 17 that I finished (maybe 18 by the time this night ends), five were yours, and one included you. They made my year better than it would have been without them.

January 7 2014, 18:08:41 UTC 3 years ago

Aw.

<3

sheistheweather

January 1 2014, 03:30:44 UTC 3 years ago

Wishing you the best 2014 the Great Pumpkin can bring you.

January 7 2014, 18:08:52 UTC 3 years ago

Thank you!

alicetheowl

January 1 2014, 03:46:18 UTC 3 years ago

I randomly met a person on Twitter. She's in the middle of Parasite right now, and has never read any of your other books.

I may have cackled aloud. All I replied, though, was that I wanted to hear what a newcomer to your stuff thinks of it.

January 7 2014, 18:09:09 UTC 3 years ago

You showed awesome restraint.

dragonsong

January 1 2014, 03:48:19 UTC 3 years ago

Happy New Year!

I consider one of the high points of my 2013 to be discovering your work. The book binge was glorious, and now I'm happily anticipating the 2014 releases. I can't wait to meet more of your delightful (and heartbreaking) characters.

January 7 2014, 18:09:22 UTC 3 years ago

Oh, thank you so much.

umadoshi

January 1 2014, 03:55:12 UTC 3 years ago

Happy new year! I hope 2014 brings you all manner of good things. ^_^

January 7 2014, 18:09:38 UTC 3 years ago

Same to you!

archangelwells

January 1 2014, 04:03:50 UTC 3 years ago

Happy new year. I've been leaving wishes of open roads for people, and so I may as well leave one for you as well (since so much of your writing seems to be about them, and I blame the path-wishing on being in the middle of Indexing, anyway.)

May the path ahead of you bring you good, may you have many choices of path, that you may write your own way. May the roads be easy to travel, and may they bring you closer to those you wish to be close to.

By the way, I like Indexing.

January 7 2014, 18:09:50 UTC 3 years ago

Thank you.

Deleted comment

January 7 2014, 18:10:04 UTC 3 years ago

apocalypticbob

January 1 2014, 04:46:14 UTC 3 years ago

Yay, recovery! May 2014 bring you healing and increased health in all aspects of your life.

January 7 2014, 18:10:15 UTC 3 years ago

I hope the same for you, my dear.

cailleuch

January 1 2014, 05:02:07 UTC 3 years ago

Happy New Year!!

January 7 2014, 18:20:16 UTC 3 years ago

thedragonweaver

January 1 2014, 05:03:40 UTC 3 years ago

May 2014 be better than the year before it, and may it be your best year to date to boot.

You certainly gave out enough shiny goodness to deserve some coming your way.

January 7 2014, 18:20:25 UTC 3 years ago

Thank you.

<3

amanda_nye

January 1 2014, 05:19:09 UTC 3 years ago

Here's to a better 2014!!!

January 7 2014, 18:20:34 UTC 3 years ago

Yes!!!

kyrielle

January 1 2014, 05:19:53 UTC 3 years ago

Yay recovery. May 2014 be awesome.

January 7 2014, 18:20:41 UTC 3 years ago

Yes.

kerrykhat

January 1 2014, 06:44:34 UTC 3 years ago

2013 was the year I really got sucked into the various worlds that you created, and for that, I can't thank you enough. Thank you so much for sharing your worlds and characters with us and creating works that I want to revist again and again to see what new discoveries they might hold.

I hope you have a fantabulous 2014, filled with books, Disney, cats, friendship, new and interesting worlds, and more Disney. :)

January 7 2014, 18:20:55 UTC 3 years ago

You are so very, very welcome.

<3

kath8562

January 1 2014, 07:00:34 UTC 3 years ago

Happy New Year, and may this one be better than the last. Plus! Write as fast as you can! I just spent the past couple of weeks reading all your books!

January 7 2014, 18:21:05 UTC 3 years ago

I'm working on it!

wfw_sj

January 1 2014, 07:01:19 UTC 3 years ago

Did someone say Yay recovery? I say so also!

January 7 2014, 18:21:14 UTC 3 years ago

Thanks.

jarissa

January 1 2014, 08:56:36 UTC 3 years ago

Happy New Year!

Just off the top of your head, do you know what species of tree are those wonderful ones with the twisty branches on Main Street in Disneyland? They look so inviting to climb, though of course I would do no such thing! Even if I physically could, these days....

January 7 2014, 19:00:02 UTC 3 years ago

Sadly, no.

notalwaysweak

January 1 2014, 10:32:49 UTC 3 years ago

Huzzah for recovery. Huzzah for cats. Huzzah for all your achievements.

Here is a picture of my Stuff That Seanan Wrote shelf:

(I have maybe another six anthologies yet to be read that will have to fit in there too, but the spider bear and Cthulhu will just have to move out of the way.)