My Year-End Yuletime Updates

 

After an eventful year, I am plunging into the holiday season with a vengeance. Halls have been decked. The tree is up and (mostly) decorated. Stockings are hung. There is hot apple cider. Gingerbread abounds. I’m wearing a cardigan and listening to the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Lights are being strung with garlands of fake evergreens. Lists are being made and checked. Homemade eggnog is imminent. Despite the declining condition of the world, I am embracing the cheer of the Yule season unironically. History has shown that such traditions provide a mental and emotional haven for us in times of stress and tumult. My family has always invested a lot in Yule, and in times like these, we reap the psychological dividends. Certainly, the season can also be a reminder of tragedies and misfortunes of years past, but that’s part of the magic of it: the traditions of Yule help provide both stability and perspective in our lives and link us to simpler times. Last night, my invocation of the season was rewarded by the gods with a fifteen-degree temperature drop in the wake of a rainy cold front. For a precious few hours, the conditions were right to produce actual snow flurries. In North Carolina, snow before Christmas—or even before January—is a rare occurrence. When my wife and I got married on January 3rd, it was more than sixty degrees out. But as most of my readers know, I have a perverse fascination with snow. I saw the flurries falling in the light of the Christmas lights and felt especially blessed for my Yuletide efforts. Among my blessings are my readers, who have once again brought me success with the release of Preceptor in late November. Book 16 was well-received, highly rated (and yes, the ratings and reviews do, indeed, help—thank you!) and sold nicely on both Kindle and Audible. The reviews were generally great, but there were a few grumbled criticisms. It was too long. It was too short. I got bogged down in the details. I didn’t put in enough detail. It focused on the battle too much. There was barely any action in it. It was the worst book of the series. It was the best book of the series. The usual. I’m not complaining—everyone has (usually) valid criticisms, and it is inevitable that one of my novels is going to rub a certain percentage of my readership the wrong way and leave them unsatisfied. If anything, it convinces me that I’m doing things properly. One of the things I fear most is being formulaic. I do my best to tell a different and unique story with each novel, not merely repeat previous successes. I’ve abandoned reading other series because the writers got lazy or uninspired and just kept cranking out new volumes with no real purpose behind them. As long as I have a few grumbles with each new release, I know I’m challenging my readers as much as myself, and I value that. I will be happy to finally open up a spoiler thread on the Facebook page so y’all can add to that list of complaints, speculations, and criticisms about the book. I’ve already indulged in a Preceptor spoiler Q&A on Discord with the Garden Society (my international cabal of super-fans) but if you missed it, you can voice your opinion on Facebook, and I’ll be happy to read it and perhaps respond. Also, John Lee’s performance was flawless on the audiobook. Credit to him and the entire team at Podium for producing a truly pleasurable listening experience. They are the smoothest publisher I have ever worked with. Another of my blessings that should not go unnoted. My con schedule for most of next year is open. If you know of a con who needs a fantasy writer as a guest, drop me a line at tmancour@gmail.com and let me know. At this, I'm planning on going to World Con in Glasgow in August, but apart from that, I am open. Of course, I’m still hard at work even in a cardigan, and in addition to composing Book 17, Practical Adept, I’m finishing up the TTFRPG, as well as prepping next year’s schedule. And working on maps. And finishing a few details with Shadowblade. And working on a surprise Yule project as a thank you to you, the fans, for all of your support. I’d tell you more, but it’s a surprise. So as we finish out the year in a blaze of nostalgic tradition, my family and I would like to wish you and yours the merriest of Yules! We all deserve it, I think. Best, Terry