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As keeping with my new, accidental tradition – here is my latest, monthly blog post!

So where have I been since the last post in early November? What have I been doing? I had a birthday, a Thanksgiving, a Christmas, far too many sweets, gained a job, did some acting work, typed some poems, made some art, watched a whole lot of Netflix…

And here we are, on the second to last day of this month – and this year. I’ll be honest with you – I am feeling a little less than accomplished right now; blame it on the sweets and the Netflix, but I feel like lately I’ve been in something of a creative rut. And while I think New Years resolutions may as well be called Little Reasons to Feel Bad About Yourself, and won’t, nope, I won’t, can’t make me, not going to happen, you can go –

I won’t do them –

I do feel like the start of a New Year and the end of another is a good time to reflect and set positive intentions. Not unrealistic expectations to hold yourself to; but sort of vague goals – purposeful intentions about how you want to FEEL in the New Year. In life. And then letting Life fill in the how to get there.

And if you’re tempted to call that a New Years resolution, well, you can just go lick a pole, because I’m setting these intentions to begin today.

Which brings us to this somewhat rambling post. See, I’ve decided that I want to feel more creatively turned on this coming year, and the last two days of 2015, and a big part of that for me, is writing. Writing short stories, books, poems, journal entries, and yes, even blogs. An hour a day keeps the psychologists away.

I’m also starting to dip my toe a bit further into the acting pool. I think a big reason I’ve been feeling less than inspired to write is that I’ve been going through a shift in desires – I’ve been craving more socializing, more interactive creativity, and more fun. Acting and improv are a fun, social way to scratch that creative itch, without having to hole up for hours on end in isolation.

So sure, my vague Non-New Years Resolution-goal is to feel empowered and satisfied creatively – but moreover, not to beat myself up for those times when I just don’t feel like making something beautiful, something funny, something worth keeping – or something, anything, at all.

I tend to should all over myself. When I am not writing, I should be doing more of that. When I am not painting, of course that’s what I should be doing. But at the same time, I should be at the gym. And on an audition. And promoting my previous books. And also, probably being more social. And less social. And –

It’s exhausting. And I know I can’t be the only one who does this. So if you need to borrow a non-New Years Resolution-goal for yourself, take mine: Be kind and patient and more loving with yourself. Don’t bother starting in 2016; start now.

It should make life a whole lot easier.

But you don’t have to take my word for it.

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Hello Readers,

It’s been, oh, about a month since I have posted here, so I thought I’d just give you all a quick update.

Here’s what Peter and I have been up to.

Earlier this week we (along with the help of some improviser friends in town) did a One Page Salon reading from the upcoming sequel. If you missed the reading, then you missed the sneak peak at book two. But here’s a hint: a child’s Batman mask was involved. And someone said the word “and.”

We (okay, mostly just me), have been in talks with schools state-wide about implementing the books into book lists and doing some author visits.

In December, I’ll be participating in a Typewriter Rodeo event here in Austin (I’ll post details under events).

And finally, baking. No, of course I’m not baking – if you know me, you know the extent of my culinary patience (I can make eggs.) But Peter has been baking up a storm. I think he’s a bit sad about the end of book two, to be honest, and trying to go into a sort of cookie coma until I start book three.

Which won’t be long. Yes, in between the poetry practicing for Typewriter Rodeo, the school visits, the readings, the auditions (did I mention the auditions?), and the cleaning up after Peter, there will come a day soon when I start writing book three.

BUT IT IS NOT. THIS. DAY!

– Natalie
and Peter

P.S. – Contact me if you or someone you know might be interested in implementing the Fantastic Fable of Peter Able into school booklists. Or if you’d like a cookie.

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What’s this? You want me to elaborate? I thought the message was pretty clear in the title of the post, but okay, large and empty box…

Book Two is done.

I’d been putting it off for the past two months, since I got back from my summer in London. Why? Probably because not having finished editing it kept it going for me – tied me, in an odd way, to the UK, where I wrote the bulk of it. Because once the edits are done, that means it’s no longer a work in progress, but a complete work – and then what?

What to do when a child leaves the house for good? When the wolf I’ve been raising since he was a puppy must go back into the wild? What, Jack London, WHAT?!

Well, I could do what many newly set-free parents (or wolf caretakers) do – take up some sort of new addiction to fill the time: shopping, drinking, making long distance prank phone calls to China.

Or I could simply write a new book*. After all, there’s one more in this trilogy, and infinite possibilities beyond that.

*This is where the metaphor must end, because while you can just write a new book when the other ends, you really shouldn’t just pop out a new baby every time your other child grows up, or buy a wolf pup when White Fang gets older. Because it’s illegal. Don’t buy a wolf.