2018 was a helluva year. It was the year my blog nearly
died. I made only 20 posts this year. I used to posts 100s, but, partly out of
laziness and partly out of how the platforms change, I did almost all my social
media activities on facebook this year. It’s easy to waste time on facebook,
but there are also numerous groups of likeminded readers and writers that can
provide both entertainment and information. Plus, promotional activities there
are generally seen by many more folks than on a blog.
2018 was also the year that I almost died. I had a heart attack in August, caused by a primary
artery that was 100 percent blocked. Apparently, this blockage is commonly
called “the widowmaker” because most people who have heart attacks from this
source die. I’d like to think surviving it means I’m tough, but it probably
just means I’m lucky. I went through several months of cardiac rehab and my recovery
efforts are certainly not completed, but I’m feeling pretty good and in better
shape than I was before the attack. I will continue my rehabbing in 2019. I don’t
want to have that feeling again.
I played more Skyrim (Video Game) in 2018 than in most
previous years, but I also read a lot, particularly at the end of the year
after my heart attack. Those who follow this blog know I count my “reading year”
through my birthday. Between October 14, 2017 and October 14, 2018, I read 106
books. According to Goodreads, I read 131 books in 2018, which is my highest
total ever on Goodreads. Quite a few of those were by Harlan Coben, who moved
up to #39 on my all time book total list after just 2 years of reading his
stuff. However, there’s always a little bit of everything on my list.
As for writing, despite certain interruptions it was a
fairly productive year for me. I wrote about 40,000 words of new fiction
(includes poetry) intended for publication, and most of it has already been
published with a few other pieces schedule for 2019. The biggest news was the
publication of “The Scarred One,” my first western novel (under the Tyler Boone
name). I was very happy to have this happen and my thanks to the fine folks at
Sundown Press—Cheryl Pierson and Livia J. Washburn.
Half a dozen short stories also came out under the Tyler Boone
name in 2018, and I had stories published in some really fine anthologies,
including Unsheathed, Twilight Echoes, and Doorbells at Dusk. And I had stories
appear in such fine magazines as Sirens Call, Night to Dawn, Pen of the Damned,
and Beneath the Rainbow.
Although I didn’t do much writing in the first couple of months
after my heart attack, I’ve been back at it for the past couple of weeks and am
happy with the stuff coming out on the screen. Best of all, my mind is churning
with ideas again. That’s probably the most enjoyable part. And so, I leave you
with a hearty farewell to 2018 and a welcome to 2019. I hope the new year
treats us all well!
