Story time!  Are you sitting comfortably?  Good.  Then we'll begin.

Once upon a time, there was a young(ish) girl who had loved books since kindergarten. An only child, she made some of her earliest and oldest friends between their pages: precocious girls like Pippi Longstocking and Anne Shirley were her favorites, but she soon grew just as fond of super-sleuths Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, and went on adventures with the brave mice of Redwall and discovered the creeping, delightful horrors of Edgar Allen Poe and Christopher Pike.  Around that time, she was also beginning to discover the prospects of responsibility, as her teenage years loomed on the horizon, and her parents, wanting to coax her into it in the best way possible, suggested she get a job at a bookstore.

The bookstore was tiny, tucked away on the shores of a nearby lake, and catered mostly to tourists looking for summer beach reads, but our heroine loved it nonetheless.  She learned how to open up shop, run a register, and create workshops for the kids who came in to amuse themselves on lazy summer afternoons.  (One particularly memorable afternoon was spent teaching them how to draw Mushu from Mulan... which might tell you how long ago this was, if you're very clever and know how to use IMDB.) She discovered the joys of coffee, classic literature, and mystery novels, but more importantly ... she discovered the concept of book signings.  
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She was only able to work at one of them, but one was enough.  The author, though no one she had previously heard of, was a mystery author, just like the books she was starting to love so much, and was willing to talk to her at length about her craft.  Not only that, but she signed a book for her:  

The advent of the internet (yes, this IS an old story, isn't it?) meant that she began to meet other people who wrote their stories in secret, same as she did, and one of them, a little older and a little braver, convinced her to share her own stories with the rest of the world.  The wide anonymity of the internet made this all seem so much safer, and she began to gain a little following, which made her think that maybe her writing wasn't so terrible after all.  College and the so-called "real world" took their turns at her confidence, but eventually, she began to share stories which were entirely her own, and discovered self-publishing, and all the freedom and challenges that came with it.  
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There's no neat dovetail to the end of her story - of course, she's sitting here typing it to you.  ;)  I will say that things have managed to come full circle: later this month, I will have my second-ever book signing at the store that started it all.   I invite those of you who are able to come and join me ... it's not quite a Happily Ever After, but as far as I'm concerned, it's damn near close enough.

I'm not sure about the rest of you, but for me, the new year is the start of a new cycle: a time to refresh, take stock of what's ahead, and change anything that wasn't quite working for the best.  This year, I'm not only applying that strategy to my home life (I spent the weekend rearranging my living room, to great success), but to my life as an author - if you haven't yet, please have a look around at the changes I've made to my website!  It's now even easier to order both of my novels in the format you prefer.  

Since change moves in ripples, and things elsewhere in my life are shifting, my writing schedule has changed, as well.  Here's where you'll be able to find me during any given week:

Mondays: I post the theme for #2bitTues on Twitter, and do rounds of my other social media: Patreon, LinkedIn, Google+, Goodreads, Facebook, etc.  (Links to follow me can be found on the home page!)
Tuesdays: It's #2bitTues, which means I encourage fellow independent authors to share lines from their current work-in-progress (WIP) on Twitter!  I'll also do most of my catching up with other folks there.
Wednesdays: Updates to this blog will still happen on Wednesdays.  It's also a writing day!
Thursdays: I participate in another Twitter game, #Thurds, do some writing, and kick back with a fellow indie author's book.
Fridays: Writing day again!  The biggest change is that my newsletter, Friday at Charlie's, will only be going out on the last Friday of every month.   This way, I can provide more content and take up less space in the mailboxes of my Friends of Aviario.
Weekends are for writing, and much-needed time off.  I have loved ones to spend time with and a world to enjoy and be inspired by, after all!
  
That's all for now, friends!  Until next week, I hope you all find reasons to smile!

Today is officially Yule, the Winter Solstice, which marks when longer nights slowly begin to turn to longer days.  It is the longest night of the year ... which makes it perfect for curling up with a cup of your favorite holiday beverage (cocoa for me!) and a good book!

I have received review copies of four indie books from four very talented women, and will be steadily devouring them over the weeks to come.   A couple are not quite in the same vein as The Novels of Aviario, but I believe that independent authors should look out for each other, regardless of genre!  So there'll be a little variety in the offerings.  Here's a sneak peek at what I'll be reviewing soon:

Some Assistance Required by C.L. Ogilvie - Supernatural meets romantic comedy when a human in a world full of supernatural creatures takes a job as a personal assistant to a very unique attorney.  This one's been described as "a supernatural version of Bridget Jones"...  I think I'm in for a fun read!

Mothmen: Myths & Legends, Volume One by Kaelan Rhywiol (no purchase link available) - Another supernatural romance ... I was told by the author that this one is more explicit, so I will be writing my review for her to post on her website.  (I try to keep the books I review here to an R rating.)  Once it's finished, I'll post a link to the review for those who would care to read it.  

The Order of Moonlight by Lexi Miles - Lexi's synopsis on Amazon makes this sound like a boiler-plate supernatural romance, but she assures me there's plenty of mystery and suspense, as well.  She's a sweet, supportive friend, so I look forward to seeing what she's cooked up ... I have a feeling she may be selling herself short in her descriptions.

Stolen Ink by Holly Evans - Holly's a colleague of mine, and her writing is fabulous.  This is the first in her new urban fantasy series, which blends magic with the art of tattooing.  It's a really original concept, and I'm excited to see what she does with it!

Since I won't see you all here again until after the holidays, I hope you all have a wonderful week, no matter what you celebrate!  I'll see you all next time for the last blog post of 2016!