At the time of writing, we have just celebrated Christmas and Boxing Day is about to end in about a few hours. It has been an enjoyable Christmas with cooking, eating and catching up with relatives. Of course, now I have allergic rhinitis (boo!), thanks to pet pander, dust and humidity. Tested myself, of course. Negative. I am prone to getting allergic rhinitis – and sinusitis. And I know I just can’t get c-19 like within a few weeks, right? So, boo to pet pander and dust!
It has been a weird year. C-19, books I have worked on for a long time finally getting published and getting on physical shelves! Attended my first in-person literary festival – and got covided (again?). Worked on the Southeast Asian special (Strange Horizons) and am mighty proud of the talent we have in our region. Also, started editorial work (which included acquiring, selecting and actually doing publishing stuff) for a small speculative fiction thing that is doing amazing things with finding talent (voice, writers, artists).
A slightly sadder note: It’s been a year since my MIL passed. We celebrated Lunar New Year and all the major festivals without her. The pain is still there, an echo – and during Christmas, we had the cousins go through her kebayas which she had wanted to be distributed out after her passing. Opening the cupboard was… something. We didn’t have the heart to open it. When we finally did, we all teared up. In there, she had meticulously kept all her kebayas and the gowns worn by the girls when they were little. Memories. And we read her beautifully-written instructions with awe and a little bit of sadness.
So, what will 2023 have in store for me? For a fact, I will turn 48, two years close to 50. I have to promote Oyster Girl and Fire Heart with readings and author appearances (masked, of course, the pandemic isn’t over!). I have also said yes to a couple of things – so I will be busy.
1. Prepare for Lunar New Year.
2. Mid-Autumn Mice (for New Year stuff).
3. Start work on… projects.
A Wolf's Tale 