Happy 3 Kings Day!

Earlier today I wished that to my readers on Twitter and Facebook. Same to you, if you’ve not seen it before. (Or even if you have.)

I expressed the hope the ancient Persian mages brought everybody something nice. My favorite answer: “Myrrh. Again.”

Pictured: Zoroastrians!

What they brought me was my very own shiny copy of Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman.

Another Facebook commenter said it’d be “one heckuva book if it lives up to the title.” I told them I was impressed by Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek – favorably enough to buy it again in the new, expanded edition.

I’ll let you know about the “lives up” part.

Three Kings Day is a pretty big deal in Puerto Rico – and pretty much the only part of my Puerto Rican heritage I was actually raised with. Fine with Little Me, obviously, since presents are entailed. None of our nativo or Mexican immigrant population here in ABQ seems to make much fuss about it. I suspect it’s more a Caribbean thing – as seems partially confirmed by a Facebook friend (and Wild Cards fan, always a mark of conspicuous excellence!) who said they make much of it where he lives in Quintana Roo, on Mexico‘s Caribbean coast.

Of course, the Magis’ gift to me might not be entirely disconnected from a certain judiciously-timed use of an Amazon gift card a friend was kind enough to give me for Christmas….

Thanks, Larry! And, uh, Royal Ancient Persian Dudes!

In other news … you’ll have noticed it’s been a bit since I posted. Between the holidays, still being a touch sick, and being so slammed with writing that most days I spent doing it from early on until my brain stopped working well enough to continue, I just haven’t had the wherewithal.

Despite my increasingly urgent desire to do so – “Almost there! Al – most – there!” – I haven’t even been able to get back to The Dinosaur Lords rewrite. I got the Seekrit Projekt phase completed – and then had to jump on ginning up three new synopses for another project. (This one isn’t really secret. I’m just not going to tell you what it is yet.) Two of them I had to spin out of whole cloth; the third required substantial revision of an existing, if short, synopsis. So – busy? Boy was I busy!

Also in the midst of this came back some revision notes on the Seekrit Projekt. Fortunately they’re relatively minor, and I think I’ll be fine if I get ‘em in next Monday or thenabouts.

Which will allow me to, you know, rest, recover, get some actual errands done. And get back to DinoLords!

It’s been a little trying because I’ve not been sleeping well. I go to bed tired and can’t get comfortable. Then I sleep sporadically – and wake before I’ve slept enough and can’t get back to sleep. Aggravating. Although last night I did, finally, get a very good (if still episodic) sleep.

One quick testimonial: the third of the new synopses had me a bit stymied. I had a fairly good setup. What I lacked was an actual, you know, plot. So how did I handle it?

Why, yes. I let go – let Leo. Asked. And – as, let me emphasize, always – received. In fairly short order.

I’m exceedingly happy with the outcome. So, I might add, is my editor (who thanks to the Miracle of the Internet has already signed off so I could submit them to the Big Editor and get contracts started – meaning, eventually money.)

If you’ve not read that Golden Oldie – why, good gracious Charlie McCarthy, it’s from way back in June of  ’10! – you might bang the link above and check it out. I can’t promise you that letting go that way will work for you.

I can promise you it works for me.

Wishing everyone once again a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year – and every day, and many more!

Thanks for reading!