Officially Winter

Even though we've had some wintry weather and temps already, it was still technically fall. But no more! Today's the shortest day of the year, which means each day after gets a little longer. I wish that extra minute or two was in the morning rather than lighter in the afternoon, but oh well. I'd also like it if we had an actual winter this year, instead of a short stretch of super-cold days and too-little snow. I'm not sure Mother Nature cares what I want, though.

This is also the first of two holiday weeks, which means a lot of you will be scrambling to get prep done. This week is family dinner for us, so I have a bit of a prep list myself, but next week for the start of the new year is bigger. 2025 has been a pretty crap year here personally, so I'm ready to kick it out the door and welcome 2026, which had better come in quietly and behave.

These last two weeks of the year also mean I need to fine tune and finalize the writing plans for the new year. I'm thinking about only doing a loose overall plan for the entire year, but more detailed goals a quarter at a time this year. A friend had suggested that some time ago, as she does it herself, and since this year was such a mess, I'm going to give it a try. I mean, you never know what life is going to throw at you from one day to the next, never mind in the next twelve months. We'll see how it goes.

Before I get to the rest of the weekend to-do list/family dinner prep, I have a snippet for you this week from Hunting Medusa.

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Andrea rested her head on her folded arms on the kitchen table, only half listening to Kallan typing on his keyboard. She didn’t want to die just yet. She knew for sure she didn’t want to be mutilated before she died.

But she didn’t look forward to killing the Harvester either.

She never should have had sex with him. She knew it. She’d known it beforehand.

And she should definitely not still want him.

When the phone rang, it was a relief. For a few seconds. Until she realized it was Thalia. “My cousin.” She didn’t think she needed to explain her mental caller I.D. to him.

Kallan held her gaze for a long moment. “Don’t try to let her know what’s going on,” he said at last. “I know where a lot of your cousins are located, and I’m not the only one.”

Her heart pounded harder at the implication, but she got to her feet and picked up the receiver. “Hello, Thalia. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Andi, but I think you need to get away for a while.”

She frowned, feeling Kallan’s presence behind her. Close behind her. Close enough to hear her conversation. “What do you mean?” His body heat teased her.

“The Harvesters are out and about. I’m afraid for you.”

Andi shut her eyes for a second, then opened them again when he put his hands on her shoulders. She shot him a glare and moved away, back toward the table. “I’m fine.”

“Please don’t ignore this, Andi. You know I’m hardly ever wrong.”

That was true. But she wondered if her cousin realized she was very often late with her flashes of intuition. Far too late in this case. “Okay. I’ll give it some thought, all right? Mom said something the other day about visiting.” Gods, had it only been two days ago? “And Aunt Lydia just called yesterday too. I could go to see either of them if anything seems odd.”

His hands settled on her shoulders again, massaging the tense muscles there.

She didn’t bother to shrug him off this time. He was persistent. “I could even come visit with you,” she teased, forcing a lightness into her tone.

Her cousin cleared her throat. “I actually have company right now,” she said after a moment, and Andi could almost see her blushing. “You remember I met someone in Athens last summer? Well, he’s come again to stay for a while.” Even over the phone, the emotion in Thalia’s voice was obvious.

One more cousin safe—none of the cousins who’d fallen in love ever had the curse land on their heads. A tiny bit of relief made her relax further under Kallan’s touch. “That’s terrific, Thalia. When do the rest of us get to meet him?”

“We’re talking dates,” the other woman said, a hint of a smile in her tone now. “I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Good. And thanks for the warning. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. I’ve got to go, Andi. Talk to you soon. But promise you’ll be careful. Danger is coming from more than one direction.”

She pushed the off button on the phone and shut her eyes, ignoring the slight sting in them. She was not envious of Thalia’s good fortune. She was just in an impossible situation here.

His warm breath brushed the top of her head a second before his lips. “That was good.”

She wanted to tell him to go screw himself. She wanted a weapon to swing at him. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and carry her down onto the nearest flat surface.

Her eyes popped open. Damned hormones.

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Is anyone else hoping for some real winter weather this year, or is it just me? I'd love to hear about it, if you get a chance this week!

Until next week, happy reading!