According to something someone told me they found on the internet, a physicist somewhere computed the trip specs of Santa Claus's annual worldwide appearance. There's some assumptions, of course, about numbers of households, proportions of "nice" versus "naughty" children, etc., but they worked out some interesting back-of-the-napkin calculations that really put his workload in perspective. If each child received just one package of legos, Santa's sleigh would have to haul 321,300 tons--or four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth. And the reindeer (that payload would require a team of 214,200 of them) would need to fly at a speed of 650 miles per second, which is 3000 times the speed of sound. How Santa manages a plate of cookies at each stop is a feat in itself.
So although things may seem busy, gotta keep perspective.
For me, there's been the usual bustle at work heading into the holidays, and picking up presents, getting a tree (which, per ounce, is now almost as expensive as platinum), trimming it, visiting family, etc. It can be a challenge what with Florida's weather--78 degrees can feel kind of balmy when you're lugging a Christmas tree off your car roof. But all of it is a blessing, and I'm thankful for all I have.
I've also been able to work in a little writing since the last post. Yonder & Far, a historical fantasy set in Boston in 1798 is going through its final, final edits with the editors at Ellysian. The cover has also been worked up and looks great. Look for a cover reveal here soon, and the book should hopefully release in the first half of 2022. I really like how this one has shaped up. My recently finished novella, Look With Your Eyes, is currently under submission. A dark, humorous suspense tale set in north Florida, I'm hopeful this will find a good home. Finally, my work in progress, Godless (working title), is rounding the bend towards the finish line. Yesterday, I finished the penultimate chapter of the rough draft. There's a final chapter and an epilogue to go, a couple of scenes to flesh out, and then, my least favorite part of writing, the self-editing stage. Don't get me wrong, I love editing--when it's with an editor. But the self-editing part of writing has always been a slog for me. Word count on Godless will probably come in at around 95-96k words. So that slog will take some time.
Wishing you and yours a safe, happy, and blessed holiday season,
- Matt