Happy Solstice!

Yes, it’s the longest night of the year, to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. (And a sunny hello to those on the other side.) And happy everything else, too! Merry Christmas also, to those celebrating this week.

I just wanted to check in with everyone, and let you know what I’ve been up to. And of course wish you all very happy holidays, whether the holidays you celebrate have passed, are in process, or are yet to come!

Personally, I’m a really big fan of the New Year’s holiday. As we all have struggles, there is something really cleansing about the idea of a new beginning. A time to reflect on what has been, and a time to change and do better. Having social anxiety, I don’t end up at a lot of parties…and so I celebrate New Year’s in a personal way, starting with the days leading up to it, and ending with a nice evening at home, a bottle of champagne, and a genuine thought to everyone on Earth, hoping all of our lives can be better. I know that’s all a bit sappy, but I’m in an serious mood lately. And I wish every one of you the very best in 2019.

Speaking of 2019, I’ve realized how much I really enjoy being out at events, and so I’m trying to add a couple more shows next year. Most authors don’t really make money at in-person events (the tables can be expensive, on top of any travel), but I love doing them for a few reasons. Two main ones. First, I just love meeting and talking to you. I really do. I love hearing your stories, and ok I’ll admit, I really like when you come back and say you liked one of mine. As for shows, some are still pending (including GenCon and the big Detroit shows), but I will for sure be at Great Lakes (Warren) in February, Gem City (Dayton) in April, and London in October. And—I am returning to the land of my birth for my first show in—Cleveland! If you are in the Cleveland area, I’ll be there in March. (Yes, that E.D.E. Bell was born in a Cleveland blizzard in the year of the fire dragon line is true.)

I closed out 2018 with the Great Lakes Comic Expo Holiday Show, just up the road in Madison Heights, earlier this month. It was so fun! There was something extra special about hanging out at the table with Christmas music and jingle bells. I mean, I was wearing the jingle bells. I also had a lot of fun talking to the Ghostbusters Detroit, who were there collecting toys for Toys for Tots. Here’s us having a great time:

As many of you know, I moved back to the Detroit area about a year and half ago now. Sometimes I feel like that scene in Interstellar (I love this movie and highly recommend if you haven’t seen it) where the astronauts come back to the ship and find out how long they’ve been away. I’d been out of the state for 18 years, and acquired a whole family along the way. But I have to say, I’m so grateful to be able to be back in the D. And we’ve really found a lovely community here in Ferndale. Speaking of which, I’ve been trying to get involved more locally. Because I miss people! (And love this town.)

One group that I’m really honored to be working with is a group called InAccord. If you’re feeling in the holiday spirit and have the means to do so, please consider visiting http://www.in-accord.org and click the yellow donate button. Your money would go to paying for music education and unique opportunities for young, Detroit-based talent. And I will be working on a really cool writing-related project for InAccord this year—I’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.

I also had the fun experience of meeting an author this year, at a book party near where I live. His name is Marsalis (@saintmarsalis on Twitter) and I am getting into his writing. I’ve read his first book Elegia, a collection of modern fairy tales, and I recently finished his second book, Banquet, which is about a wizard school drop-out and his human friend. Banquet is fantasy, but it’s written with such boldness that it also had a fairy tale vibe to me, like the ancient story tellers who featured big adventures, big monsters, and big consequences. His writing is fresh, bold, and so unapologetically stated. Just to make sure it’s for you, his writing is often colloquial (I love that) and it contains some graphic violence, suicide references, and some of the characters use gender-related slurs. But if you want to try something bold and super-different, I really enjoyed it. He’s really interesting as a writer and as a person, and here’s his Amazon page.

I just want to thank each of you from my truest heart for following along with what I do. You give me the inspiration to keep doing it. I also want you to know I’m only getting started. Diamondsong will continue through 2020 and I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to create: magic, flaws, and all. I hope people enjoy the story, but I do also view it as an artistic piece, with some experimentation I needed to explore before I could move forward. I’ve written a short novel on the side and I’m trying to decide what to do with that. And then, after Diamondsong, I feel like I’m finally ready to make something really BIG. Big, classic, you-want-this fantasy, yet still very me, incorporating everything I’ve learned through my original “gem trilogy.” (Meaning Beryl, Corundum, and Diamond.) If you’re willing to stick with me, I’m going to try and create something really special. And fun!

In addition to following along, there are two big ways you can support my writing. First, just tell people about it! All follows, reviews, ratings, and recommendations are so critical to my ability to succeed. Second, I do have a Patreon (patreon.com/edebell) to which you can subscribe. For $1/month, you are part of a behind-the-scenes community that receives get two stories each month, non-fiction on the 1st and then fiction on the 15th. For now and until I decide to go another direction, my fiction serial is called Just Bart, and it’s about a simple folk, along with a horse, a magic whiskey bottle, and a ghost.

Lastly, I want to be open about something. I’ve been having sort of a hard time lately. I mean, I shouldn’t be, because I have so much to be grateful for. Yet, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the world, I suppose. Both by the ways that people hurt each other, and then by the energy we put into fighting about it, rather than communicating and finding solutions. I’m scared to even look at the internet; everything is just awful and people are waiting there, almost excited to spread toxicity. I try to be a good person, but some people think I go too far and then other people think I don’t go far enough. And I like to create dialogue over division, and I believe in balance, and some people take issue with all of that these days. You know, how can you associate with different types of people? Well, sure some things are pretty clear, but the world is more complicated than people want to make it. I appreciate the diversity of people, and the power of dialogue and working together (including the power of listening!), and especially of independent thought. Sure, there are limits to that and about a thousand caveats, which I can’t state every single time I promote understanding, connections, and compassion. So it’s taken me a while to convince myself that I have to be myself, I can’t let people bring me down, and I can’t live in fear of being attacked online for being the person who I am. Anyone who knows me knows I’m trying to be on the helpful side of things, and I need to learn to stay away from people who don’t care. I’m not all the way there yet, but I’m working on it. One reason I decided to bring this up is that I doubt I’m alone. So if you’re having any difficulty yourself, let’s know we are working on it together. We can do this! The world needs positive people, and we each deserve to be happy. Say it with me.

So I keep coming back to thinking about all the good people that I know. People who are fun and caring and quirky and all of it. If you’re here, reading, we know each other in some way. Maybe we’re real-life friends or family. Maybe I met you at a book-signing event or convention, and had the honor to meet you and learn something about you. Maybe you’re someone who’s found my writing or publishing online, and found something in it that interests you, or even speaks to you, and thus we have virtually met. To all of you – thank you.

And, from my heart, happiest holidays, warm wishes, and a wonderful 2019. Hope to see you around –

Cheers, E.

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