"Besides, you need someone of intelligence for this sort of mission. Quest...thing."

 I finished The Hobbit. 
 Just had to announce that for no particular reason.
 I usually try and take December off from writing. I still write some, but not as much as is normal for me. One reason it is the month right after NaNo, and I do a lot of writing during then. It is nice to have a break afterward. But my main reason is Christmas is in December, and I love that holiday. I love the lights and snow and cookies and songs and all of that. (Yes, I celebrate Christmas as a reminder of the day of Jesus' birth. Of Him leaving His home in Heaven to be born on earth to live and die that I and others might have salvation.) But I also just love the feel of the Christmas season. When I concentrate on my writing I feel like I miss out on a lot of this, so this is usually my huge break month where I just relax and enjoy good books and time with my family.
 I am doing a bit of work, as I said, I still write a little from time to time. I have opened up the final Loyalty book and spent a few pages there the other day. I am pleased it now has a plot and should move along to a quick first draft finish line in January. (Plots are lovely things.) My biggest thing though is editing Finding the Magic.
 A fitting story for this time of year because it is set around Christmas.
 It is more enjoyable to work on editing during the Christmas season when the story is a Christmas story.
 Normally I wouldn't be bothering with editing, but since I was sick all of November I didn't get the little story edited then as I had intended. Now it needs to be sent in the end of this month. Therefore, it must be worked on.
 I've had a lot of fear and doubt over the idea of sending it in for the contest. If I hadn't already sent my fee in to enter I would be sure to back out now and not send the story in at all.
 I've entered contests before, but this one feels bigger. This is through a publisher, with the chance of winning and getting my tale in a book. Daunting things, even if I have already published and have people reading my stories. (I try not to think about that too much. The idea of people reading my books makes me want to crawl into a cave and never show my face to the light of day again.)
 It isn't that I hate Finding the Magic. I love the story, and the characters. It was fun adding my own twist on the classic tale and weaving in characters from the movie. (For those who don't recall, my retelling is of a young girl, Belle, who was living in England during the London Blitz in 1940. She is sent to live with an older man, Mr. Adam Prince, in the country until it is safe for her to return home. Mr. Prince hides in his room most of the time and won't talk to anyone. He is short tempered and angry about something, and Belle is filled with the desire to show him the magic in the world, the magic which is hard to find because of the war and the grief it has brought.)
 It is daunting to think that in a week or so my story will be in the hands of professional editors and writers and they will be picking it apart to see if it is worthy to be printed in a book. It makes me want to hide my story and the characters in my closet for safe keeping. 
 Not that I have a choice in the matter anymore. I have a friend who won't let me chicken out in sending it in. So in it must be sent. 
 Until then....since I lost track of where this post was heading if it even had a direction...I will go back to my Lord of the Rings marathon and making Christmas presents while I watch. (Do you realize how fast you can knit while begging Aragorn to run faster and save Boromir? One of these days...he didn't make it this time...but one of these days my begging and pleading will get him there on time and Boromir will live. I believe in Aragorn and I don't think he will let me now. He's not the type.)
 Still not telling you where the quote is from.
 And I'm not sorry about it.

 ALLONS-Y!