On the horizon …

What are your new year’s resolutions? (Give us both writing and others if you have them)

by Dietrich

I’m not in the habit of making resolutions for the new year. I’m not into predictions, and once again I didn’t take part in the icy Polar Bear Swim to celebrate the new year. Nothing wrong with any of that, and I suppose if I did make resolutions, I‘d likely break them all anyway. But, I do make plans, and I do have plenty to look forward to in the coming year. 

Over the coming weeks I’ll be working with my editor and tackling final edits for my upcoming book. This one’s called Cradle of the Deep, a crime novel set on the west coast, starting in Vancouver and ending up in Alaska. It’s set in present-time and involves a couple running away from the woman’s gangster ex. It will be out in the fall. 

I’ve got another standalone project that I’m halfway through. It’s set here in Vancouver in present time as well, and involves a runaway teen, an old man, a pair of casino thieves, and one killer motor home. I’m not absolutely sure of the title yet so I won’t mention it here. This one will become my tenth and should be out the following year.

Being an avid reader, I’m excited about new books by some of my favorite authors, as well as some who I’ve been meaning to read. And there are classics by long-time favorites that I’d like to catch up on, and some others that I’d like to reread. So, the stack of books is forever growing.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, there’s always something exciting coming our way. There are plenty of concerts and shows scheduled, as well as our wine and craft beer festivals, the international film festival, a jazz festival, a folk festival, the Celebration of Light fireworks, Bard on the Beach, and lots more.

There are writer events and festivals that I’ll be attending, and for our local crime fiction fans, I’ll be organizing two Noir at the Bar events at the usual haunt, the Shebeen down in Gastown, one on May 6th, and the other on November 4th. Both promise an exciting line-up of authors reading from their latest works.

And here at Criminal Minds, I’m looking forward to answering questions along with our fine family of authors. 

And over on my blog Off the Cuff, I’ll be chatting with some prominent authors about what they’re working on. You can find it at: dietrichkalteis.blogspot.com

As I play music when I write, I’m constantly adding new albums to the collection, and there are some great ones coming out, and that’s something else I have to look forward to. 

Then there are new films being released, as well as some series that I’ve become addicted to: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Schitt’s Creek, White Gold, and Better Call Saul, all of which are getting set for new seasons. 

Aside from all that, I’m planning to do some traveling. My wife and I migrate like geese in the fall, heading to California every year. On top of that, I’m looking forward to flying to Germany later this year.

There you have it: no resolutions, but some plans and plenty to look forward to. And for everybody out there, I wish you all the very best for the coming year.