2024 in Review

 

End of the year reviews are often of interest only to the person writing them. I get that, but this is my blog and I have total editorial authority, so get over it.

JANUARY

Not much went on except the usual post-holiday letdown.

FEBRUARY

The shortest month, and mercifully so.

MARCH

The sixth Nick Forte Private eye novel, Off the Books, debuted on the 15^th.

Also that week, The Beloved Spouse™ and I attended the Suffolk (VA) Mystery Writers Festival. This is a unique annual event that I highly recommend for both authors and readers, as it provides opportunities for interaction not always found elsewhere.

I received my first Social Security check on the 20^th. Thank you to everyone who is still working and contributing payroll taxes. I did so without complaint for over forty years, so you’re goddamn right I’m entitled to collect now. Make sure the same happens for you.

APRIL

While the rest of the country wasted April 8 watching a total eclipse, of which several will occur

during a normal lifetime, we did something truly unique by waiting for word of when our first grandchild would join the world. Our vigilance was rewarded at 1:24 EDT when Madeline Rose Blewett checked in at seven pounds, six ounces and twenty inches. Much of the year’s remaining news will have to do with this young lady in one way or another.

At month’s end we attended the Malice Domestic conference in North Bethesda Rockville, Maryland. Malice has become a regular stop for us and this year’s event did nothing to dampen our enthusiasm. Special thanks to Bruce Coffin for inviting us to share his table at the banquet.

MAY

Our first trip to Florida to see Maddie was cut short when yours truly broke out in a rash no one could identify. With the baby only six weeks old and us only knowing what wasn’t wrong with me (I didn’t have COVID, the flu, mono, or a couple of other things I was tested for) we decided not to take any chances and came home early. It was still a thrill to hold my granddaughter for the first time.

JUNE

Road trip! My elder niece was married to a young man we genuinely like in Estes Park, Colorado on the 14^th. This gave us an excuse to load the car and make stops at The Badlands, Custer (SD) State Park, Lusk WY, Estes Park (obviously), Lakewood CO (for the day after party), Ogallala NE, Fort Kearney NE, and the Pittsburgh area to see friends, relatives, Primanti Brothers and Oakmont bakery before arriving home on the 23^rd. A memorable trip with only minor glitches.

JULY

We traveled to Hillsborough, North Carolina for Noir at the Bar at Yonder: Southern Cocktails and Brew. Eryk Pruitt and his lovely wife Lana Pierce have established a reputation for hosting excellent events, so we see many of the same faces whenever we go.

AUGUST

We spent August close to home, attending the Howard County Fair and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Both were new to me and were not only educational but entertaining.

SEPTEMBER

An action-packed month. We spent the 13^th – 15^th in Columbia, Maryland at the Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity conference, which has become the pre-eminent event on our calendar. This year’s get-together proved why C3 holds its pre-eminence.

Home for a day to do laundry and pack before leaving for Florida again. Maddie was five months old and Sleuthfest was to take place right across the bay in St. Petersburg on the 26^th – 29^th; I was scheduled to teach a class on dialog. The family part of the trip went without a hitch but we had to return early (again) to escape two days ahead of Hurricane Helene. The conference was canceled and The Sole Heirs’ house suffered some water damage, but nothing too serious.

OCTOBER

Needing time to catch our breath, October as marked by a day trip to Westminster, Maryland to visit Baugher’s Orchards to buy cider; our local outlet for their fine product had closed. Yes, we have reached an age where buying cider is not only worth a full day, but is memorable.

Even better was a chance to see The Sole Heirs and Maddie, as they came through Maryland on their way to Massachusetts to visit the other side of the family.

NOVEMBER

The Sole Heirs invited the whole family – three grandmothers, two grandfathers, an aunt and uncle, and a close family friend – to Tampa for Thanksgiving weekend. In addition to the big feast on Thursday, we went to the aquarium, the zoo, saw an outstanding model train exhibit, and got to ride on the Coast Guard float in the annual St. Petersburg Christmas parade.

November also marked the debut of my first Western, Dead Shot: The Memoir of Walter Ferguson, Soldier, Marshal, Bootlegger. I’ve abandoned all pretext of working with or in the publishing industry, so Walt’s story is available only through my web site, where the e-books are free to download.

DECEMBER

Maddie’s christening too place at St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, Maryland on December 15^th. A fitting end to an excellent year.

I hope all of you had years at least as good and look forward to a great 2025. A lot of people are looking at tough times once the new administration takes office, so let’s keep them in mind and help where and when and however we can.