Old New Year & a Look Back

This is the most Ukrainian of our Ukrainian wedding photos. I call it The Valentine’s Card One.

Most of you know I am an honorary Ukrainian. I lived in Ukraine, worked in Ukraine, and got married in a big, fat, Ukrainian wedding. (It was super fun – that’s another post.)

Ukrainians celebrate New Year twice. The first time is Dec. 31st and Jan 1st, only it is more like Christmas. It is a New Year Tree and you give and receive New Year Gifts. (I got a hydroponic garden for New Year – squee!)

The second time is Jan 13th and Jan 14th, New Year in the Julian Calendar – fondly called Old New Year.

In the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, this is celebrated in a low key way, with an emphasis on good food (I’m making borscht and homemade bread) and reminiscing. We sit around the table and talk about the last year – who we lost, what we gained, goals we achieved and stupid mistakes we made. It is sad and sweet and poignant and funny. There is plenty of toasting and eating and drinking (of course). We toast the family members who aren’t with us and raise a glass to the memories.

Bye bye, huge house with the gorgeous kitchen.

Hello, 120-year-old New Project!f

For my family,  2020 was an interesting year – even without a quarantine. At the end of February, we moved from Nashville, TN to Baltimore, MD.

My Ukrainian (aka The Man) got a new job up here and moved in August of 2019. I stayed behind in Nashville with the kids to sell the house and wrap everything up.  It was the cherry on top of an already super hectic year. I looked forward to 2020 – learning a new place, meeting new people, decorating a new house – and I was so glad to see the back of 2019…

Clearly, fate had other things in store.

With The Man working from home and three kids doing virtual school, it’s been hectic and we’ve had to get creative in a lot of ways. But a lot has been achieved in the last 12 months despite the setbacks and general craziness.

My mostly epistolary modern novel, Ship to Shore, was released last January. I started it in 2012 and set it down for a long time, so it was a BIG relief to get it off my mind and my hard drive. It’s also where you will find the short story I posted here last winter, Swap Meet.

Click to see on Audible

Over the summer, Green Card, my first modern book and my baby, was recorded in audio by the fabulous Elizabeth Grace. It is hands down the best audio book performance I have EVER heard. It’s like a one-woman show and I promise her voice goes so low you’ll think she’s a man. It psyched me out more than once.

After that wonderful experience, Grace recorded Ship to Shore as well. TWO audio books in one summer!

THEN, Thanksgiving weekend, I released my regency novel Sons of Pemberley. It’s a family saga that explores the Darcy family in depth, and I am a little bit in love with it. AND Elizabeth Grace has just finished narrating the audio book! Expect it later this winter.

Overall, though it has not been without its drama and chaos, 2020 was a pretty productive year. Here’s to 2021! May the Muse be with us and the books be plentiful! Snovom Godom!

Sons of Pemberley Description:

What if Lady Anne Darcy was alive to meet Elizabeth Bennet?

A sweeping tale of tragedy, devotion, and betrayal—spanning over 25 years and two generations—this family saga explores the life Fitzwilliam Darcy would have had if his mother had not died young.

An up-close view of the Darcys’ marriage and Fitzwilliam’s childhood … a retelling of the circumstances that shaped the man we have come to love … a reimagining of the friendships and relationships that formed each iconic character … a tale of love, loss, heartbreak, and triumph—this is Sons of Pemberley.