Friday, January 2, 2015

The Rat of 2015

Welcome to 2015, the year of the Rat according to the Chinese Zodiac. Since you weren't born this year, perhaps you don't know if you were born in the year of the rat. 1936, 48, 60, 72,84,96, 08, every twelve years the animal designation for the year changes. If one of those is your birth year, you're ambitious and sincere and can be generous with your money. If you believe in things like Zodiac signs.

I expect 2015 to be another big year for speculative fiction in all media genre. Books, movies, TV and on social media. I like the term, speculative fiction. It's broad and covers so much including most of what I write. Super heroes are big on TV and in the movies. Fantasy continues to edge in and create more generations of lovers of Tolkien and the fantasy genre along with help from Game of Thrones on HBO. Arrow, The Flash and Shield, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, TV is filled with speculative fiction. Keep it going fans.

In the new year, I will be hosting guests on Fridays most weeks. January is already filled and I'm very excited about it. Tomorrow is the meeting of my local writing group where we'll talk about what's coming in the next year. For this group it means things like online classes, guest speakers, goal setting, the annual retreat(I've never attended that, yet) and the introduction of new officers. Fun times.

Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday but now it's back to work. Well, on Monday for most people. I'll be back to work on my WIP, the third book in my Warriors of Gaviron series. It's been fun to write, but I'll be glad to stop thinking about giant insect-like aliens who are smart and vicious. It's a joke in our family that I'm not afraid of anything, snakes, charging bulls or strangers, but bugs and spiders freak me out. How's that for using your fears in your books.

Some wisdom today from The Old Farmer's Almanac:
Humans have unique tongue prints just as they do fingerprints.
Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting (The Red Vineyard) during his lifetime.
January was named for the Roman god, Janus, protector of gates and doorways.

And don't forget to watch for the Quadrantid meteor shower in the northern sky before dawn on Sunday. And Sunday is the full wolf moon. I think we're getting snow and rain on Saturday so once again clouds will destroy my chance to witness a celestial event.

There are forty kinds of lunacy but only one kind of common sense.  African Proverb

Are you ready to get back to work in 2015? Did you know that about tongue prints? Are you watching too much police procedural TV if you did? Do like the popularity of speculative fiction across the media world? Were you born in the year of the rat?




16 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - I'm still in year of the Pig ... and appropriately am a Pig lady! I must remember to check out the Quandrantid meteor shower ... but I suspect we might have rain too - it's warmer now.

The African proverb is so right .. there are so many kinds of lunacy .. but common sense is always there and only one choice.

Happy New Year - Hilary

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Yep, Year of the Rat. :)

I had no idea about tongue prints - fascinating!

And I started back to work on my novel yesterday, Jan 1st.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I think it will be raining here as well. Bummer, as I will actually be up early getting ready for church.
Monday it's back to work for me. Bummer...

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I don't mind bugs unless it's a centipede. Those creep me out.

I was born in 66, so I'm a horse.

Robin said...

I like speculative fiction and watch most of the shows you named. I'm getting bored with the police procedural... there must be something a bit new about it or...zzzzz. I do like the new show Forever (and I think you'd like it, too). My other favorite new show is Scorpion.

Not born in the year of the rat.

Happy 2015 Susan!

Pat Hatt said...

Rain and snow here for that day, fun fun. Police shows I don't even bother with new ones any more, same old crap. Castle is fun though

Unknown said...

Yes, must admit to being born in the year of the rat!!

The Happy Whisk said...

Weird days. Last weekend people were out in shirts and dresses, no coats. Was spring Christmas.

This weekend, we're back to snowbelt cold temps. Though the air is super duper fresh.

I'll take it.

Happy 2015. Happy Writing.

Jemi Fraser said...

We're not going to have clear skies either. Feels like we won't have any of those until April :P

Looking forward to 2015 and all the fun it's going to bring! :)

J E Oneil said...

I sure hope 2015 is a big year for speculative, because that's pretty much all I write!

I knew that about tongue prints, and yes, I definitely watch too many police procedurals.

Cate Masters said...

I love speculative fiction too. Hope you have a fantastic 2015, rat or no :)

Christine Rains said...

Happy New Year! I was born in the year of the Rat. I hope that means a good year. I'm ready to get back into the regular routine. Bring on 2015!

mshatch said...

I was born in a rat year, too! And I'd be very generous with my money if I had any!

Shannon Lawrence said...

I was aware of the tongue prints, but I think it was too much time spent online that taught me that one. I also like the term speculative fiction. Happy writing!

Stephen Tremp said...

We had Japanese exchange students stay with us for eight days over the holidays and for them it's the year of the sheep.

And I was born in the Year of the Tiger.

J.L. Campbell said...

Hi, Susan,
Putting the things we fear in our writing makes sense.

Yeah, I like that term too, it kinda isn't specific to anything in my mind and it gives me the idea that writers are only limited by their imagination