2013 is here!

[omi_ohmy]

Happy New Year, all. I hope 2013 brings you much happiness.

I thought it was about time I posted something here. I feel that it has been an age since I said hello to my flist, so, hello!

There's plenty I want to say. Firstly, hd_holidays. Wow, it has been amazing. I was sick leading up to Christmas, as were my kids (one after the other) so I had a bit of time, stuck at home with nothing else to do, and I read everything that posted up to Christmas Eve. It was like when I first started reading H/D: I just wallowed in great writing, stories and art, each and every day. Magic.

Then my lovely brother arrived from overseas and we were very busy with family, and basically I have fallen way behind on my Hols reading. I plan on getting it all read (and most commented on) before reveals, so if yours has posted in the last week or so, I will get round to it.

I was very lucky to get a lovely fic as my Hols gift, Like A Dream. It has a wonderful rich and dreamy quality about it, and is an interesting take on love. It involves Amortentia, which could be tricky, but the author has been careful to cover the implications of its use. The potion use, along with the autumnal feel, gave this fic a bit of a melancholy air – the path to love is not an easy one. It's the first fic I've ever received, being absolutely rubbish at leaving prompts, and it was such a pleasure to read something written just for me.

The fic I wrote for Hols has gone down well enough, and it was such fun to write that I'm glad people have enjoyed reading it. I'm very happy to have participated in the last HD Hols, and think the mods have done a fab job. So kudos and thanks to them. :)

As for the state of my writing at the moment, well, er, it's all been a bit stop-and-start in the past month or two. Occasionally I have an original(ish) idea for a fic, but it happens so rarely that I hold onto the thought and try to write it when I can. Most of the fics I've written recently have been fest fics from prompts, and I was beginning to despair of writing anything I'd thought of myself, when I had a great little idea for a festive fic. I was happily writing away when I was struck down with my irritating cold/bug/cough, and then had to take care of my kids while they had it, and writing ground to a halt. So I now have yet another half-written fic. I think I will strip it of the festive elements, finish it and then post it at some point before next Christmas. Probably.

I also wrote half of a very wintery Merlin fic, which also lies languishing in my pile of incomplete fics. I may pick both up soon, or not. Because in the mean time, I have to get my Remix fic written: it is started, it is different to anything I've written so far, it is interesting to write.

My wonderful kids are back at school next week, so hopefully my writing/reading/messing around on LJ time will increase very soon. It is coming up to exactly a year since I started writing fic, so I will probably do a little review of the year then, and maybe pull my finger out enough to finish something to post with it. Or not: we'll see. I would like to say that it has been fantastic getting to know more fandom people over the past few months, here, on twitter, and in person. I have made some great new friends, and I'm enjoying it all very much.

Finally, thank you to eidheann_writes, birdsofshore and appleling for the gingerbread men. This Christmas I have been entirely crap at giving anyone anything (I didn't even manage Christmas cards for family this year), so it is especially unexpected and appreciated that I receive anything at all.

ETA: And thank you too, who_la_hoop for the gingerbread man. 

Thank you, all you lovely people, for being so lovely. :)