In the UK, our shortest day of the year happened on December 21st (with less than eight hours between sunrise and sunset). The woods outside my window are quiet and full of bare branches. However, as demonstrated by this photo from New Year's Eve, there is still life alongside the hibernation. Nature never stops creating, no matter how inhospitable the climate might be ☺.

We're a few days into a new decade and new beginnings. Today's blog post contains some quotes that describe this time of year and the way it makes our hopes and dreams seem a little more accessible.

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.”
— Nido Qubein

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
— C.S. Lewis

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
— Carl Bard

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, "It will be happier.”
— Alfred Lord Tennyson

My only resolutions for 2020 are to (somehow!) find more time for reading and writing, and music, and being outdoors. I'm not going to be too prescriptive this year in terms of the number of books I hope to release because I want to enjoy the writing without worrying too much about the deadline. But I've already started the second book in the Beyond Androva series, and it will hopefully be released in the summer of 2020. Art is telling the story this time. He's going to pick it up at the exact moment Matched in Magic ended. I'm going to finish with one last quote that explains why I love reading so much. Thank you for visiting my blog today, and I hope the New Year brings you good health, happiness, and lots of memorable moments ✨.

“Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, teach, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge. They help us understand.”
— Janet Litherland