Happy New Year, everyone! This year turned out to be a great year for writing. True, I didn’t finish working on my new novel, but that’s because I decided that it needed to be more thoroughly re-written. But I branched out in my writing, trying to write stories based on original research and interviews, rather than just my own experience. This led to my writing about my neighborhood, craft beer, and hot sauce; and I hope to continue this kind of pseudo-journalism in the future. The world is full of interesting people, after all.

In other news, I have a new book coming out in February! In fact, it’s one that originated on this blog: Don Bigote. I may even get an official book release! I’ll keep you posted.

But I do have a backlog of travel pieces. Here’s a quick list:

• Return to Dublin
• Near Dublin: Brú na Bóinne & Glendalough
• Galway & Inishmore
• The Cliffs of Moher & The Burren
• The Rock of Cashel & Kilkenny
• Cobh & Kells Priory
• Monet: Giverny, L’Orangerie, Mormottan
• In the Footsteps of García Lorca
• Dresden: Out of the Flames
• Leipzig: Bach & Battle

Aside from this, there are many sites around Madrid that I hope to include, such as the Royal Observatory, the Tapestry Factory, and the Madrid Río.

And of course there are an endless number of books to read and review. As it happens, I just came into possession of a trove of books about New York City, so it appears that the great Metropolis will be a major subject of my reading. I also still have the last of Caro’s LBJ books, and the last two of Churchill’s WWII memoirs. Apart from that, I can’t guess what books the year will throw my way.

Outside of the blog, my major goal is to get myself a more lucrative job, whatever that takes. But I suppose that’s always the case. So here is to a happy, healthy, prosperous 2025!