“We must accept finite
disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.”
~~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hi all,
Welcome to the second newsletter of the new year!
Despite what I said in my previous newsletter, I've
since decided that I would like to make some plans for
JABB this year. What I'm not doing is assigning
deadlines to them. However, I'm afraid that if I
don't write them down, I'll forget about them. So
it'll take a load off my mind to just put them here and
if they happen that'll be great. And if they don't
then there's always next year.
God bless,
Jenni
Thoughts
and Plans for 2022 Part Two
1. The centerpiece of the year is a story I've titled
"The Shepherd" that will find the gang finally able to
resurrect Jesus Christ Superstar at St.
Genesius'. However, assorted maternity and paternity
leaves cause them to divide up and recast some roles.
This causes some controversy in the community when someone
unexpected is cast as Mary Magdalene. Meanwhile,
Andrew keeps a close watch on Crowley who is struggling with
being cast as the Angel of Gethesemane... because he
actually was the Angel of Gethsemane and has a lot of
unresolved emotions tied to Joshua's death and their partial
estrangement at the time.
2. *Hopefully* that will then lead into "The
Advocate." (I'm kinda going for a "The Carpenter"/"The
King" thing here.) After JCS wraps, Joshua, Peter, and
Emma are contacted by a defector from the church that led
the protests against the Mary Magdalene casting. It
turns out that while the church raged against a bogeyman,
they were protecting a high-profile predator in their
midst. Joshua is determined to bring the man to
justice with the help of the Friends and others.
3. I do hope to have at least something for a
Valentine's Vignette this year. If it works out, it'd
be more likely to appear in the February 20th newsletter as
opposed to the February 6th one. I've already started
work on a piece of fluff that finds Andrew and JenniAnn
returning to an empty castle following their Blessing
Ceremony in El-Chanan. It was originally supposed to
be part of "A Thousand Years" but I just plain ran out of
time. Beyond that, I'd also like to write a story
about Joshua visiting with Max, Violeta, and Shelby that
same night because I feel like those three could really use
some counsel. For all the sweetness and light, I don't
think it would necessarily be easy to be Andrew's and
JenniAnn's adult children.
4. Outside of the stories, I am majorly behind on
updating the web site. So I'd really like to get that
done. I feel much more creative when that piece is
taken care of.
5. On a more personal note, I'm hopeful for
Spring. Not only do my mice issues seem to be resolved
but warmer weather cuts down on wildlife intrusion
regardless. Plus, and this is probably the most
important part, when the weather is warmer, I can put my
coonhound, Leo, outside for longer spaces of time.
Prior to me adopting him, Leo was very nearly feral.
He's definitely become accustomed to a cushy indoor
lifestyle but his behavioral issues really tick up when he's
not able to enjoy the sunshine for prolonged periods of
time. So I'll be very glad when he can go bask in the
sun under his lilac bush and I can have a little more peace
and quiet!
6. On a more sobering note, I have two quite elderly
pets. Danika, my shepherd mix who is fifteen, and
Jackie, my three-year-old mouse. There could be some
really, really difficult times with them this year. I
don't know what sort of mental state I will be in. But
any plans I make for JABB could be derailed if they take a
bad turn. So just don't be overly surprised if at some
point I'm like "In the next newsletter, I'll be sending X"
and then that rolls around and it's a re-run or
something. I'll eventually get back to whatever I'd
planned.
7. I also want to make much more of an effort to
listen to music. While I love podcasts and audiobooks,
music is a lot more apt to put me in the mood to write or at
least brainstorm. Music can inspire the dreamy sort of
mood that lends itself to writing about angels and demons
and portals and anam caras and so on.
John Dye Puzzles
January 31st would have marked John's 59th birthday. I
don't really have much to say that hasn't been said.
Selfishly, I wish he was still here so we could have enjoyed
more of his work. But I know he's in a better
place. To celebrate some of the work he left behind, I
created more puzzles. No matter how hectic life gets,
sitting with a puzzle helps calm me down so I hope it can do
the same for you.
(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this
page are from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS
Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water
Productions. They are not being used to seek
profit.)
