--spective 👁/ Happy 2025 🥳

Lists, Photos, and New Books as the calendar turns 🗓

Collecting Dust is...One part Nostalgia. One part strange magic. All inspired by photos of real objects begging to tell a story if only we will pay attention.

My 7year old’s calendar this holiday season. Embrace Doing Nothing!

As 3 is my lucky number, I see starting the new year today as a good sign. Plus, I’ve been relishing the holiday and all the food, family, books, and boardgames it entails. I hope you did the same!

My husband and I exchanging gifts. Medium: the best sugar cookie recipe ever (courtesy of S.M. *the key is the lemon zest and copious amounts of butter)

Retrospective

2024 was a true “Leap Year” for me:

1. I left the school where I taught for over 10 years and found a new role at a new school (which meant taking my kids out of their school to come with me)

2. I started this Substack, my equivalent of “coming out” as a writer. (The support and encouragement I’ve received has been fuel to the 🔥)

3. I cultivated relationships with a core group of fellow writers

4. I pushed forward with my writing by hiring a coach

5. I submitted short pieces more regularly (about 25 times this year, which is probably nowhere near what’s needed to win the numbers game, but one highlight was the great feedback I received from judges of a historical fiction contest I entered—I’m still waiting to do something with that piece…)

6. I started the process to pursue Italian citizenship by descent (a very long process)

7. I traveled overseas with my spouse sans kids

8. I ordered the kids passports so they can come next time 🥰

9. I got two cats (a first!) after the passing of our dog last winter (RIP Rafa)

10. I listened to my body when it was screaming at me for change and help (I thank my husband and coworkers who helped nudge me toward these changes 🙏🏼)

Prospective

Looking forward to 2025

1. New notebooks for new thoughts! (Now I just need pens that won’t smudge *the lefty’s curse 🤦🏽‍♀️* and better handwriting)

2. Pushing for Intentionality-I want to stop living on autopilot when things get busy and consider what I really want/how I really want to spend my time.

3. Do more Family projects around the house and family visits. (I have new niece!)

4. Writing goals: Finish my novel and start the submission process + work on new pieces + Continue to push myself outside my comfort zone by connecting with others and sharing my work

5. Pre-ordering New Books! Something I rarely do, but I’m eagerly awaiting these releases the first half of 2025:

   1. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (Jan 14)

   2. Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling by Henry Lien (Feb4)-Wondering why I never formally learned kishotenketsu as an undergrad Asian Studies major obsessed with Japanese cinema (or maybe I just forgot 😅)

   3. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Mar 4)-Just in case you didn’t see my love for the protagonist of her second novel. It’s here. I will read everything she comes out with.

   4. The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud (Apr 1)- I’m currently reading McCloud’s Understanding Comics and want to get this new version for my kids, who, along with me, love comics and anything Raina. *I have dreams of making my own graphic memoir of my time in Japan like Raina one day. I just can’t draw ✍🏼

a foggy Haw River

Happy New Year!

I hope you find some time in this first week of 2025 to take a walk outside, reflect on the past year, and look forward to a clean slate.

Take Care,

Jacqueline

If you know someone who would enjoy Collecting Dust, I’d appreciate if you shared this Substack with them by clicking the link above!