_For those  in the American timezones from Barrow, Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego today is the last day of 2015. As is the case in the social media age the year is going out with a hashtag.
#MyJobDescriptionIn5Words is trending well right now and this  author thought it would be a nice note to go out on. As an author there are of course two jobs. A day job as illustrated above, and writing. 

So the day job went incredibly well and led to loads of inspiration for the next book in the "Dying Embers" universe. Lots of writing done! 
Here's to an utterly amazing 2016! 

Here is a fun writing prompt. If These were eggs what would hatch out of them?

The year was 1955. The culture which would come to be known as Americana was in full bloom and the cold war loomed on the horizon. Into this odd dichotomy of boundless enthusiasm and horrible realization that classic old show "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" introduced an up and coming author with the episode "I'll Take Care of You". George Clayton Johnson, would go on to contribute eight episodes to "The Twilight Zone", write the very first episode of Star Trek to air, and create two entire franchises from scratch. Here's a hint, when were George Clooney and Julia Roberts last a couple on the big screen? Yes, a grateful (or not) public can attribute all three "Ocean's" films and "Logan's Run" to Johnson. It is a bit doubtful if any science fiction fan came of age in the past seven decades without at least one phobia being crafted by this writer. 
He was a wizard of words, layering decadent culture and stark dystopia is sharp contrast to each other in the same stories. Sadly Johnson passed away today. Both the literary and cinematic worlds will miss his odd blend of dark and bright speculative fiction. Here's to salt sucking aliens and lethal paradises. 

According to the News Register a known home invader will be violating Pacific Northwest airspace. But not to worry. The ever vigilant volunteers of the McMinnville Civil Air Patrol will be monitoring his progress and reporting their findings into NORAD. 

• St. Nick may be watching you, but the Civil Air Patrol is watching him
  While locals are nestled all snug in their beds this Christmas, the cadets of McMinnville’s Civil Air Patrol squadron will be watching the skies.
  Lt. Cathe Fredericks, the squadron’s public affairs officers, said intelligence briefings from the North American Aerospace Defense Command warn that a bogey might well enter McMinnville airspace Dec. 24 — possibly piloted by a known home invader.
  That’s right. Santa Claus is coming to town. And the Civil Air Patrol is on high alert.
  

Still very true in this day and age. 

While it might seem a little silly to celebrate #TheFirstDayOfWinter on a global medium like the internet it is still a lot of fun. Currently (just in North America) some folks are strolling around in shorts and tee-shirts, some are bemoaning the rain and wind and some have been knee deep in the white stuff for months. But whatever an aspiring author's location or clime winter is a great time to get some writing done. Here are a few writing prompts!

1) *Something* is hiding in the picture above. What is it and why is it there?
2)Anthropomorphize a snowflake as it is "born" and grows and then falls.
3)Something wakes up a hibernating bear on the first day of winter.
4)A search and rescue team finds something supernatural at a crash site.
5)A banana tree is growing and fruiting in the middle of an ice field.
6)A reindeer team challenges a husky team to a race.
7)A goldfish in an outdoor pond views the world above through a layer of ice.
8)A squirrel has decorated his nest. Describe it.
9)Strange lights appear over a garbage dump covered in snow and the snow is gone in the morning, only over the dump.
​10)A mad scientist invents a "better" snow removal device.  

If you ever need an alien - something truly foreign to the common human population - look no further than that thing buzzing around your head. This is some dirt common bug from North America but on close examination it look like something that just stepped out of a grade B horror flick with a budget way too big for the writing.