Yes and No

To answer your burning questions: First: Yes, I’m still alive. No, I was not eaten by wild turtles, abducted by aliens, swallowed by a whale, or struck by lightning.

Second: Why has my blog been silent for so long? Ah, that is an easy question – but a complex answer. The most important reason was what I would term writers’ fatigue.  In my post from December 2022, I talked about the publishing brick wall; five brick walls, to be precise. I thought it would only take me a few days to recover from that shock, but when the shock wore off, I questioned why I still wanted to write anything. I literally avoided my computer work for months. I got busy with life; I took on new creative projects that involved my hands.

Then, I decided that, if I was going to have to reformat and re-do everything for the new publisher’s specs, I might as well do it right; I re-read through all of my books and, as I’ve learned a lot over the years of writing, I tweaked a few things. I tightened prose and dialogues; sometimes, as in my fan-favourite, “The Cardinal”, I broke up the chapters into shorter lengths, taking the epic fantasy/sci-fi from 26 chapters to 47 chapters, and I added in a couple extra Easter eggs for fans. I prepared my new book, The Secrets of Vilor, for publication, which included getting a new graphic software and learning how to use it, to create the cover designs (I’ve always done my cover designs; I tried going with a graphic designer for the first novel but realized they weren’t intimate enough with the feeling of the novel to convey that visually, and I was; so. I took it on and have enjoyed the process – now even more, since getting a newer, more user-friendly program).

In all of this, the blog community has never been far from my thoughts; I have tons of ideas; but my writing energy, as it began to recover from the discouragement of the brick walls, needed to be invested for a time in the re-edits and preps that go into publishing a new book and re-publishing (again, sigh) the others (through my new publisher, D2D). I hope I never have to revisit the editing side of my novels, and can simply enjoy them as a reader from here on out (if this publisher ever goes under and I’m forced to find a new one, I hope to God I never have to reformat these again!!).

This year, my husband and I have been underway more than usual; our summer holidays were renting a private motorhome in Normandy, France, and travelling the region for 10 long, perfect-weather days. Soon after, my husband’s 2-month sabbatical began – the same day our Norwegian godson and his best friend arrived for a 10-day visit; we showed them a few highlights of a land overflowing with beauty and history and interesting places and amazing mountains and lakes; we took them across the borders to Liechtenstein, Austria, and Germany (a novelty for them, as Norway is so large that their nearest neighbour, Sweden, is the only place they can reach in a day’s drive). We spent some time in the Hundertwasser Markthalle, visited a butterfly greenhouse, and went on a tour of Zürich, among many other activities. Needless to say, during their visit, editing and writing were put on pause to enjoy time with them.

After that, I had a few weeks of focused time once again as my husband went on his annual hike with friends, then his annual bike trip, as he bikes Europe from south to north; this year, he biked from Portsmouth to Glasgow! I was a bit jealous of his time in the UK, but I was able to deep-dive into editing, graphics, and a list of to-dos as long as my arm. I’ve finally begun seeing light at the end of a very long tunnel.

What’s next?

My goal is to begin writing this blog regularly once more – once a week. After not having written a blog for nearly a year, that goal seems a bit daunting; but I’ve had the time to release my e-books, and have begun thinking about the next writing project, even though I still have the paperback graphics to complete and release (after the proof is approved!). This tells me that the writing fatigue is past. I look forward to the challenges of research and posting once again.

And now, for a glimpse of the fruits of my labour these past months, without further ado, here is my latest novel:

Kira is haunted by nightmares from her past, and she’s been on the run ever since her discovery made her the target of the corrupt, the greedy and the powerful. She can trust no one but her family. Now, forced onto a motley exploration crew heading to the toxic, stormy planet of Vilor, she’d rather be anywhere else. They arrive to find an abandoned base with cryptic messages left behind by a former crew. Kira’s budding sense of safety is shattered as she discovers that someone is on her trail, and she’s on the run again.

Josh, a crew member Kira’s only just met, ends up on the run with her. But he’s hiding something, too. Is he safe? Does he have his own agenda? Is he the hunter? As the secrets of Vilor begin to unfold, the dark ambitions of the human heart unleash a race against time.

For those of you who’ve stuck with me through the long silence, thank you – I’m grateful! For those of you who stumble across my blog randomly, or come to visit because of my books, welcome!