Mind the Gap
The Return of a Writer.
Well, it’s been a minute.
Eight years and two and a half months to be precise, and my, what a lot has changed in that absence. What hasn’t changed are the controversies. There will always be something to rile the community up, to get them to shake their fists and say ‘Get off my lawn.’ Back in 2018, appropriation was the talk of the town; today it is A.I. and its use, abuse, and misuse.
Before getting into the details of any of that, the gap does need an explanation. The love of writing did not diminish; the capacity to write did. All I can say is that the blocker has been removed, and the words started flowing again. What was that blocker? Work. Specifically, my last job. We know they are a necessity, but they come at a cost. Day jobs to pay bills, day jobs that sap creative thought, day jobs that leave you drained by the end of the day. Creativity needs quiet time, at least enough of it to let ideas form and take shape. So that is what has been given back to me this last year — time (& peace).
There is a sense that activities from a previous era are returning. Pre-pandemic, my life was full of festivals, writers’ groups, workshops, and courses. Slowly but surely, these things are coming back into my life.
And I’m loving it.
Writing class on Wednesday mornings has been a positive step back into the habit of putting pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard).
The Emerging Writers’ Festival is on this weekend. I wonder how that has changed over the years.
So what has changed in my writing? I (temporarily) stopped development on the previous historical fantasy series and turned to a completely different genre, and I have found that jump has reignited the passion to write once again. That process began almost a year ago, and we are now coming up to the release date (15th October 2026). It has been a year of (almost full-time) writing effort and I will be so pleased to have The Art of Surrender in the hands of readers.
I will keep the blog posts short; I promise more. I’ll discuss the controversies and where I stand. I’ll write about my process of writing. I’ll talk about the new book (and leave out the spoilers).
For now though, it’s good to be back.