Has it been over a year since I last added to the blog? It has. In my defense, 2020.
You would think that 2020 would be the kind of year to give more time for the writer to write. While this is probably true for many, it's certainly not true for all. You have the writers who happen to be parents, who may be working remotely from home, or who may have been laid off from the "real job" that pays the bills. Plenty of time to write during a quarantine lockdown, you muse. But then there's the kids. Remote learning means Mom and Dad have become--at minimum--teacher's aides. so, less time writing, more time relearning the things we forgot about from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
Then there's the rest of the family. I have kids at home, and while they're college age, they still have needs. There's online classes and chats that prove our bedroom doors aren't that soundproof. There are spouses who don't write, who don't understand what the big deal is when they see you in front of your computer and they decide to start conversation. I miss my opportunities to hang out in coffee shops to work uninterrupted.
That having been said, my family was fortunate enough to stay employed throughout 2020. With jobs that technically fell under the categories of essential businesses, my spouse and I generally worked a standard workweek from beginning to end. Don't call us heroes. That title is reserved for the medical professionals and frontline grocery store workers. The company I work for cleans boats under water. My husband's job is affiliated with communications and aerospace technology: important services, but not front line essential. I want to thank every front line worker who might be reading this for their service. Also, COVID-19 is no joke. We have lost friends and family, as many others have. I am sorry for your losses.
Which also makes writing harder. Depression, worry, having no time because you're the caregiver of others are all reasons for you writers out there to have had a fruitless year in pursuing the craft. Don't beat yourself up over it. Life happens, and it's messy. Especially in the year 2020.
Which is coming to an end with new hope on the horizon!
I personally did manage to keep writing--slowly, day after day. I am currently typing this update one handed because of recent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. My mantra throughout the year has been, "One sentence a day at minimum is success." And so comes the shameless plug: The latest book is out, Prophet Reborn, a sequel to Perfect Prophet.
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Perfect-Prophet
If you haven't read it, Perfect Prophet is the story about a death metal atheist with a tortured religious past who becomes the target of his Satan worshipping fans when a religious prophecy written by his father is revealed.
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Prophet-Reborn
Prophet Reborn continues the story and focuses on the Satanic cult leader antagonist who now seeks redemption for his sins in a Christian commune led by a megalomaniac preacher.
These are both horror, dark fiction titles and available as ebooks wherever ebooks are sold for $1.99 -- a great price! Feel free to check them out, and please please leave a review. I'm working on a book three slowly--sentence by sentence!
Finally, I wish everyone a better 2021 now that 2020 is almost behind us. There will be challenges, I'm sure, but after this year, we're bound to have learned how to handle them! Thank you all for your support!
