Disclaimer: No AI was used creating this post.

Not really an apology

I know, I know, you’ve read it a million times. People disappear from the blogosphere for months, and out of the blue make a comeback with an apology the size of a whole post. They vow to do better in the future. Sometimes with the caveat they will do so only if they can get it together. And that will be the last post you see from them for another lengthy period of time.

How do I know this? Because I’ve been there, both on the reader’s side and on the writer’s. And it’s because I can hear you scoff at me now that I almost skipped this intro. After all, if you just stumbled across this blog for the first time why would you need an apology? You have not been hurt by me, and it’s off-putting to guess from the first paragraph you might never hear from me again. Why should you bother reading on? What terrible PR on my part.

On the other hand, if you’ve read some of my previous posts over the years, chances are you already know my blogging has been on and off from the start in 2012. You came back, anyway—thank you! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking it out with me even when the writing gets tough.

So why not cut this whole section and hop right into what I really want to say? Because that would be missing the point of this post, entirely.

Where I’ve been and why I was gone

The ‘where’ I’ve been is easy to answer: right here, at my desk, doing much the same I am doing now—writing. So, to me, I wasn’t gone. I was doing what I love most, writing novels and getting them ready for you to read. Which includes writing new chapters, polishing them up, finding a beta reader (big hugs to dear Karima from Digital Rabbit Hole for braving the untested waters!) and writing more new scenes.

“That’s all fine and dandy,” you might say, “but you could have done that without disappearing on me. I would have loved to hear all about it!”

And that’s a perfectly valid objection. I realized this, and basically that’s why I am here now, explaining myself to you. My only excuse is the same I gave Karima the other day for not texting her more frequently: I’ve been engrossed in my story world and feeling the need to put it on the virtual paper asap. In order to get it out to readers, so you, too, would have a chance to dive into this enticing new world headfirst.

The problem with novels is it takes time to write them. During which not much else is going on in my everyday life. What I have I can’t share yet because I might end up changing it or cutting scenes altogether. So what to blog about? I’m an introvert and lead a boringly normal life. I’m also a nerd as well as a complete amateur in the scientific fields that fascinate me most. I wouldn’t dare to write about them for fear of bungling it terribly.

So, what else is there to talk about?

What can I say to make you stay?

(All right, that one was cheesy, but I’ll just keep it for the heck of it because it fits the metaphor.)

What have we got since my post about doing the NaNoWriMo at the start of last November? First up, I finished the project which is now Book 1 in a new Urban Fantasy series, revolving around mythical creatures hiding in plain sight in modern-day Venice, Italy. My current blurb reads like this:

Giulietta Gabrielli is broke. Her last attempt at a job interview leads her to the infamous new maid café on St. Mark’s Square, but when she gets the job it turns out much more dangerous than she bargained for.

While she makes friends with the quirky staff, she discovers legendary monsters really exist. Under the pleasurable surface of the Café Nightingale rages an age-old conflict, and Giulietta’s fight for survival turns real.

How do you like it? As a reader what would you expect the novel to be? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!

Also, by all means, let me know if you’d be interested in becoming a beta reader for this one. I will be sending it off to an editor this fall, but I’d be grateful for any prior suggestions to work into the final draft before that. Not to beg, but… I need you! In return, I offer an action-packed fun adventure with quirky new characters and formidable legendary beasts. What’s not to love?

On to more adventures!

Currently, I am working on book 2 in the series with a whole new beast and a new main character to join the cast from book 1. I’m having a blast as the story unfolds, and more than half-way through I had to admit to myself this book is going to be longer than the first. Which of course makes it that much more epic. So, win-win!

Novels, however, don’t write themselves (and I am not even going to open the AI can of worms here), so I will take my leave for now. Which brings today’s post full circle: let’s build up a good new habit to keep you in the loop at least once a month, shall we? That way I won’t have to bow my head in shame next time we meet, and come up with a whole new excuse. But then, of course, I could probably get away with it because I’m a writer…

You keep rocking!