Most of us will be glad to see this year over. It certainly was a difficult one! As a writer and someone who is used to being housebound most of the time, I had it easier than most. I already work from home so I've long since gotten over that 'cooped up' feeling. I was able to stay in contact with family outside of my household and friends via the cell phone or online on my PC. I have a tablet with a camera so chatting with folks virtually face-to-face was possible. Still there were some scares, shortages of supplies, and a lot of anxiousness over loved ones who had to be out there where the germs were floating around. Plus we had all sorts of unrest and the storms and wildfires... This was a year I'd like to move on from myself.
Yet plenty of writing got done here. I finished the 7th Jezebel Johnston pirate novel, wrote a western novel that I was invited to do, got my proposal accepted and completed another story for the third and final Monster Earth anthology Mechanoid Press is issuing, and also banged out a second Chandra Smoake short that I still need to finalize, thought it's essentially done. Off and on I worked at a Vagabond Bards novel I started last year, but never quite finished because it kept getting set aside. I also continued picking away at another Sinbad tale for Airship 27's series that might just turn out to be a novel, because the concept is big enough. That's what I've been plugging away at quite often lately. I don't get as much writing down around the winter holidays because there's so much else going on, but I've sat down and banged keys whenever I could. I've dabbled here and there in other projects without much to report, and I've done some editing for friends who asked nicely and return the favor. I wrote my last town newsletter column back in November, because the person running it decided to shut it down. I'd been with them since June 2013 and wrote one for each month of the year since. December will be the final one. It was fun while it lasted, kind of a busman's holiday.
In March, Airship 27 released the 6th Jezebel Johnston book, SISTERS OF VENGEANCE.
I had one book this year come out from Pro Se back in April, BY THE WAYSIDE TALES.
In June, my first Chandra Smoake short story, SMOAKE AND MIRRORS, appeared in Occult Detective Magazine—which was my first UK sale.
I did do a galley draft review for one of the Companion Dragon Tales books LAZLO AT HOME back in October, but it hasn't come out from Pro Se yet and I'm doubtful I'll see it before sometime next year—hopefully! We haven't had a release in that series since 2016, and there are three books in the queue right now. Overall I have not had a lot of releases this year, but it's been a slow year for everyone. Yet on my end, the writing goes on, regardless.
I did get some good news from Airship 27 recently. The 7th Jezebel Johnston book, subtitled MASTIFF, is in production now. I have seen and am posting here one of the gorgeous interiors done by the uber-talented and regular nice guy Mr. Rob Davis.
Well that's what's been happening with my writing this year anyway. I'll tell you honestly, I have not made enough money writing to even think of supporting myself, though I work at it every chance I get. But other than raising my family, and all the gardening along with the music and art & craft stuff I've done over the years, this late life career choice has given me the most satisfaction out of anything I've ever tried to build a profession from.
I really enjoy writing. I love the entire process of going from vague concept to finished manuscript—even when it gets frustrating. Being somewhat of an introvert who doesn't mind spending countless hours lost in her own thoughts, sitting at this desk every day with fingers on the keyboard and words flowing from mind to screen has brought me a lot of satisfaction and a great sense of accomplishment. I can't picture doing anything else to leave my mark on this world. I have a very understanding family who support my craft and cheer me on, and am at an age and stage in my life where quiet, creative work is preferable to being out there pressing the flesh and hawking my wares. I get up every morning looking forward to sitting back down here to pound on those keys once more. I'm not antisocial, because I'll talk about writing with my fellow authors or really anyone who has the time and patience to listen. This is my passion. This is what I was born to do. That's why I keep at it, because while it would be nice to say I'm making a lot of money, there are faster ways of doing that. This is about honing a craft. This is about creating something that will hopefully outlast me. It's about leaving a legacy of books and stories that will continue to entertain folks long after I'm one with the dust.
Even in a trying year like 2020 has been, I always had something positive to look forward to and feel confident about. I can't stress enough the importance of that. At a time in my life where my ability to get around well has become problematic and my eyesight is so-so, I needed something to focus on that can be done sitting down without having to travel outside my house to get to work, but also gave me the satisfaction of being creative. I write them, I send them off, and when they are accepted and published, I feel like a winner. It's a good time in my life for this too. I'm no longer responsible for other people on any regular basis, for we're an all-older adult household. My sons are men now with lives of their own. My mother passed last year and while I miss her, I am no longer part time caring for her so I have more time for me. My grandkids are growing up and all 3 are busy with school and their own activities. So while I stay in touch with them all and see them often, I'm home a lot with multiple hours to myself. And I'm okay with that. I like being who I am at this age. Being a writer who is now a published author with 19 books and 15 short stories in print (with more in the wings), has added a personal dimension to my life outside of wife, mother, grandmother and so on. This I do strictly for me. And it makes me smile.
I do it for the readers as well. I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing! Reviews don't come that often, but when they do I'm always glad to hear someone actually read what I wrote and took the time to say something about it. Feedback is so important! I have a small but loyal cadre of fans who do contact me to let me know if they enjoyed something and what they're looking forward to. Now and then I stumble across someone who just read something I wrote for the first time and made the effort to reach out to me and let me know. Thank you, I treasure each and every one of you. You give me the incentive to keep going. Hopefully I've given you something to escape with so that years like this one don't seem so scary and drear.
So 2021 will be more of the same for me. More writing, more books and stories to complete and find homes for. More projects, maybe a couple with deadlines. We'll see. But until they find my cold, still body hunched over the keyboard, I'll be banging those keys most days, and chatting about what I accomplished at other times. It's all about writing, because that's what I love to do.
Be well,
~NANCY
