What a crazy year it’s been so far. It’s already July, and I honestly have no idea where the last three months or so have gone. For my family and I, lockdown hasn’t been too hard. We’re fortunate that we were already used to working from home and spending most of our time together running our small property business. Our 19-year old son is on furlough and as he is a life guard at a local swimming pool, he won’t be back at work till beginning of September at the earliest. Out of the three of us, he found lockdown the hardest with very little to do and missing both work and sports.
Restrictions have now lifted somewhat which have meant we’ve been able to see some of our friends for a drink and a backyard bbq. A little bit of socializing was exactly what we needed, and we all felt better for it.
Our son is finally able to get back to a modified version of his beloved hockey, and the little league football team he helps coach has just had their first pre-season training. It's been a healthy change for him from sleeping late and playing hours and hours of video games to being back training, seeing his team mates and helping young kids develop their football skills.
Back in February when we went into lockdown, it felt as if the country held its
breath, bracing itself for what was to come, and is now finally able to start taking small breaths again. If we’re not careful though, we might be thrown back into a strict lockdown and everything will come to a halt once again. I hope we can avoid that and return to a more normal way of living. I was meant to go to The Netherlands in March to see some friends, visit my parents in Sweden for my Mom's 80th birthday in April and also spend some time with them this summer, but of course, all that has been put on hold for now. We would normally go on a beach vacation in the summer but as much as we love doing it, we're not going to risk exposure to this virus for the sake of a bit of time in the sun. Not going to Sweden this summer will be a lot harder for me personally, as it will be the first time in the thirty years I've lived abroad that I haven't been able to go home to see my Mom and Dad. Even if we're allowed to travel later this summer, I probably still won't go it as they are elderly, albeit very healthy, and it would be selfish of me to risk it when waiting a little longer could make all the difference. However, I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed that we can travel to Australia in December for our daughter's university graduation. She is taking her Masters and we would love to be there for this milestone in her life. We'll just have to wait and see how things develop.
As much as the last few months and weeks have been stressful, I’ve also been able to get on with my writing without too much interruption. I released my third
book, AGENT: Undone, at the end of May and I’m happy to say that so far, it’s been well received and I’ve had some great reviews. Of course, more of those are always welcome. So, if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, head over to Amazon where it’s available in both ebook and paperback, and also in Kindle Unlimited.
During this time, I’ve also had the pleasure of talking to a couple of very young ladies who are only just starting out with their writing. I’ve seen some of their work and I must say, I’m quite impressed. They have some great ideas, a good grasp of grammar and spelling, and a vision for how they want their stories to take shape across the pages. After reading what they sent me, I sat down and made some notes on how I think they could improve their writing. I gave them suggestions on storytelling, descriptive settings, character development and emotional beats. As they progress, I will keep helping them out and nudge them in the right direction as I believe it to be so important for youngsters to have older and more experienced role models to guide them forward. I’m definitely older, and somewhat more experienced, and when I feel they need more than I can give, I will introduce them to others who can direct them further on their way to become writers.
This month, I’m once again taking part in CampNaNoWriMo. My goal is to edit 54,000 words, which is the first 13 chapters of my latest book. I will probably reach that target in only a few days, so I will then adjust and add the last 14 chapters as my new goal. I set myself an easy target as I wasn’t sure how much editing I would need to do in this round, but it’s been a lot easier than I thought, and I’m confident I can get through the rest before the end of the month. After that, The Sentinels 3 (Logan’s story) will go to a few trusted beta readers for their comments and feedback. Then, I’ll do one final edit with their suggestions in mind before sending it off to my wonderful editor.
I’m so excited to get this book out and for all my readers to follow Logan as his life is turned upside down and inside out. He’s not having an easy time and can see no way out, except to leave behind everyone and everything he’s ever known. Starting a new life, alone, heartbroken and with no one to turn to, will he be able to find a way to happiness and love? You’ll just have to wait to find out till the book is released and Logan gets to tell you his story.