Rather by accident I’ve been quiet here for the last few months. My last post was back in March when I was sharing my short story collection Summer at the Creative Chaos Collective, and since then life has been full of ups and downs which left my blog taking a bit of a back seat. And whilst I’d love to be here to say fear not, posts will resume as scheduled, they probably won’t for the foreseeable future. More than likely it’ll be spatterings of things here and there. Little notes and nuggets of thoughts as they come, when time allows.
You see, I moved cities, left my job, started looking for a new one, am working through medical issues, started new hobbies, reconnected with old ones, and amongst it all, started writing a new novel. Shockingly, this time it isn’t fantasy, but contemporary cosy fiction. So as you can see, I’ve been a little busy with real life in the last few months. And staying broadly offline has been good.
I’ve enjoyed easing back into writing, and working on a full length contemporary fiction novel is both daunting and exciting. New territory. But familiar subject matter. In the last week I have planned out all 27 chapters, and written the first two, with most of chapter 3 already underway. There’s library books, a country town, a handsome love interest, a bush fire and a community that rallies together for each other. It’s a tale of connection and appreciation. But I have to write the book first before I can say anything else about it. Though I have collated some images below from my mood board for this book to give you a hint of the vibe to expect.
And whilst I’ve enjoyed writing my book reviews here on my blog, I’ll probably be sharing them less and moving towards a reading wrap up style of what I’ve dived into recently. Some months I’m reading a lot. June, July? Not one book. But that’s life, and measuring the number of books read in a year against others is something I’m trying to unlearn. Social media has really influenced the reading community and its need to meet certain statistics and measures. For now, I’m just trying to get back into reading casually for fun and healing. How many books have I read this year so far? Well that’s for my reading journal to know, rather than the internet.
But I can say my most recent read, my August read, Soyangri Book Kitchen by Kim Jee Hye was a charming and comforting book that made me want to go on a literary mountain retreat and stand in the fresh air amongst the trees. I would recommend it to anyone a little burn out looking to know you are not alone. There are some wise words hidden amongst the laughs and antics.
As for new hobbies, I’ve taken up gardening. I have a backyard now, and with my extra free time I’ve been raising seedlings over the last month, ready for spring planting. It has been a calming activity, and I find myself more grounded and relaxed as I tend to these little living things. Of course, not everything has grown successfully, and theres a long way to go, but for now it has brought me a lot of joy. A quiet little corner of the world just for me to tune out the noise.
I have to say I’ve been most surprised by the growth of the beans I planted, but I’m most excited about having my own tomatoes over the summer. Do I know what I’m doing? God no. Am I having fun learning and figuring it out as I go? 100%
Next week I also turn 30. Wow.
Surprisingly I am not opposed to the idea of being 30, in fact I’ve felt like I already was for a while now. I spent my early 20s figuring out what life I want and I’m pretty close to that now, feeling more settled and sure of myself and the future I’m building. So bring on 30. With a big party next week we’ll have some fun, drink all the wine and eat all the cake, but honestly I’m good with being in bed by 9.30pm. Day time partying is the way in my humble opinion.
All of this is to say hello, it’s been a while and even though I may not post so often, I do still love this little corner of the internet I’ve made here. I will be writing again, but when the mood and time allows, rather than the pressure of a fixed schedule. Life is too hectic, and frankly, to be lived offline. So if you find my old book reviews or read my creative writing I hope you enjoy them and stick around for whatever comes next.
Until next time,
