My previous blog, ‘A Year of Darkness and Loss’ was perhaps rather bleak. There have been some positive and encouraging things, and things to be thankful for.
Personally, my wife and I have moved out of the chaos of the city to a small town beyond the reach of suburbia. The afternoon sky is full of the screeching of cockatoos, and the dogs have a wonderful backyard to explore. Moving during a pandemic has its own challenges, and dealing with real estate agents is always a pain. But it’s done.
On the writing front, it hasn’t been easy. What I’ve found the most challenging is finding the time and being in an emotional headspace conductive to writing. I am incredibly lucky to have been able to keep working through this pandemic, and working from home has some great perks, but I honestly feel like I’ve been working harder than ever before. In a sense it’s hard because your home becomes your office. When you leave your workplace, all the drama and stress from your working day stays with you, lying in wait for tomorrow. But if your workplace is your own home, it can be harder to escape it.
Of course, I have been working with Deadset Press on their series of Zodiac-inspired anthologies, and while it has been rewarding and enjoyable, getting all the stories edited and the anthologies published has also been rather time-consuming, leaving me with little time to work on my own novels, novellas and short stories. The anthologies are all excellent, full of diverse genres and writing styles, all interpreting the Zodiac sign differently. I’d love it if you’d check out the collection dedicated to your star sign!
(Originally published September 2020)
Austin P. Sheehan 