It was 2016, five years ago, that I last posted here.  So much can happen in five years. And it did. Some good. Some difficult. There was growth. Aging. Seasoning.

Today I will blog about seasoning that took place in my writing. Five years ago I was still trying to wear three writer hats: a successful picture book author, a historical novel writer and a family history author.  It wasn't working. I knew it. But it took two years away from writing altogether for me to realize I needed to choose. 

Two years away from writing was not a concious choice. Life intervened to make it happen. Like so many others, my husband and I were forced into Covid isolation beginning in Spring 2020. This was followed by a major move after 50 years in the same house to a retirement community. All the while, I was learning to be a care-giver to my husband of 61 years diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia.

Finally summer 2021 arrived. With most physical and emotional adjustments behind me. I could return to my love of writing. 

The two years away from my novel was a blessing. When I returned I saw it with new eyes. What to jetison--favorite chapters though they be. All the hours upon hours of diverse research into the land of my characters began to coalesce. Crystalize. This gave me confidence that I could confidently walk among them in 1000 BC Canaan.  See the green rolling hills. Smell the rotten shell fish. Worship at the Bomah. Envy those that lived in a walled city high upon a hilltop.

This blog will now be a journal of my growth as a novel writer, as well as my journey to revise and complete my historical novel, The Thirteenth Moon.