Hey there!
I know, it’s been forever since I’ve written anything here. I have been writing – Must Love Death will be available October 31, 2018. Plus, in case you missed it, the second book in the Sisters of the Apocalypse Series, Must Love Famine, released April 4, 2018.
If you’d like a blurb and the link for Must Love Death check it out in my book pages here.
That said, it’s been a challenging year, and writing Death was especially challenging. Don’t get me wrong – I love Nia and Mal. But last July we lost my grandfather to cancer. Then, barely six months later, this April – 2 days after Famine released, to be precise, we lost my grandmother much more unexpectedly.
I’ve always been very close to my grandmother. We still made a point of visiting her every week, and enjoyed the time we had with her. The last time I saw her, we celebrated and had a mini-baby shower for my best friend and her new son. It was a lovely time with both my daughters there, an impromptu little party. Then by the next week when we were to visit, we heard instead that Grandma was on her way to the hospital.
The woman who had always been there for me and my family was suddenly…gone. I wondered if that last time I’d hugged her long enough, if I’d told her enough times how much I loved her, how much she meant to me. I was fortunate enough to have her read my first book, and having a photo with her holding my first book was one of the best parts of having my book finally in print. So the fact that she wouldn’t be able to read my second book, that she wouldn’t be there for so many things, dimmed my joy. Because at heart I’m still a little kid who just loves showing her new creations to her grandma, who always loved to see them.
So why am I telling you all of this? Partially to explain why it’s probably like I’ve fallen off the edge of the Earth this past year. In some ways, I have. This book was written for Grandma. There’s a lot of feminine wisdom, and yes, grandmothers and mothers feature strongly. It is also about death, and what dying and death means – or could mean. Because in the end, I realize that grief is all about love, for we grieve in direct proportion to how much we loved and were loved. But nor do I believe death is the end. It’s a pause.
I wrote and dedicated this book for my grandmother, and I hope in the end that it’s worthy of the remarkable, strong woman she was. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to read it and let me know what you think. And I hope when you do read it that you’ll maybe see the hints of the woman she was, as my memories of her and of my other grandmother are embedded in this book, so through your reading them, they’ll never be lost, never be forgotten.
In the end, I’m sure she probably will read this book too. After all, what kind of heaven would it be without books?
Thank you for reading, and keep searching for the magic that’s out there.