It’s been a minute, I know. But now you know why. I’ve been writing! I’ve mentioned before that I joined a writer’s group when I moved to Costa Rica. At that time, I was an uninspired poet who hadn’t written in months.

Slowly, as the fresh air filled my body and built-up anxiety loosened its grip, I began writing poems. My senses reawakened, and I could feel again!

A sunny afternoon, I was walking to my writer’s group meeting, and thinking about the weekly writing submission that we would critique that day; it was a short story. As I listened to the waves crash in the distance, I remembered that short stories were my first genre of writing. And right then, I decided to write one… for the first time in almost 30 years. I needed a topic.

I wrote one, and then I wrote another. And another. These are nonfiction stories about different experiences from my life. But soon, I needed a new writing challenge.

I admired the way my fellow writers weaved stories from their imaginations. I was in awe, actually. I could never…. So, of course, I challenged myself to write a work of fiction, which began as a short story. It was so freeing… I could make shit up! And it was satisfying….

But then I realized that I needed to do some research. Funny, right? I was surprised at how much research went into a work of fiction. I researched places and processes and industries because I wanted it to ring true and be really good.

So I surprised myself by writing a novel, Love At Second Sight. It’s a love story, no less! This is new territory, obviously, but I’d never even read a romance novel unless you count the 50 Shades series. And so I added the romance genre into my reading queue; there was a lot of Beverly Jenkins (historical Black romance), but others too.

Although it is a love story, it focuses on the life of the protagonist, Shane. She is a working mom who is raising a son alone. The novel tackles themes such as family, career, heartbreak, motherhood, and friendship.

I LOVE this book. And I’m proud of myself. Now, it’s time to get it out into the world. In other words, the work is just starting.

This is an invitation. Join me on this journey. I’m going to delve into the world of self-publishing. I’ll be researching printers and fulfillment companies. I plan to create a sale sheet and partner with a wholesaler (fingers crossed) because I want my book in libraries. I am a bibliophile, remember.

So, if you’re on IG, follow me   @loveatsecondsight_novel. If not, I’m sure to keep blogging about it because this is going to be a memorable ride.

PS: My good friend Keiona Clark, who is a talented painter, is doing the cover art. I’M SO EXCITED!!!!