What year is it again? 2022 you say? Really? Okay. If you say so.

I have been MIA the majority of the last 18 months. I’m sorry. Things have been heavy. I know you know what I’m talking about. There are different heavinesses and different reasons, but I know we are all feeling the weight of the pandemic in some way.

If there has been an upside to this, it has been the opportunity for self-reflection and growth. That looks different for everyone and there is no comparison or judgment here, just me relating my experiences.

I’ve realized how siloed we have become and how easy it is to fall into an echo chamber of one’s own ideals. I won’t go on about it, but every now and then, consider listening to someone who doesn’t see things your way. Listening doesn’t mean you change your principles or encourage theirs. But it does allow for perspective. And as beneficial as self-reflection and alone time can be, it can also make it harder to get along with others and their way of seeing things. And at the end of the day, we are all humans and we all need others to survive. Yes, even you do.

Anyway, that wasn’t really what I wanted to talk about, but I am easily side attracted.

The real reason for this post is to announce that I am unpublishing my first novel, Turning Point. It’s okay. It’s a good thing, actually. I worked hard on it, I put a lot of my time and my creative energies into it, but I never felt like it was the novel I set out to write. I still like the story and I love the characters. They are all alive and well (well, most of them) inside my head. And they have stuff to say.

All that said, I am doing a complete rewrite and rebrand of Turning Point. That means it’s got to go away. It is changing into something different, and my hope is that it tells the stories (yes, plural) I set out to tell. It’s going to take time. I am not the fastest writer. But I intend to complete it as soon as I can, and I expect that at the end of the day, it will turn into two, possibly three stories on its own. Plus, I have a follow up already written (it’ll need significant changing, but the bones are strong as written).

So, if you loved Alice, or Adam, or Sarah, or Jake and Leo, or even Drew (I don’t hold out much home for him, though), watch this space. Eliza will probably be there, too. And some new friends. But, more on them later.

For now, THANK YOU to all my friends, family, and readers (though I think those categories overlap extensively), who have supported me and my creative endeavors over the last few years. I have had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the craft of writing and how I approach it. And I am a firm believer in lifelong learning, so this suits me perfectly.

If you’re interested in having a piece of history (ha!) Turning Point will remain on sale on Amazon until probably the end of January. There are a few things I’m waiting on, but I’ll keep it up until at least then. You can buy it here (ebook or paperback).

I’ll write updates as I have them. But for now, keep yourselves safe and take care of each other.

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Barrett, C. (1994). XIII – Death. In The Ancient Egyptian Tarot (pp. 44–45). essay, Aquarian.