Forging Ahead

As some of my readers may recall, when Kindle Vella launched in 2021, I started several storylines released as periodic episodes. One of the stories was the fifth novel in the Yarn Genie Mystery series. I wrote a draft of each episode and attempted to release episodes monthly. While it wasn't a speedy process, Kindle Vella did force me to get pieces of Imogene and Frank's story out there to readers, who expressed joy in reading them. 
Then 2024 hit, and I went into a writing slump as I grieved for dear family and friends I lost throughout that year. Every time I tried to concentrate, I just couldn't sit down at my desk and write. I also tried writing in my bedroom, on the sofa, and at the dining table. All the usual advice, tips, and tricks for authors weren't working for me.
Then, February 2025 arrived, and Kindle Vella was closed down without my having finished "Knot Another Murder." I desperately wanted to get back into writing--if only for my personal sanity. It wasn't until I spent time at the public library, writing at one of their desks, that I found a way to turn down the grief and internal noise in my head. That public space became my "office," where I went exclusively to write. No dirty dishes called out for a bath. No bills demanded I stop writing to pay them. No yarns enticed me to make them into something useful or cute. All of the chatter in my head went away, and I relearned how to focus on my writing. 
I am grateful to the state and local libraries and to reader friends who continued to encourage me to finish the fifth novel. I am proud to say it is finally finished, and work has begun on the sixth. 
If you need to turn down the noise inside of you, try visiting a public library. They are wonderful spaces to sit and read, write, or just get away from the world outside. And, they don't charge anyone an entrance fee. 

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