What’s been inspiring me lately?
I’m writing you from sunny California while watching palm trees sway in the breeze outside my window. Sorry to make you feel bad if it’s raining over there in the UK. I don’t mean to rub it in… like the sunscreen I have to slather on my limbs each time I leave my apartment, even if it’s only to jog across the parking lot to get my mail. At least you’re spared that cumbersome, sticky chore.
Anyway, here’s my update. We’ve been hit hard by the pandemic here, like in most places around the world, and I’ve spent the past eight months holed up in our tiny duplex. What has inspired me the most during this challenging time is knowing that we’ll get through this. One day, we’ll figure out how to tame this monster of a virus. As I’m writing this post, we’re just learning about several possibilities for vaccines on the horizon. Like you, I can’t wait for us all to be able to venture outside and live our lives as before.
In the meantime, I’ve been devouring stacks of novels—approximately one per week—and writing up a storm (sorry for the cliché). I write by hand, then I type up my manuscripts. Since March, I’ve gone through 78 ballpoint pens and seven fat notebooks. It’s terrific because I had a huge stash of pens (many given to me by friendly folk standing behind freebie tables at writers’ and research conferences) in a box under my desk. Now it’s nearly empty! But I did have to order another dozen notebooks.
I’ve also been doing intense research for my next book. It’s a love story, of course, and I wanted to go deep inside my characters’ heads, so I’ve spent nearly two years learning about things such as dance (yep, I got injured a few times practicing in our cramped living room, banging my knobby knees on the table), and studying the symptoms of ADHD, and all types of mental health issues.
Once I’m done researching and writing this next novel, which has become a true passion project, I hope it will inspire others to do what I’m trying to do—live each day to the fullest, despite the immense obstacles we’re all facing right now.
I’m also taking a creative writing course at a university, which has been incredibly inspiring. Each week, we read short stories and articles published in well-known literary journals. It’s so exciting to be working on the craft of writing with a small group of talented local authors who feel as passionate as I do about literary fiction. They laugh at the zany adventures of my awkward protagonists, often based on my own life experiences, while I introduce them to the joys of reading sapphic romance.
I’ve been so involved—actually, obsessed—with my research for my next book, I’m afraid I’ve gone off the grid with social media lately, preferring to hibernate at home with a cup of tea and a great novel.
It’s also nice to take advantage of our mild climate by traversing nature trails with my partner in grassy parks and empty beaches. All my senses are stimulated when I’m in the presence of Mother Nature, taking in her intricate beauty. Maybe it’s not a great excuse, but I’m sorry if I haven’t responded to you on Facebook or Instagram. I promise, once I’ve finished all this preparatory work, I’ll pull my head up for air and hop right back on social media.
To conclude, I wish you all the best during this holiday season (Thanksgiving is already here, for those of you in North America). I long for the day when I can come back to Nottingham to see you all in person again. We’ll dine on tasty fish and chips in one of your lovely pubs during the 2021 BSB UK Book Festival. Until then, please stay safe and healthy, and have a delicious pint for me!
Mickey