It’s 2022 and as I pause to look back on 2021, I don’t even know where to begin. The good, the bad, and the ugly all wrapped up together and created a year of highs and lows.
January 2021, I had been working from home for nearly a year and had finally gotten into a rhythm. Sure, I was a hermit, barely leaving the house except to take my dogs to Doggie Daycare and the occasional trip through a fast-food drive-thru, but it was working for me…mostly. I started the year optimistic and anxiously awaited my turn to get vaccinated so I could “return to normal.” But after 11 months in a global pandemic, I had no idea what “normal” was anymore. Nevertheless, I was ready to move forward.
I was honored to have been asked to be a guest speaker at my alma mater, Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. The Writing Popular Fiction semi-annual residency was being held virtually, due to the pandemic, so my anxiety was lessened (somewhat). The event turned out to be a lot of fun (at least for me) and later, I was further honored when I was asked to be a mentor in the program.
Work at the day job continued. And I embraced working from home. No need to get up at 6 am when I didn’t need to spend 15 minutes obsessing about what to wear, 15 minutes putting on makeup and styling my hair, and 30 minutes driving to the office. I could roll out of bed at 7:30, shower, put on shorts, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap, grab a cup of coffee, and still be on my first conference call at 8:15. Oh, those were the days.
From a writing perspective, things were up in the air. I made some tough decisions about my career and had decided to end 2 of my series. My publisher decided to end the third. For the first time since 2015, I had no book contracts and the prospects didn’t look promising. Needless to say, this caused a bit of stress. I’ll admit that I wallowed in self-pity for a bit and then got up and decided to get busy. I wrote a couple of proposals for new series. That’s when I learned that miracles really do happen. Five months after rejecting a proposal for a new series, my publisher changed their mind. WHAT? I had no idea this was possible, but I was thrilled to be able to continue writing. Then, another miracle. Not only did they change their mind about the new series, but they decided to continue my Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. REALLY? I get to continue writing about Sam, Nana Jo, and the girls? AWESOME! However, remember when I said I wrote a couple of proposals for new series? Well, low and behold, I got an offer for my other proposal (more to come on this soon). I started 2021 writing 3 mystery series. Mid year, I had no series. Now, I’m back to 3 mystery series. My balance was restored and all was good. And I LOVE the new cover!!!!
Then, just when it looked like all was back to normal, I decided to throw caution to the wind and sell my house. The housing market in Eastern Tennessee exploded. I was getting emails, letters, post cards, and telephone calls (how did they get my phone number?) from realtors asking if I wanted to sell. After many NO’s I finally stopped and thought, WHY NOT? This was never my forever home. Maybe, I should consider making the move. So, I did. I sold my house and bought a new home (I’ll spare you the gory details, but if I die and go to hell it would involve buying and selling real estate). The poodles and I are now in a house we love. It’s not perfect, but it’ll take an army to get me to move again.
In November, the day job decided it was time to come back to the office. WHAT? I was comfortable. I haven’t worn makeup (or long pants) in months. Writing is going well, but a girl needs insurance and a regular paycheck, so…back to the office it is. Vaccinated, boosted, masked and socially distanced (nothing personal but no hugs), I returned. Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water (play Jaws soundtrack) DELTA and then OMICRON hit. Thankfully, we’ve proven that we can work from home and it looks like that is how 2022 will start.
So, 2021 had it’s ups and downs. Thankfully, there were more ups than downs. I’m cautiously optimistic, and the poodles and I are safe and excited for what 2022 has to offer. 