My new novel is a problem. It’s a fantasy novel. The first draft was pretty much finished by March, but it needs a major rewrite before it can see the light of day. I also need to do some historical research because one of the characters has a connection to the real world.

All of that should not be a problem, right? That’s what authors do all the time. A few months of solid work should do the trick.

So why is it a problem?

The story involves a plague. Blargh!! Could my timing be any worse?? I just spent three years writing a novel that no one will want to read. Even I don’t want to read it — the last thing I want to read right now is a fantasy novel about a pandemic.

And frankly, it’s also the last thing I want to write at the moment. I read and write fantasy to escape, but the novel hits too close to home. Just rereading it feels like a burden.

For now, I’ll stick with writing the Haunted anthology short story. Once John and I finish that…well, to quote Professor Tolkien, “Then we shall see what we shall see.” If this year has taught me nothing else, it has taught me not to get too locked into my future plans.

Talk to you next Friday. -Susan 6/26/20