I would love to say that my writing hiatus has some incredible cause, like I’ve been off trying to find a vaccine for COVID or I’ve been shacked up in some remote cabin writing my next novel, but let’s be real here, I’ve done none of those things.
That’s not to say I haven’t been busy, but the reason why you haven’t heard from me in nearly a year is this perfectly balanced state of depression (which is vastly improved), dissertation drama, and what I like to refer to as COVID malaise. In other words, I’ve been trying my hardest with what I have at hand.
So, how are things? Good, I hope.
Like I said, I’ve done a few things. Most important, I conducted research on my dissertation (though not on my original subjects), and then I wrote up that bad boy. It’s currently sitting in the hands of my dissertation chair, and I’m surprisingly not freaking out about that. Probably because I spent far too much time freaking out while writing it. Plus, I’ve gotta reserve some of my freaking out for my defense.
In other good news, I’ve battled the beast that is depression and came out on top. One year ago, I could barely function, but here I am holding my own. It helps having an awesome therapist to work through things with.
Also, I recently dipped my toes back into podcasting. Boy, did I miss it. I recently joined my friends on an episode of Surviving Chick Flicks to talk Sleepaway Camp, and later this week, we’ll return to talk one of my favorites, Scream. I had such a fun time that I’m seriously considering bringing back “Let’s Scare Mindy” or starting a fiction podcast. Just gotta get through my defense first.
Finally, I’m looking forward to two things. First, I finally finished going through Last Breath with my critique group, so now it’s time to turn that bad boy into a polished gem and then start querying again. I’m actually feeling pretty good about querying, as the last time I did, I got a full manuscript request, which is huge. That’s my goal for the next few weeks.
Of course, I have one other goal. This year, I’m going to try my hand at NaNoWriMo again. Last year, I got pretty far – having written 39,000 words (although I haven’t touched that book since then because I’ve been so focused on fixing up Last Breath). This year, I’m going to move away from the world of Kath and Smith and write a romantic suspense novel set in the one place I know well: a college. I’m excited for Sunday to come along, because I’m ready to start writing.
So that’s where I am. Like I said, I’m in a far better place than where I was last year. I miss doing things like going to concerts, staying in haunted hotels, and visiting friends and family, but I’m grateful for what I do have. But now this is getting sappy, so I’m going to wrap this up.
Have a spooky, socially distanced Halloween!
Mindy Kinnaman 