So…I’ve been a little radio-silent of late.

Well, okay. Maybe a lot.

I never meant to do it, it just happened. Life got in my way, and I stepped away from a lot of things for a while. And then that while took a lot longer than I had expected it would.

This is kind of a regular part of my process. I get too much in my head, and I need to step away, put a few things in line, and then I can let the story continue telling itself. Not that I stopped thinking about characters and scenarios and story lines, but I simply let them develop on their own for a while without any thought on input from me.

I think that’s why it took me so long to finally finish Not Alone on the Voyage. It was never a case of not wanting to finish the story, but more a question of not wanting to come to any kind of ending point for the character who had become a part of my everyday musings. They were always there; I didn’t want them to leave.

But then that defeats the entire idea of writing something, doesn’t it? Most authors can’t wait to share their stories with people, to let them into a world they may never know or have ever thought they would see a glimpse of at any point. Through our stories and our books and the other pieces we write, people who publish allow the reader a window into a different world, a different reality.

I think what’s been really interesting is that recently I’ve had some new characters pop into my brain. I have absolutely no idea where this one came from, but I had the same feeling I had when the story that led me to Not Alone on the Voyage came to me. I don’t know where the story will go, but I know that at some point, the characters will start talking to me and it will be time to start writing again.

It’s been kind of exciting, and quite exhilarating. I don’t think these new characters are all that interested in coming to the surface just yet, but they are forming and creating their own universe. And when the story starts to take shape, I’ll look forward to the journey yet again…