I wish I could say I was productive with my writing during the pandemic, or that I’ve fully recovered mentally now that the worst has (hopefully) passed. But I wasn’t and I haven’t. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say, I’ve been struggling a lot in both my writing and personal life the past few years. I had a rough fight with burnout (especially right after my MFA) and threw out a manuscript I spent almost two years working on because I came to hate it.
But I have been working on something incredibly special to me, and I’m really excited to say that I’m currently back to querying agents with the book of my heart. It’s a YA Fantasy featuring floating islands, people with wings and magic, and sword fights galore. It’s also about a bi/ace main character who struggles with depression, anxiety, and believing he’s worthy of love and happiness. There’s complex family relationships, found family, and learning self-acceptance. It’s a book I’ve always wanted, and I finally gave myself permission to write it.
This isn’t a book announcement post; none of my querying may come to anything. Maybe my book is unsellable, or I’m not able to find an agent who resonates with it. But it’s the first time in a long time I’ve written something so fulfilling and that I love so much. I feel like I proved to myself that I do love writing, and I can write another book, which is something I haven’t been sure of these last couple of years. Even if this is a false start back into publishing, it’s still my start to getting back to everything. And for me, right now, that’s enough; and I wanted to share that with everyone who’s been so supportive of my journey and might be wondering what I’m up to. I hope you’re all doing well, and please know that I am, too!