It’s a Friday evening at the end of August, and heavy rain pounds the office window and strong winds shake the roof of our coastal home in Wales. The weather this week hasn’t been so bad, but today the air is colder, and it feels more like a November or January than August.
Since returning to the UK from Singapore, I’ve found myself thinking and talking so much more about the weather. In the tropics, the observations were either, “it’s hot” or, “it’s hot and wet,” but here, each day is a roll of the dice when it comes to the climate. Activities and plans become dictated by whatever gifts the heavens present to us on any given day, and accordingly, we fixate on whether the sun will make an appearance, how strong the wind is, or how strange it is to see snow in April. Whether one likes it or not, this changeable nature brings with it a sense of chaos and unpredictability. For the majority of the pandemic, we remained on the small island of Singapore, unable to travel. The weather didn’t alter much, and neither anything did anything else either for that matter. In many ways, two years felt like one long sunny day, and – unsurprisingly – change was something we desperately craved.
Although I haven’t posted much, the last few weeks have been a period of considerable change. I’ve been travelling in the US with the family, having adventures, and visiting relatives. On the writing front, following the official release of The Madness of the Faithful, the number of readers has grown steadily, and I’m pleased to say that reviews and feedback for the book have been largely very positive. I’ve had great discussions and conversations with those who have read it, and I’m particularly proud of how the overall story and the key themes have been received. It certainly appears to be making people think and feel, which is what I hoped for the most. Many have said the story stays with them long after they have finished reading it, which is always a great indicator of the impact of a book or film.
I have begun to focus on my next book, which is currently undergoing review, developmental editing, and revision. This second novel takes a rather different direction from the first. I didn’t want to emulate the same process – I wanted this one to explore another genre and have an entirely different tone and style. I’m curious to see how the changing environment and my approach to writing will have evolved since we moved on from the pandemic and Singapore. Furthermore, I hope to build on the overall experience of the first novel and shift my process so that the second provides an even richer experience for the reader. Development and change are critical aspects of growth as a writer – or any art form for that matter. Changing one’s style may not make the most business sense – many authors write books in a series or try to establish their name in a specific genre – but it’s important for me that the process still keeps me engaged and interested as well. Trying to regurgitate the same content over and over again is not a strategy that I wish to pursue.
Much like the seasons and the weather, transition and change provide life with that much-needed spice that helps one grow as a writer and as an individual.
