I'm back...

 ... although still finding it hard to concentrate.

The end of 2021 was a bit of a blur with Dad dying, the funeral and so on. Fiona (my editor) sent "Realm #5" back to me just before Christmas and we chatted about the edits last week. We have another Skype meeting scheduled for today, and then I'll be cracking on with the editing.

It's not been easy, to be honest, as one of the main themes of the book involves losing a father too soon and never having enough time to ask them about everything. That theme developed as I was writing the book and slowly losing my own father - mostly to failing health and dementia, then (after the draft went off to Fiona) actually losing him. I've wanted to talk to him about so much over the last few months, and it hasn't been possible. When he was more able to follow conversations, we were restricted in visits because of covid. Then when restrictions eased, he was so often tired or unable to talk about things. And so I never did say all the things to him I wanted to say. Not when I was sure he could understand them, anyway.

I miss him every day. I miss telling him things - things from the news like the Roman mosaic found in Rutland, or the huge dinosaur (also found in Rutland... for a tiny county, it's punching above its weight!). I miss laughing with him. I miss showing him my latest knitting project. I just miss him.

I suspect that editing "Realm #5" will be a slower process than it has been for other books, partly because my concentration is shot to pieces, but mostly because the theme of loss is so very raw.

Bear with me? I am getting there. Just very slowly.

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