Working on a new book

I have started working on a new book.

I am not ready to share the subject yet. I want to get farther along before I say much more about it, but I have written about 70 pages so far. That is enough to feel like this has moved beyond an idea and become something I intend to finish.

Yes, this is a lot to take on alongside everything else I already have going on. But I am no stranger to pushing myself toward something I want to achieve. I know it will require time, discipline, and persistence, and I am ready to make room for it.

For a long time, I was not particularly interested in writing another book. My last book was also my first, and after going through that process once, I was not sure I wanted to do it again.

A recent passing changed my mind.

She was an author herself, among many other great qualities. The first time we met, she was the only person who really engaged me about my book. For well over an hour, she asked how long it took, what my writing process was like, how I felt about the experience, what I had learned about publishers, and whether I would ever do it again. We exchanged ideas, and her enthusiasm was genuine and memorable.

After she passed, I found myself reflecting on that conversation. It was our very first interaction, yet she had taken such a sincere interest in something I had made and in whether I might make another. I kept coming back to a simple thought: I should do it.

She encouraged me to write another book. Following through feels like one way I can honor that encouragement and the person who gave it.

This book will be self-published and available both digitally and in print. I will share more about the subject and the book itself when I feel that I am nearing completion. For now, I am writing.