It’s been almost a year since I posted anything on my blog. And here’s why:

I have long covid, which means that I caught the virus (last March, just before the first lockdown) and that I haven’t got better yet. I’ve spent the last 10 months struggling with exhaustion, brain fog and various chest problems. Because this is such a new thing, no one can tell me how to treat it or when it will go away.

But this post isn’t meant to be a medical moan. I just wanted to update you about what I’m doing as a writer, because lovely people have been asking concerned questions, and because I’m not answering tweets or emails very fast at the moment.

When I was knocked flat by covid, I was in the middle of writing the first novel of a new trilogy, but I had to put that manuscript back on the shelf in March and haven’t done anything particularly useful to it since. I have very little energy and very little focus, and the brain fog means that I sometimes forget things (like characters’ names, or why they went into an underground chamber, or what the word for that long sharp pointy thing is…) which makes writing an adventure story impossible.

However, there is good news. I’m not actually getting any better (still exhausted, still sore, all that boring stuff) but I am getting better at working round the symptoms. So I can now find a sliver of time most days when I have a wee bit of energy and a wee bit of focus, and I’m using that time to write again! (This blog is proof that I am managing sentences again.)

But I don’t just want to write blog posts. I want to write STORIES and NOVELS!

I’m nowhere near trilogy-writing capacity yet – my head still can’t hold a story which stretches across three books – so I’m being sensible and starting small.

I’m working on short fiction. I’m playing with picture books and retellings.

I’m not doing much on any particular day, and I’m doing it slowly and cautiously, but I hope that working steadily on short fiction will help me build up my writing muscles again, so that eventually I’ll be able to get back to novels and trilogies and great big magical adventures!

So, hang in there, be patient, and there will be book news on my website again eventually!  (I’m saying that to myself, as much as to anyone else…)

I should admit that this isn’t my first attempt to write short fiction while struggling with covid symptoms. Last spring, when I was confident I would bounce back from the virus in weeks rather than months (or years), I agreed to write a story for Cranachan’s Stay At Home collection of stories for lockdown. But to be honest, I adapted a story I’d already written, and now, several months later, I have virtually no memory of adapting it or submitting it. I’m almost scared to reread it, in case it’s complete rubbish! The rest of the book is lovely though…

It’s been a tough year for us all, and I’m sending my best wishes to everyone, because we’ve all faced our own individual difficulties during the pandemic. I hope you all stay well and safe, and I hope we can share stories again together soon.

(I’ve tried to be upbeat and optimistic in this post, because I am cautiously confident that I will write books again soon. But as well as an assertion of hope, you can also read this post as a warning about just how serious this virus is, and just how much damage it can do to creativity and career as well as to health. So, please wear your facemasks and follow the restrictions!)