A summer untethered

By the time you’re reading this, I will be getting ready for a summer of adventure.

A summer of long hikes and glasses of wine on sunshine-soaked patios and lingering over dinner with friends. Of watching my first original book come into the world in between exploring new towns and trails I’ve never walked before. And a summer of taking space to breathe. Space for creative projects, whether they are paid or not.

Because I’ve been busting my butt to get things done. Juggling client projects and writing whole first drafts of novels in just five weeks. Trying (and failing) to keep up with my Portuguese learning in the midst of it all. And wading through some seasonal depression and looming burnout.

So, this summer, because I am fortunate enough to be able to at the moment and because my mental health needs me to, I’m taking time away from client work for at least three months. To do my first distance hiking trip in two years. And then to settle into sunny apartments in little European hamlets where friends will join me for catch-up sessions and writing retreats. 

I’ll be revising a book already under contract, starting something new, and (shhhh, don’t jinx it) adapting one of my manuscripts from novel to movie script.

So when you think of me this summer, think of the best version of my life: the creative bursts, the long moments stretched out in sunshine, the unhurried walks between tiny European villages, Luna at my side. And all this while my first young adult novel makes its way into the hands of real readers.

I cannot wait. And I am grateful. And I am ready.

Onward.