Looking Ahead…

The gloom doesn’t fully dispatch with the light. There are too many shadows to be thwarted, no obvious source except for that of the space itself. This section of the cottage seems too disjointed. Shouldn’t belong. – The Muse

I haven’t been very active on social media these past few months. I needed some time to recharge because I haven’t been too well lately, but I’ve kept myself busy and have a few things lined up for 2021.
 
I completed a novella called The Muse and submitted it to a few publishing houses. Usually I don’t bother submitting my work anywhere and go straight down the self-publishing route, but there were a few open calls for submissions that caught my eye, so it seemed like the right thing to do this time around.
 
After a few weeks had passed, a much respected publishing house within the genre requested to see my full manuscript – which was very exciting! Rejection is par for the course in this field, and I’d fully expected an initial ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ Eventually they got back to me to say they’d decided they wouldn’t be taking it on – but The Muse had made it into their top thirty out of 300 submissions!
 
So close, yet so far.
 
But hey, I’m okay with that. To be in the top ten percent of submissions isn’t too shabby at all. Got to focus on the positives!
 
If there are no takers, I’ll release The Muse myself sometime next year. It’s a claustrophobic, ghostly tale of resentment and paranoia set in the remote wilderness of the Scottish Highlands (one of my most favourite places in the world, which always makes my creative juices flow as easily as mead in Valhalla).
 
I’ve recently just got back from visiting the northwest coast. Watching stags mooch about in the bracken close by and golden eagles soar above the loch at the bottom of the garden was sheer bliss.

I’m planning on releasing an anthology of short stories next year too. These Covid times have been quite stifling, so I haven’t felt the need to get weighted down in another novel just yet. Working on shorter pieces has been much better for my motivation and concentration, so I’ve been having lots of fun with experimental short stories.
 
I’m also part way through another novella (no title as yet), which is set in a hotel in Jamaica. It’s more of a fun-filled romp than anything I’ve done before. A package holiday from hell, you could say.
 
And I’m still chipping away at the follow-up to The Cundy. It’s become a beast of a project – in more ways than one. Progress may be slow, but I’m excited about what the end result will be. Where The Cundy sets the scene and lays down the foundations for the series, The Weeper dives straight into the action.
 
Here’s hoping for good things in 2021. For now, don’t forget that Cribbins and The Shadow of a Shadow are set during the festive period, should you fancy a creepy Christmas read (or re-read) 😉 

Stay safe,

Rachael