Case of the Vanishing Author

Once again, I do apologize for an unplanned hiatus. I did not mean to vanish for this long, but somehow the last few months snuck up on me, wrestled me to the ground, and ran off with my time, cackling while I lay there trying to remember what day it was. So first off.... I am so sorry! I never meant to make anyone wait this long for Wintermoor, Book 2. I know I left you dangling, and my characters are side-eyeing me like I went out for milk and never came back.

The good news is that the plan is still alive: Book 2 will be out by the end of 2025, and it will be holding hands with my next poetry collection when it arrives.

Now, let me explain why I’ve basically been starring in my own personal sitcom lately.

It started with seriously focusing on buying a house. I thought it would be one of those big, triumphant life steps. You know, popping a bottle of champagne and posing with a giant “SOLD” sign. Instead, it turned into an obstacle course designed by a trickster god and refereed by a badger. USDA is very particular about the requirements for a loan, and mine was built in 1963, back when “safety requirements” were more like polite suggestions. Every inspection and appraisal came back like a game show host announcing: “Survey says… nope!” I swear, if we fixed one thing, three more leapt out from the shadows like gremlins. Thank the heavens and every deity in existence that the seller was miraculous and gracious in fixing all the things. It was truly the first time I ever felt the "kindness of a stranger".

Meanwhile, my full-time job decided to move into a new building, which sounds minor but felt like someone picked up my entire routine, shook it like a snow globe, and said, “Good luck putting that back together.” My autistic brain did not approve. Every floor was a maze, every routine was scrambled, and I was basically a Roomba bumping into walls, trying to figure out where to go. On top of that, I finally settled into a routine, and BAM..... Sorry, we can no longer provide that particular opportunity. So, the morning routine I've had since returning to work from COVID lockdown was ripped from me, butchered and thrown out a window. Everything crumbled in my mind.

And because apparently life thought I didn’t have enough plot twists, my partner and I added a girlfriend to our relationship, officially making us a Triad. Which, let me just say, has been amazing. Like anything added to an already established scenario, it's a learning curve. Blending two very different areas of my life is the ultimate joy. Add in the daily chaos such as laundry that multiplies like rabbits, groceries that refuse to buy themselves, bills that show up uninvited like distant relatives, and you’ve got the perfect storm. Not only that, but she's not a complete stranger. There's history here. Delicious.... salivating...... history. It's been incredible to witness.

So yeah, I disappeared. Not on purpose, more like the kind of disappearing act where life stuffed me into a magician’s hat and forgot to pull me back out. But the characters of Wintermoor never stopped shouting in my brain, and my poetry has been peeking around corners waiting for me to notice it again. I’ve finally wrangled some breathing space, and the words are able to flow to the outside once more.

By the end of 2025, you’ll have Wintermoor, Book 2 in your hands, alongside a shiny new poetry collection. I PROMISE. Thank you for being patient while I tried to juggle all of this with only two hands and half a brain cell left. I promise I haven’t abandoned ship. I was just left at the last port because my ship apparently sails itself, and I'm just now making my way back to the wheel house.

Until then, may your days be less chaotic than mine, your coffee bottomless, and your to-do list shorter than a CVS receipt.

Pax,

AMH