One more week....
to Garden of Shadows release day!
Having recently passed my five-year anniversary of leaving my consulting job to freelance full time, and approaching the release of my second book, I’ve been thinking about choices. And what we do with the privileges that we are given or have earned.
A character in Kathyrn Nolan’s book, Bohemian, does an excellent job of describing something I’ve struggled to articulate. In summary, they said; when we live closer to our values, it comes with more happiness, but it doesn’t magically remove the anxiety, depression, or, I would say, money worries. Even having the privilege to put my values first, above basic living requirements, is encoded in systems of oppression from which I’ve benefitted. This often feels hypocritical. A promise I made to myself when I shifted my career is that whatever I did going forward would be with the intention of service. You could argue that writing light historical fiction and making small documentaries is perhaps not the most effective way to be of service (and I have argued the same with myself). Yet, I think the creation of art, especially art that may seem superficial, but hides a deeper purpose, also nurtures the soul. We need that sustenance when everything else feels dark.
In Garden of Shadows, Linnea muses that the Alhambra and the Generalife existed to feed people’s souls and their bellies. She immediately counters her thinking, acknowledging that the overwhelming need to provide food for those struggling, was more important than her philosophical rhapsodizing.
I assume that we can all relate to that aching desire for something beautiful amongst the devastation in the world.
Writing is only one of the things I do to be in service to others. But it is also the purest thing I can offer. There have been so many times that escaping into a book gave me comfort. My books might not be profound. My characters may not be perfect. They make horrible decisions, but they try to do better. I don’t keep writing them because I expect to achieve greatness or a huge audience. I do it for the person searching their library for an escape. Or the reader who hasn’t thought about the persistent ramifications of colonialism. For the person who tries to express themselves emotionally, but doesn’t know how, or wants a future that veers from social norms. I write because I believe that art is vital to our existence as humans.
On that note, there is one week to go until the release of Garden of Shadows! I can’t wait for you all to go on this new journey with Linnea and Matias.
Now is the time to pre-order or request a copy from your library. Thank you for your support!
*Due to a printer error, the first batch of Garden of Shadows paperbacks were printed without page numbers (ugh). The issue has been corrected, but we have no idea how many copies were shipped before it was identified. I apologize if you receive a paperback without page numbers, everything else is correct. Look at it as an adventure without a map.