Hi friends,
It’s been a while since I last wrote to you, and I want to start with a little honesty about why.
Last year, I lost both of my beautiful dogs within a few months of each other. They were 14 and 15, and had been with my wife and I through so much of our lives together, and my writing journey. They gave me routine in my day, and a reason to take breaks, and were a source of unconditional love and laughter.
Losing them really knocked the wind out of me. For a long time, writing felt impossible. The words just wouldn’t come, and after struggling for months, I finally had to give myself permission to step back.
You may also have noticed I’ve been virtually missing in action from my social media accounts as well. It’s not that I haven’t been there at all – I have. I’ve been celebrating writer friends and their new books and launches, and I’ve still been attending events when I can.
But I didn’t feel like I had much of anything to write about or talk about for a very long time.
Instead of writing, I poured my energy into other hobbies, rejoined my old soccer club, and let myself heal. And while I wasn’t publishing anything new, I never stopped thinking about stories. I was still working on outlines, testing out characters in short scenes, playing with ideas. I sent choppy bits and pieces to author friends and my editor to get their opinions on and filed them away for later. The spark never really went away. It was just waiting for me to be ready again.
And now, I’m ready.
Which brings me to my exciting news:
My new adult sapphic sports romance, The Rookie, is out now.
You can see the cover above, and if you want a sneak peek, you can download the first few chapters.
This one is going into KU, but you’ll be able to grab it in paperback from wherever you buy your books form as soon as the algorithms kick in.
You can read the first few chapters here – https://buy.bookfunnel.com/t5i98qfpjo
The Rookie is my entry into the sapphic sportsball arena and I have to tell you, I really enjoyed writing this one. Sport is my thing (ahem, Alice Henderson anyone?) so I don’t know why I’ve taken so long to write one for adults.
And this story means the world to me. All of my books have a little of me in them, but this one feels a little more personal.
It’s about finding second chances in unexpected places, rediscovering love for the game (and for someone new), and daring to believe in yourself again, even when it’s scary. Writing it felt like rediscovering my own voice after such a hard year, and I hope reading it will give you the same sense of joy and possibility.
And in some personal news, we do have a new puppy in the house. Her name is Poppy and she’s a 7-month-old Kelpie x Cattle Dog rescue, which means she’s hypersmart, super cute, and full of mischief and bad decisions. She is definitely keeping us on our toes.
Picture for puppy tax:
If you’re local to South East Queensland, I’ll also be at Sunshine Coast Pride Fair Day on November 16 with some of my sapphic author friends. I’ll have paperback copies of The Rookie and all of my books. If you’re coming along, please stop by and say hi. We’d love to see you.
Thank you for sticking with me through the quiet. I can’t wait for you to meet Lindsay and Meg in The Rookie, and to share more stories with you when they’re ready.
SR
x
