Six years after retirement -- what has been going on?

I took a package in 2019 and officially retired from the provincial civil service in August, 2020, after a wonderful 30-year career. I planned to travel, write a book about it, and when I got bored, work in a bookstore. That was the dream. You got it. Not great timing for much travel as the reality of the next couple of years thwarted those plans.

While I was able to do some travel in 2019 and early 2020, the world became flat and unnavigable. Time stood still and life, as we all knew it, changed. My freedom was compromised, and it was possible that my health might be too if I caught the deadly virus. I also worried about my mom who was trapped in a nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer's, surrounded by people dying from the virus, and unable to have visitors. She too contracted the virus; she recovered, but not without repercussions -- Alzheimer's sped up and took the rest of what was left of my mother's brain. She was declared palliative and that was when I was able to visit her. But not without invading probes up my nose to test for COVID, Personal Protective Equipment, and two layers of clothing for the hypochondriac in me. Throughout this time I documented our journey and hope to release the manuscript out into the world some day. Sadly, mom passed away five years ago, today, on November 24, 2020.

So I got a dog, wrote every day, not about Alzheimer's, but about a demented killer. It was dark and foreboding, just like living through Covid. I worked with my writing group to critique each other's work. We formed the group in 2013, following our graduation from the Humber School for Writers. I didn’t know back then that this writing group would form the foundation for my writing practice and serve in many ways as a social lifeline.

Writing is lonely if you don’t surround yourself with like-minded and supportive people. When I was ready for people to read my book, I asked friends -- publishers, writers, librarians, marketing, and people who enjoyed a good read -- for feedback. The majority loved the book; some were squeamish about the content. I toned down the “gruesome” and decided on the non-traditional route of self-publishing through Amazon's KDP Publishing.

Having said this, self-publishing wasn’t without the punishing rigour of “engage, engage, engage”. I created my own opportunities, such as public appearances or reaching out to bookstores to carry my book. One bookstore lost 10 copies of my book. It was shocking at first, but then it was just another story to add to my journey.

Social media become part of my routine. I reached out to my readers, friends and family and made sure I carried two copies of my book wherever I went. When people who didn’t know me found out about my book, they asked to see it and, in most cases, purchased a copy. That was when I was the happiest about my writing. A close second was when people asked me to dedicate the book.

I used social media platforms to market my first book, All the Evil Scatters and created new content daily, such as participating in interviews, asking interesting questions, offering readings from my book, and producing videos to engage with my audience. Coming up with something new every day was tough, especially for someone with limited marketing experience in social media. I realized that, after a few months, I had burned out, and that the path I was on was not sustainable. I was on Instagram, Twitter (X), Facebook and LinkedIn, and had my own YouTube Channel. TikTok is filled with young readers who occupy the space and was a good place to market my book. I’m certain there will be another social media channel around the corner to watch out for, but for now, I'm on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Tik Tok -- so much easier to manage and I do not post daily.

But writing a book and doing everything associated with it was not enough to keep me busy. I needed more, and thought, What about passing on the art of writing to others? I offered a workshop in creative writing which was later picked up by the ArtBarn School in Toronto.

Of course, I didn't stop at one novel; I wrote and self-published two more: Burden of Proof and Luck of the Draw. I also completed my fourth manuscript, which as of this post, is with publishers for their consideration. And, if they don't like it, I will self-publish. I have a following and people are eager for my next book Murders in Deer Park, a sequel to All the Evil Scatters.

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