I hope you are all staying healthy during this strange time. 

It feels like such a weird way to start off this post, but I don’t think there’s any other way for me to begin posting on here again without putting that out there first. Living in NW Iowa during this pandemic is much like living here when not in a pandemic — I have no idea how some people make the decisions they do but life demands I work around them anyway. 

So like most responsible members of society, I wear a mask while out in public and hold up in my home 99% of the time. My time on social media is limited to messaging/supporting friends because anything more than that lights a fire under my rage for people who care so little for the rest of humanity… but I digress. 

This quarantine has been oddly healing for me and I know there’s a lot of privilege in being able to make that statement. I don’t really have to worry about bills due to my service-related PTSD and my being a chronic introvert keeps most feelings akin to cabin fever from developing. What I hadn’t anticipated was how much internal work that would result from this much time alone in my own thoughts. There’s no distractions to get lost in to avoid old wounds that never quite healed properly. 

Since the quarantine began, I have moved apartments, been admitted to a college to start finishing my degree (starting this fall), and started querying A BANSHEE’S SCREAM, the first book in the Aeon series I’ve been rewriting. All these things held up different mirrors that made me reassess what I think I need versus what I actually need. I plan to do an entire post on the inner child work that sprouted as a result of me preparing to enter the query trenches again, but I wonder how y’all are fairing during this time. 

What has this pandemic brought up for you? 

Much love!
– B