Light in Darkness

As we approach the darkest night of the year, I muse about winter and the dark and what it means to those of us who are closely connected to the natural world. Trees lose their leaves and send their nutrients down into their roots. Small animals have cached food stores, and curl up into dens lined with duff and fur to sleep away much of the colder weather. Many birds migrate to warmer climes. Others know how to adapt to less food and colder temperatures. I find myself turning inward, happily staying home, curling up with a cup of tea and a good book, or ruminating on the plot, theme and characters of one of my own. Out of darkness great things are created, but it requires that time for reflection, for gathering of one’s resources, of planning … even as the trees develop next year’s leaves in tight buds on bare branches, as baby animals grow inside their mother’s bodies as they sleep. We need not fear the darkness. We need to make friends with it, use its power to inform and inspire. It is this theme that will sound throughout as I write my third book in the series The Lunatics. And, be assured that there will be a lot of development toward the birth of Book 2 Blue Moon, which if all goes well, will be released in April 2025.