For the first few years after Tommy died, I couldn't imagine being anything other than his widow; always married to him in my heart. His wife. Even though he wasn't here anymore, I was still playing the role. Still being Mrs. Tommy Simmons. Still making his favorite butterbeans and cornbread and any kind of fried meat, even though there was nobody there to eat it. Still sleeping on my side of the bed, leaving his side untouched, like he might come back and need the space. I was an extension of him. A footnote. The plus-one who'd lost her plus. And here's the thing nobody tells you about being a widow in your sixties: you're supposed to be okay with that. You're supposed to wear your grief like a badge of honor, prove your love by how thoroughly you disappear into the absence of your husband. Well, I tried that. I really did. And it nearly killed me. The isolation was crushing. The loneliness was like a physical weight on my chest. I was a receptionist at a Regional Hospital and a Lay Chaplain. I saw people every day. My granddaughter Miranda and her wonderful son, my six-year-old great-grandson, Eric, lived with me. They were such joy to my aching heart. But, not the same as having my own life.

My publishers have had a 12page Novella just an ebook since August, will be released in next month! Just asked them as when I signed they said would normally be 6 months turn round for full Novel, Been informed they are running short staffed and will be about 1 year from submitting to release!!!!! Is this excessive ?

I have managed to sort uk distribution now I’m on Ingram/gardners. My question though is I have also written a series of young children’s picture books based on the stories I used to make up for my son every night when he was little. Do I approach and get tide into another contract with my publisher for these as well as my us scifi or what is best uk publisher to approach (without agent)

It's taken me a few decades to discover that I love writing fiction, after a career writing blog posts and email campaigns! Take a look at my first ever novel - which for avid readers is on Kindleunlimited as well as in paper and hardback versions. I'd love to get other writers' feedback and thoughts on how to get it more widely read. Leave it here or add a DM. Chris

As a contribution to this wonderful Book Club, I'm making available a copy of my published novel, Dormant Angels - A Secret Kapt Buried For 2000 Years. Here is the synopsis: When archaeologist Albert Whitfield unearths five enigmatic copper tablets beneath Jerusalem's Temple Mount, he stumbles upon a truth concealed for two millennia. The discovery should have been his career's crowning achievement. Instead, it awakens something that should have stayed buried. As an ancient evil stirs, its influence spreading like poison through the Holy City, Whitfield races to decode the tablets' cryptic message. But he's not alone in his pursuit. A shadowy figure known only as The Collector will stop at nothing to claim the tablets—and the terrifying power they guard. From the hallowed halls of the Vatican to the blood-soaked stones of Jerusalem, Whitfield and his allies—brilliant historian Jennifer and battle-scarred Father Robles—must unravel a secret that powerful forces have killed to protect. Because if they fail, the Dormant Angels will rise. And this time, there may be no banishing the darkness. Don’t miss the explosive ending to a story eerily similar to today's events! If you enjoy it please leave a comment here and on Amazon. Below is the PDF. (ePub available upon request) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XDppdGfD_2QTzTWGJkKoHyg47w7Cg7ng/view?usp=sharing