Apologies to you, dear reader. Yes, I’ve been very quiet for too long. And a large part of that time I wasn’t writing. In fact, I wasn’t sure I would–or even could–keep writing. I felt so lost and broken after losing my dad. The fact that he–like too many others–died alone since covid lockdowns didn’t even let family members in hospitals in those early days of the pandemic broke my heart. My dad had always been there for me and all my siblings–yet we were kept from being there by his side when he needed us… That was soul-crushing. And then, just as time and healing happy memories of my dad worked their magic and mended my heart, other things happened to sidetrack me from writing.
Last year, we lost another dear family member but also saw the birth of a new grandbaby. Both of these events meant lots of travel back and forth to Virginia. Many trips to deal with clearing out, preparing and overseeing the sale of our loved one’s house. But also trips to Virginia to visit with our oldest son’s family and their new baby. I guess it would be fair to say we shed lots of tears last year, both sad and joyous.
But I’m finally at a place where I’m writing again. I know many of you have been patiently waiting for my next book and a few of you even reached out to check on me. As Ted Lasso says, “I appreciate you.” I wouldn’t be able to write my books without you all! So, I wanted to let you know my writing plans for the rest of this year and through 2024.
As M.L. Collins, I’m writing a new sweet YA series (no name for the series yet) which is set in the Jackson High world. Book one, Lies We Tell Ourselves, will be up for pre-order this month.
I’m also still planning on the Redemption Novella series. This series takes some of the characters from the first year Jackson High series and gives them the chance for redemption. The *plan* is to keep these novellas fun and lighthearted.
As Lee Kilraine, I’m writing the rest of the Thorne Brothers Series before I even let any new series ideas take up space in my brain. Because the Thorne brothers have my heart. They have been through hell and deserve their HEAs.
I do feel like I let you down. Like I should have been writing books for readers to escape into during the rough covid years. I apologize for that. But I’m back and working hard to do just that. To write more books to make you laugh, and maybe shed a tear or two, but also smile and sigh over the perfect Happily Ever After.
xo Lee
