Hello all! First off, let me say that if you happen to be in Montreal tomorrow (Saturday March 28), I’ll be signing books at the grand opening of the Indigo Marché Central, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (more info here). I would love to see you!

The last few weeks have been, well, a lot, as I made a big life change. I’m no longer a freelancer, and have started a new position as a full-time writer for the foundation for a pediatric health centre here in Ottawa.

It’s a wonderful job that I’m enjoying very much, but it’s been a big adjustment when it comes to family logistics and commuting and, frankly, just wrapping my head around the idea of not being my own boss anymore after 10.5 years self-employed. But freelancing in these uncertain times was getting so stressful, and this position is just perfect for me and such a good cause. I think that once I get settled, not having six or seven gigs and clients on the go at any one time will actually make it easier for me to focus on my fiction in my off hours. I used to write novels on evenings and weekends the last time I had a day job, and in fact I did that despite having a very young child as well, back then, so that part is not much of an adjustment. I’ll always write fiction, even if it’s only for five minutes a day, and even if a day comes when no one wants to publish it. It’s the way I process everything else.

I was working constantly the last month or so to finish all my freelance projects before the new job began, so I’ve been slower than I hoped getting the revisions on The Realm Invisible back to my editor — and I don’t want to rush it, and there’s a lot of deep thinking that has to happen to make sure the revisions are as good as possible. Still, I’ve made good progress and I’m nearing the end.

I love revision. It’s the most comfortable part of the process, for me. Of course every book is different, but after revising a bunch of them, I don’t find the prospect of revision daunting. (Realm will be my ninth published novel, plus there are five unpublished, largely because it took me a while to learn how to revise).

The book now exists: It has a beginning, middle and end, a distinct voice, a main character I find interesting, good sentences, cool events and ideas, thematic coherence. But my editor has helped me identify the areas where the book isn’t yet at its potential. I have been extremely lucky in my editors, and Jane Johnson, my editor at HarperVoyager UK, knows my work very well and is extremely good at helping me see where the gaps are. It feels to me a little like the relationship I see between athletes and their coaches: it’s the athlete doing the work, but the coach can see where a damaging habit has crept in, or where the athlete is unsure or holding back. An editor is also, among other things, the book’s first reader and a proxy for the readers to come. It’s a real privilege to go through that collaborative process, every time, and it’s very satisfying to watch the book become itself.

Anyway, that’s what I’m up to! I’m afraid today’s newsletter is a barebones update, but my brain has had a lot of demands on it this month, so barebones is where we are.

Here, to compensate, I’ll give you a peek at the opening lines of my next novel, Mercutio:

Steady, now. A line of men on horseback stretches across the dry valley. Mail reflects a grey sky. Pennants hang limp. The horses in their bright caparisons are patient.

Mercutio, with his borrowed helm under his arm, wants to get on with things. His horse, too, is borrowed. Unbedecked, because Mercutio is not worth the money. The mail is borrowed, and the sword, and the surcoat with his father’s family arms. The minimum required for a citizen soldier of Florence. All of it provided begrudgingly by his uncle, who could not fail to equip the prodigal nephew who arrived on his doorstep three months ago and declared himself ready to restore his parents’ honour.

By which Mercutio meant: fortune.

To fight, his uncle asked?

By which he meant: to die.

Mercutio comes out in the UK in about 6 weeks (eek). Everything you might want to know about the book (release dates, blurbs, cover copy, content note, buy links, etc) is on its page on my website. Pre-orders are very appreciated!

Thanks for reading!