I have been so absent from this blog because I have been so present in my novel writing and editing that I have not been able to process any other words, until now.

I am a big believer in signs. If you are willing to see them, they are everywhere. As many of you already know, my first novel, The Waking Hours, will be self-published on January 11th, 2021. (1/11) My second novel, titled One Eleven, is scheduled to be published 111 days later on May 2nd, 2021. For the past few months, I have noticed the number 111 at many different times and in many different ways.

Almost every day, I happen to glance at a clock or look at my phone at precisely 1:11 pm. And no, I am not glancing repeatedly until the seconds pass. It happened again today, and when my best friend in Calgary received the email I sent to her earlier today, the delivery time was 11:11 am, her time. The last time I ran to the grocery store, my Odometer was happy to show me I had driven 11.1 kilometers. And as I played a Turbo table of online Texas Hold ‘Em, the person to the right of me was called Shady1111, and the person to the left of me made a bad bet and was left with 1,111 dollars in chips. I was flanked by 1111.

To say I think these things are a good omen for me in 2021 is an egregious understatement. Although self-publishing a book is a frankly nauseating experience, my nerves are not as electrically charged as they had been. The acid that now percolates in my stomach is much more of a simmer as opposed to the rolling boil it had been at the end of the horrific year formally known as 2020.

I entered 2021 with a great sense of hope and a new confidence in myself. I took a short respite from my books to create an author website where I can post updates, and readers can learn more about the future books in the series. I do not know what the universe has planned for me this year, but I am happy to climb on board to see where the ride takes me.

You can find my new site at http://www.susanmnairn.ca