They say writing is one of the loneliest of occupations. I have to respectfully disagree. Yes,
youโre usually alone when putting pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard, but how can you be
alone when you have a whole host of characters in your head to keep you company? I think, if I
ever felt alone when writingโeven though Iโm actually alone in my officeโthen Iโd be doing this
writing gig all wrong. My characters are my friends, real people, and they come alive inside my
head, keeping me company until the scene or the book is complete.
I canโt imagine having time to feel lonely when perched at my desk with a manuscript open. With
the plot and people scrabbling for my attention, Iโm focused on the story, not what Iโm doing or
what my circumstances are. Iโm โinโ that bookโin that town, house, or whereverโand itโs like
everything around me disappears. I canโt see my keyboard. Or my real-life surroundings. Only the
fictional is visible, so when you think about it, Iโm amongst the characters, in their living
room, and Iโm even drinking their tea. Of course, they canโt see me, their life is playing out
as usual, but Iโm there, a spy almost, watching everything theyโre doing and writing it down.
I wonder if that sounds creepy to some people? I have no ideaโIโve always been happily stuck in
my imagination as far back as I can remember, so for me itโs โnormalโ to entertain various
things inside my mind. I canโt imagine not having characters prodding at me to get writing, or
seeing their homes and workplaces in my mind as though Iโve been there a thousand times before.
I can walk around their houses without a map or any direction, yet previous to writing the book,
Iโve never stepped foot inside their residence. Weird, isnโt it?
I do agree, though, that there is a brief spell of loneliness once a book is finished. Some
characters really do burrow into the heart, so once their story is over, I find myself feeling a
little alone then. But I donโt dwell on it for long. A new book comes steaming in, and Iโm soon
too immersed in that one to remember the emotions Iโd felt before.
I wonder sometimes where all these characters are stored. Have they been inside my head for
years, waiting for their time to come out? Imagine if that were the caseโa million and one
people in my brain, silent until they feel their tale must be written. Hmm. Thatโs a plot bunny
right thereโฆ
Sarah Masters is a multi-published author in three pen names writing several genres. She lives
with her husband, youngest daughter, and a cat in England. She writes at weekends and is a cover
artist/head of art in her day job. In another life she was an editor. Her other pen names are
Natalie Dae and Geraldine OโHara.
Sarah also co-authors with Jaime Samms, and as Natalie Dae she co-authors with Lily Harlem under
the name Harlem Dae.
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Loving your best friend is easy. Telling him you doโฆwell, thatโs the hard part.
Michael and Steven grew up togetherโjust them, no girls allowed. Theyโd always planned to join
the military, but when it came time to sign up, Michael couldnโt do it. For years, Michael has
worried every time Steven is out in the desert, risking his life to serve and protect. He dreads
the day Steven wonโt come home.
Steven has been through a dreadful ordeal on duty, and while in the hospital, heโs had time to
think about whatโs important in life. He misses Michaelโneeds to get back home to be with himโ
and he has something he wishes to say, something heโs held inside as far back as he can
rememberโฆ
When the two men reunite, revelations are the name of the game. There is no question theyโve
always loved each other, but now that they have the chance to express that love, will they?
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