They say writing is one of the loneliest of occupations. I have to respectfully disagree. Yes,
youβre 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 writingβeven though Iβm actually alone in my officeβthen Iβd 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 canβt imagine having time to feel lonely when perched at my desk with a manuscript open. With
the plot and people scrabbling for my attention, Iβm focused on the story, not what Iβm doing or
what my circumstances are. Iβm βinβ that bookβin that town, house, or whereverβand itβs like
everything around me disappears. I canβt see my keyboard. Or my real-life surroundings. Only the
fictional is visible, so when you think about it, Iβm amongst the characters, in their living
room, and Iβm even drinking their tea. Of course, they canβt see me, their life is playing out
as usual, but Iβm there, a spy almost, watching everything theyβre doing and writing it down.
I wonder if that sounds creepy to some people? I have no ideaβIβve always been happily stuck in
my imagination as far back as I can remember, so for me itβs βnormalβ to entertain various
things inside my mind. I canβt imagine not having characters prodding at me to get writing, or
seeing their homes and workplaces in my mind as though Iβve been there a thousand times before.
I can walk around their houses without a map or any direction, yet previous to writing the book,
Iβve never stepped foot inside their residence. Weird, isnβt 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 donβt dwell on it for long. A new book comes steaming in, and Iβm soon
too immersed in that one to remember the emotions Iβd 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 caseβa million and one
people in my brain, silent until they feel their tale must be written. Hmm. Thatβs a plot bunny
right thereβ¦
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 OβHara.
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 doβ¦well, thatβs the hard part.
Michael and Steven grew up togetherβjust them, no girls allowed. Theyβd always planned to join
the military, but when it came time to sign up, Michael couldnβt 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 wonβt come home.
Steven has been through a dreadful ordeal on duty, and while in the hospital, heβs had time to
think about whatβs important in life. He misses Michaelβneeds to get back home to be with himβ
and he has something he wishes to say, something heβs held inside as far back as he can
rememberβ¦
When the two men reunite, revelations are the name of the game. There is no question theyβve
always loved each other, but now that they have the chance to express that love, will they?
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