Tomorrow morning, my husband, our dog Sirius, and I head to our boat on the Florida border for two years of living and sailing aboard the Prelude (yes, she is named in part for the boat in the Blue Note Series book by the same name). Yesterday, the movers took all our stuff to a storage unit. There’s a single piece of furniture left in the apartment – a day/trundle bed I’m giving to a coworker and that we’re sleeping on until we leave.

Looking around at our now-empty apartment, I feel sad. We sold our house and moved downtown about 3 years ago and it’s been wonderful living here. Most weekends, I parked my car on a Friday and didn’t move it again until Monday because everything I needed was here. Going from a place where everything you need is footsteps away to living on a boat where you

need to store food and plan on reprovisioning when you make port in a large city will be a huge change. But that won’t be the only change, of course.

For years I’ve wanted the opportunity to write full-time. Now I have it, but I realize that sometimes a gift is difficult to put to use. Honestly, I think it’s easier to write when you have very little time. You’re forced to focus on those windows when you can sit at the computer and get things done. When you have all the time in the world, unless you’re a big planner (I am not!), it takes effort to get down to business and not be distracted.

All that said, the boat is my Zen place. My happy writing place, where I’ve written at least 4 of my books nearly completely, and where I find inspiration just in being on the water. I’ve got so many stories I’ve been wanting to write, including the sequel series to the Mermen of Ea. This coming year I’ll also be dipping my toes back in the self-publishing world for at least a few books. So plenty of work to keep me busy. Not to mention a trip to Paris for the Paris book fair in March of 2020, and a proposed joint presentation for RWA in July.

And for inspiration beyond the water? A month in Japan where I’ll spend 2 weeks studying Japanese and then explore the country with my husband.

If you’d like to follow our travels, you can find us here: https://www.sailblogs.com/member/alexibobsail We’ll post photos and videos, and you’ll be able to track our boat on a map. And if we’re ever in your neck of the woods, please reach out! I’d love to say hello and even give you a tour of our floating home. -Shira