Happy last day of February!
It mind boggling to think that almost a year ago we first heard about the shit storm about to descend on us. I remember March 13, 2020 very well. They sent the kids home and told them not to come back until April 6th, which was wildly naïve. For context, my daughter is just about to go back part time this week.
Work told us to take our laptops and prepare to telework. Only a few would be allowed to come to the office to cover court. That too proved optimistic as we were soon doing everything remotely and no one was allowed back in the office. Here we are a year later with no clear end in sight, but glimmers of light somewhere in the distance.
On the other side, in this past year, Zoom made it possible for me to learn to play guitar, something I’ve always wanted to do. (I suck at it, but it’s a work in progress.) I learned how to be a teacher’s aide to an 8/9 year old. (I suck at that too, I’ve discovered.) I’ve gained fifteen pounds. (That just plain sucks.) and I haven’t worn a suit in over a year. (That hasn’t sucked at all.) But all of that is a reason to celebrate. Others are not nearly so lucky.
Being an author during a pandemic is a bit like a Tale of Two Cities. It’s the best of time and the worst of times. On the one hand, books are fantasies we can escape into. They distract us for a short time from the world around us. On the other hand, these are hard times. People have lost jobs, relatives, their health, and some have lost their lives. It can feel frivolous at time to market books.
As we enter the second year of the pandemic, I’m looking forward to an end to this new normal, and the start of a better normal. I can’t wait until I can:
- Send my daughter back to school full time, so she can learn from a qualified teacher instead of me.
- Travel again. I want to see and hug my family, hold my great niece (I can’t believe I’m a gruncle already) and meet the new one on the way.
- Have lunch with friends and colleagues.
- Be able to go write in a coffee shop again.
- Walk around town without pulling up my mask every time I see someone coming the other way.
- Not have to schedule two hour play dates just so my daughter can talk to someone her own age in person.
- Get back into a routine. For the last year it has all been so temporary.
- Go see a baseball game in person.
I’ve learned I don’t like working at home. I should, but I don’t. I guess I’m not good at focusing with all the distractions around.
Tomorrow, I have a new release – Better For You. This novella is part of the Harrison Campus series Anyta Sunday and I co-wrote. It will be available on Amazon and KU starting Monday March 1, 2021.
You can pre-order it here: Better For You
Until next month, stay safe and healthy.
~Andy
Andy Gallo:
Andy prefers mountains over the beach, coffee over tea, and regardless if you shake it or stir it, he isn’t drinking a martini. He remembers his “good old days” as filled with mullets, disco music, too-short shorts, and too-high socks. Thanks to good shredders and a lack of social media, there is no proof he ever descended into any of those evils.
Andy does not write about personal experiences and no living or deceased ex-boyfriends appear on the pages of his stories. He might subconsciously infuse his characters with some of their less noble qualities, but that is entirely coincidental even if their names are the same.
Married and living his own happy every after, Andy helps others find their happy endings in the pages of his stories. He and his husband of more than twenty years spend their days raising their daughter and rubbing elbows with other parents. Embracing his status as the gay dad, Andy sometimes has to remind others that one does want a hint of color even when chasing after their child.
Join my Facebook group for more of your favorite characters and to meet new favorites:
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Harrison Campus:
Website: www.andygallo.com
Email: andy@andygallo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/andygalloauthor
That was a great post. It made me smile even as I relived 2020 with you.