February Fortune: Monthly Missives from The Dream Pedlar

Forgive me as I do not begin this missive with the usual niceties entailing polite remarks about the weather and life, in general. Because even though it’s been bleak and grey outside for days on end now, sunshine is bursting in my heart and coursing through my veins. 

For you see, the portal to my new fantasy world is open, at last! 

This month, I present to you the cover and blurb of the book.
As well as its title, which came into being only a few months ago.
Plus the title of the series!

All of which is a really big deal, because for the longest time, my manuscript was titled 'Spec Fic Duology – Book 1'! 🤭

Sometimes it seems to take forever for all the pieces to fall into place, but when they do, it's like one of those exquisite moments when everything makes perfect sense and life feels ... just perfect!

So this is it! You are the first to hear of this, as I promised. So grab a warm cuppa and read on to find out all about my forthcoming metaphysical fantasy saga.

On Writing

Dear Readers, presenting to you ... drumroll, please ...

The Folly Of Memory
Book 1 of The Separation Of Souls Saga

Even though I started writing this story more than three years ago, I’m glad I’m able to release it only now. Because it has turned out to be quite a fitting story for our times.

Authoritarianism is on the rise. We’re living through the disruption that is AI. The rich and the powerful are callously deciding the fates of the poor and the vulnerable; that’s probably always been the case, except now they’re doing it brazenly.

In these times of chaos and uncertainty, The Folly Of Memory plunges right into the heart of a character, Rolam, who is a misfit, not by choice but by circumstance, in a system with its own exacting demands.

If you like deeply immersive tales with flawed characters, 

if you want a story that normalizes imperfection, 

if you want an honest reassurance that to be human is an inevitably messy affair and no, you’re not doing it wrong, this thing called life, 

you’ll find that Rolam’s journey mirrors your own. 

In other writing-related news, one of my novels, Erased From Existence, a paranormal mystery tale, is still available for free as part of an ongoing promotion over on BookFunnel.

And if you're on Smashwords, ALL my published works there will be discounted (from anywhere between 50—100%, individual discount rates vary) during their 17th annual Read an Ebook Week Super Sale, running March 1—7.

Tales For Dreamers

For no rhyme or reason, I've chosen 'letters to the Old Ones' to serve as this month's quick read of whimsy and wonder.

tales for dreamers: letters to the Old Ones

If you could write letters to the ones who no longer exist, what would you write to them about?

The Dream PedlarAnitha Krishnan

Or, perhaps, there is a reason I chose this tale. More on that right below.

Life, Unadulterated

Of late, the preciousness of life has begun to feel rather precarious. There’s too much pressure — sometimes self-inflicted, sometimes external — to ‘make the most of’ this ‘one wild and precious’ life. 

I can identify a few things that are triggering this for me. The upcoming launch of my latest book series is high on the list. As is the fact that little D will turn 10 this June. 

Time is fleeting, and there’s this sense of urgency to do something useful/meaningful/purposeful/joyful, to make every moment count, instead of simply sitting here helplessly and watching it pass by.

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In her book, I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen, author Kate Strickler talks about the origin of the phrase ‘Keeping up with the Joneses.’

It comes from an eponymous comic strip created by American cartoonist, Arthur R. “Pop” Momand, back in 1913! So this is not a relatively new struggle, after all!

As Strickler says, it’s that phrase “she gets something out of life” that plagues me.

Because what does that even mean — to get something out of life, or to make the most of our lives?

For the longest time, it felt as if that phrase mainly referred to accumulation of wealth or increase in social status, career progression, building vast social and professional networks, having a large family, nurturing relationships, many of these often guised as fulfilment of duty and responsibility. Travel is another big one for our times.

These days, it seems to be all about the ‘joy’ one can possibly squeeze out of an experience or a product or even just this one uneventful, ordinary moment. As if to leave it so — ordinary, as is, and not infuse it with JOY — is a crime.

But surely there’s nothing (or no one, not even ourselves) that can give us endless joy all the time? 

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I love writing, but it’d be false on my part to claim it’s always easy or that it comes naturally every single moment. Because it doesn’t. 

There’s immense satisfaction in writing a story, seeing it take birth and grow and shape-shift with a mind of its own all the way to the end. The process of writing does entail its fair share of joy. 

But there are also moments of crippling doubt and fear, of shattered confidence, of anxiety about outcomes, and all other fears that crop up just as often. 

With time and practice we get better at handling these hiccups — meaning not slamming the laptop shut at the first sign of doubt but continuing to sit there and see if we can write the next word and the next sentence.

Sitting through the discomfort. Trusting that this too will pass and that we’ll eventually find a way out of this difficult phase, if only we can hold on or keep going for the time being.

For me, that change has been years in the making. For another person, the challenges might look very different. But they’re there, nonetheless.

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Culture does everyone a huge disservice when it romanticizes struggle. There’s nothing appealing about struggle, especially when we’re in the thick of it. 

Sure, there's usually a sense of satisfaction and achievement to be attained after having persevered through something difficult, but just as equally, the outcome might not be to our liking, and we’d find ourselves dejected for a while.

Struggle in the various forms it takes — failure, loss, disappointing outcomes, being stuck in one place with no visible path out — is not at all joyful.

Slogans like 'Carpe Diem' and 'Make every moment count', even YOLO, are often misconstrued to mean that every single moment ought to be filled with joy and pleasure.

All this makes life too 'precious' — in the sense of the word that means 'pretentious' and 'contrived' — and prevents us from embracing it wholly, warts and all.

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If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad. ~ C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock

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I feel compelled to share this now because in many ways, The Folly Of Memory has been a difficult book to write.

It's Book 1 in the series, but I meandered in the midst of writing it and started and finished Book 1.5, an entire novel in itself. I'm nearing the end of Book 2 now, and that has been a much easier ride, to be honest.

For some reason, severe self-doubt and a loss of confidence hit me in my early attempts at writing Book 1. There was no part of me that I could conjure up to say anything positive and encouraging about the story and my efforts.

Who needs enemies when we have a mind that can turn against us without warning?

But on the other hand, even though it was my most difficult book to write, it has been the most rewarding too in the sense that it has taught me to persevere, to keep coming back to the work, and to be able to write long tomes through the ups and downs of it.

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In the end, I'm thinking it's less about finding joy in each and every moment and more about rejoicing when the going is good, sure, but also about summoning the inner strength and equanimity to face all the challenges that life throws our way, without us falling apart.

Then what we'd have gotten out of life would perhaps look less like loud luxuries and more like quiet courage and robust self-assurance.

If my 'one wild and precious life' looks more like an evolution of my inner self and less like a relentless pattern of succumbing to the whims of the outer world and my own capricious mind over and over again, I bet I'll get far more out of it and also contribute far more to it than I can possibly imagine.

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Books You May Love

I only read one book this month — I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen ... And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy — by social media influencer, Kate Strickler.

I loved it so much that I wrote a blog post on it. Not just any blog post, but one that has a reading time of 21 minutes! Got more time to spare? 👇😉

books you may love: I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen by Kate Strickler

Reflections on a book that delves into life, love, motherhood, friendships, worries about money, time and control... offering all the love and validation we all so desperately seek... and need.

The Dream PedlarAnitha Krishnan

Another month, and another edition of Monthly Missives, are both coming to an end, dear Dreamer!

March will be another slow month for me work-wise, with school being out for the March Break holidays.

But I will write to you with more news on The Separation Of Souls Saga, and reflections on writing, reading, and living life with intent, introspection and imagination.

Much love,
Anitha

What we don't need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human. ~ Brené Brown