The first explanation of why I’ve been out of circulation so long is that it all started to get a little much for me. I became less and less clear exactly what I was doing. It was rather as though I’d embarked on my own little daily magazine and it was taking too much time, too much energy, and I was starting to worry about it in the most unhealthy way. I clearly had to step back and take stock.

Having stepped back, I found it very hard to step back in.

I finally realized that a blog is not a magazine at all. It is not even a web site. Much more informal. I should come to the process for shorter and more casual – but maybe more frequent visits. More free, more spontaneous, and less to worry about.

Also I had this new book to commence, and had to go through the literary equivalent of kneeling naked in some freezing chapel, praying over my armor on the eve of battle. That is all history now, however. The book is called Conflagration, it is the sequel to Kindling, (out now) I am some seventy pages in, and Cordelia finds herself attracted to the idea of torturing prisoners.