The best of times

You’ve probably noticed by now that my books, at least my first two, take place in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

‘Why?’ You might ask. A few reasons come to mind…

The first and more obvious reason is that the storylines in these books are largely shaped by themes that only work with the historical events of the time (especially Words for Anna).

On a more personal level – I was a teenager in the late 90s/early 2000s and this inevitably brings all the wonderful memories that generally accompany our youth.

I remember the pop culture of the time fondly – the music and the films, and I know (or have at least researched) the relevant history.

On a practical level, it feels like technology moves at such a rapid pace in our current time, that a novel written today may already feel dated once it’s published two years from now, not to mention holding up for decades to come.

But let’s be honest – who isn’t exhausted at the mere sight of the 50 personal emails that come through in a single Monday morning alone? Or our inability to let social media be.

Just like I won’t typically subject my characters to a story ending they’ve been dreading, I’m also not about to infiltrate their daily routines with digital clutter.

But most of all, I’m not going through countless edits as my protagonist is checking her smartphone all day, whether that is in fact, a reality for most of us.

As I’m writing this, I’m totally ignoring the fact that I’ll probably post an update on social media about this blog post and rely on readers being on their smartphones, at least part of the day.