Me, I think I’ve run out of things to say . . .

Gone lockdown mute here. Brain fog. Low motivation, low interest . . . in anything, really.

Have started and then stalled on at least three books since last March. I feel like all my thoughts are being drowned out by the permanent shout of world news. I just can’t seem to focus, to find and have faith in a story to tell . . .

I am lucky. I know that. I’m not front line. I don’t have kids to home school. I haven’t lost my job. The scale of the suffering and death in the world is overwhelming – but I haven’t had to deal with a death among my immediate family and friends.

All I’ve got to do is get up and write. And I’m not managing to do it. It does not feel good.

Big shout out to everyone who is dealing with much bigger problems right now. Big shout out – and big love . . . most especially to the teens and teachers I’ve met over the past few years.

Hang on in there, friends –

Vx

How are you doing?!

Sometime back in March, my creative brain went into lockdown along with the rest of the world. I parked 50k words of a novel I just couldn’t face writing anymore, and took up gardening (and worrying).

At one stage, it looked as though all I was going to have to show for 2020 was a bunch of vegetables (see pic) . . . but I’m so relieved to say I am now writing a new book. It will not be featuring a pandemic.

I very much hope this post finds everyone well – and it is sent with very best stay safe wishes.

Right . . . I’d better get on with it. Provisional title of current chapter: ‘You can’t just give up on Day One’.

Vx

OK . . . So I feel like I’m living in one of my own books. (And I do not like it.)

Sending a great big virtual hug to everyone at this strange and scary time, and hoping you all stay as safe as you possibly can.

About a year ago, I set up a quiet little Instagram account, and I’m going to hang out there, posting gentle gardening and nature pics to soothe our frazzled minds.

You can find it here: https://www.instagram.com/virginiabergin/

Take care! Much love, friends!

Vx

I have NOT abandoned this site. It just looks like it. I moved into a new house in June and I have been up to my safety goggles in DIY ever since. The whole place needed renovating: electrics, central heating, new bathroom, new kitchen. Walls removed, walls added. Total filthy mess chaos.

(I do love it, though. It’s out in the country, not far from Bath. It’s peaceful, and you can see the stars at night. Quite a change from an inner city block of flats.)

Is it all done? No, it is not, but I have had to lay down my power drill and paintbrush to crack on with a new book. It will not be about DIY. Most probably.

Feature pic is not Rain/H2O/Storm biohazard cosplay, it’s me about to insulate the attic.

Bonjour! We’ve got a lovely new French edition of The Rain (Tome 1), translated by Sidonie Van den Dries and published by Le Livre de Poche Jeunesse (Hachette). You can read all about it here – in French, naturellement!

Cue random picture of the fruit bowl.

I’ve gone quiet. I’m moving. I left Bristol in January, now staying with friends near Bath and hoping to move into a new house very soon.

(And am I writing? Well . . . yes. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and a lot of thinking and I’ve managed to start not one but TWO new novels. News about that when I’ve decided which one to run with . . . )

It was very hard to leave my flat. I lived there for 18 years, and wrote three novels in this little room:

I’ll miss it. Will post from the new little writing room when I get there.

I am delighted to announce that The XY (UK title: Who Runs the World?) was published in the US by Sourcebooks on 6th November – and it has got an amazing cover:

What’s intriguing is that I’ve heard all kinds of different interpretations of the cover – just as I’m hearing all kinds of different interpretations of the book itself. I think, if it was any other story, it might bother me that people have such diverse responses, but I am realising this comes with the territory that is called GENDER.

Here’s hoping The XY sparks some imaginative and thoughtful discussion . . .

It’s here! Who Runs the World? will be published by Sourcebooks as The XY in the USA in November 2018 . . . and the advanced reader copies (aka proof copies) are now printed.

After flying in to Chicago, I oh-so casually stopped by for lunch at the Sourcebooks offices in Naperville, Illinois – as you do (I am still jet-lagged) – picked up my own copy and met (the fabulous) owner Dominique Raccah and my editor, Steve Geck (also fabulous) . . . and signed The Authors’ Wall:

“Love to my Sourcebooks family!”

I can feel a huge descriptive fail coming on because too much happened in America.

(Flew out to Chicago then drove to Madison – via lunch at Sourcebooks in Naperville – for four nights and five days of intense WisCon, followed by a trees, cheese and mosquitoes road trip to Door County on Lake Michigan and back to Chicago for art and skyscrapers.)

It’s WisCon that’s the truly important part. Yes, I did get to wear the Elise Matthesen silver and pearl tiara. Yes, there was a Who Runs the World? cake, made by Georgie Schnobrich – and many other gifts, including a book created by artist Gena Ollendieck. There was speaking – I did various events, including a 75-min solo slot and a much more terrifying 5-min ‘thank you’ speech (scary because how do you follow Saladin Ahmed and Tananarive Due?) – and there was singing: the Tiptree Choir led 700-ish guests in a WRTW? singalong to the tune of Auld Lang Syne . . . see what I mean? Too much happened.

But the most important part of the truly important part is how special WisCon itself is. It’s a dynamic, thought-provoking and inspiring event full of very lovely people. I met way too many of the very lovely people to name individually (eg Orange Mike, Dr K and Margaret), but it would be very wrong of me not to thank the Tiptree Motherboard: Pat, Sumana, Jeanne, Alexis, Jeff and Gretchen. THANK YOU!

For more pics and shared posts, please visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/veebergin/