Thanksgiving came and went and now suddenly, it’s December. I guess technically it’s winter 2024. But it was just November so I’m holding onto fall.

I’ve spent the last couple months (the last year, if I’m honest), staying away from the online world, and instead figuring out how I want to spend my energy. I’ve also been working a lot. Too much.

A side effect of all this is that I haven’t been great at keeping anyone updated on anything.

So I decided to answer some questions that I get asked a lot and share a little about what I’ve been up to.

Where on earth have you been?

I’ve been around! This answer may tie a bit more into the social media one below but it’s been an exciting year with lots of travel and new experiences. The best thing I did was go to the Olympics. Anyone who knows me knows I have a deep love for track and field and the French football team. So being able to see track and field in the iconic Stade de France was a dream. Here’s a peek:

I also went to Roland-Garros and I also saw beach volleyball from the top of the Eiffel Tower. What a time!

Are you writing another book?

Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: I’ve already written it - I’ve actually written multiple books. That’s a big reason why I’ve not been present anywhere else. I’ve been writing so much: there is a book for younger readers on the horizon, plus a contemporary novel with a screenplay that I’m also writing (the book is finished, I’m editing it now and writing the film script). And a second historical fiction one (more on that in the next question).

I’m very excited about everything I’m working on. The last few months especially I’ve been firmly in the flow zone and I hope I can keep it up.

Will you write more historical fiction?

I would love to. I’m about a quarter of the way through my next historical fiction novel. But I hit pause on it at the end of 2023 because the research was taking so, so long and instead I wrote the 2 manuscripts I shared above throughout 2024. And that’s the struggle with historical fiction. I wrote 2 books in 10 months this year while holding down a full-time job and doing a million other things simply because they were contemporary books. I didn’t have to sit down and research. I just wrote.

But I love historical fiction. It’s kind of like time travelling. I would like to always write in that genre, so hopefully I get the chance to do that. In the meantime, if you want to sign up for updates on my second historical fiction book, you can do so here.

You’re a great writer, how did you learn English?

Thanks, I think? Honestly, I get this one more than I thought I would. I don’t know how I feel about people complimenting me on my English. I was born in Canada and English was my first language.

I learned English like most people - from my parents and the school system. But I learned to write by taking classes, by reading and by making a ton of mistakes.

Do you have social media?

Not at the moment. I made a deliberate choice to deactivate all social media accounts earlier this year. It doesn’t mean I won’t ever use them again, but I increasingly feel like my life is better lived offline. When I’m in big stretches of wanting to produce new work, I prefer to do it without the noise of social media. But it does come at a cost, especially for authors and other creatives who often have no other choice but to use these platforms to share their work and connect with those in the industry.

It’s not the first time I’ve deactivated my accounts. Some I reactivated, some I never did. The one thing I will say is I’ve never missed it. Sure, sometimes it’s a bit tough to stay in touch, but the people who want to find you will. It’s actually improved the quality of my relationships because I don’t regularly get passive updates from photos and stories posted on a curated feed. Being away from social platforms really forces you to be more intentional.

The other big reason I had to step away from social media was for safety reasons. Unfortunately I had a few situations where parasocial relationships got a bit out of hand and my safety was compromised. Those were not fun experiences and definitely made me reconsider if I wanted to be online at all.

If you have a career that is even remotely in the public eye, please think twice before posting things online. I wouldn’t recommend posting a story from a place you’re at in real-time. Don’t share your fave coffee shop or a place you visit regularly and the time you go because you honestly never know who is watching and who will show up. I understand many content creators and influencers need to and that their livelihood depends on it, but it’s frightening to me when I think about how simple it is to connect the dots and follow a person around purely based on their social media feed.

Stay safe, it’s a wild world out there.

Will you write a sequel to The Circus Train?

I’ve thought about it but so far I haven’t been able to come up with an idea good enough. I thought about doing a prequel (Theo’s origin story), but I’m not sure there is enough material there to make it into a book. I’ve also toyed with the idea of writing a novel based around a secondary character in the book. There’s one other idea I have, but I can’t write it here without it being a spoiler.

So far, I’m happy with it being standalone. I loved my characters so much and I’m happy with how their journeys ended. I think an author should only write a sequel if they want to and if they feel there is a character or a storyline with enough weight to carry a full novel independent of the original. When something does well, a lot of people are inclined to try and extend the life of it. But I don’t think that’s always a good idea. Some things were just meant to be one offs. The Circus Train is one of them.

Will there be a Circus Train movie?

I don’t know. Movies move slower than molasses. I would be very surprised if anything actually got made. Maybe after I’m dead.

There’s more to it than this but the short answer is right now, no, but definitely maybe. Sorry I can’t share more!

Well, that’s it for my update. I’m going to be focusing on editing and writing the next few months so will probably be pretty quiet on here.

Happy Holidays :)