February Feistiness: Monthly Missives from The Dream Pedlar
On slowing down and thriving in a world that's spinning at increasingly dizzying speeds!
I'm writing to you on Friday morning, high on the news of Canada's thrilling victory last night in the 4 Nations Face-Off this week! I don't even know how to lace up little D's skates properly — that's a task I leave to KrA — but one can't possibly live in Canada for a decade and not get swept up in the hockey euphoria at least once.
Funny how we inadvertently take the best things in our life for granted, and it takes an existential threat to them for us to remember how well they've served us, how much they mean to us, and make us consider how far we'll go to safeguard and protect them in turn.
More on that in this edition of Monthly Missives, so grab a cuppa and let's get started!
On Writing
The very first book I wrote, a charming fantasy novella titled In Search of Leo, is available for free as part of a limited-period promotion being organized by the International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (IASFA).
In Search of Leo is a journey through grief. It's a meandering through the various emotions that grief unearths as the protagonist, a young woman named Heidi, navigates the raw unchartered territories of loss and longing.
If you've ever experienced loss and grief, In Search of Leo will break your heart at first and then lovingly knit together all the pieces as well.
Rob Mc
Also, if you read books over on Smashwords, three of my titles will be free during the Smashwords 2025 Read an Ebook Week.
Grab my short stories — A Benevolent Goddess, The Mind Meddler, and Memory Games — for free from March 2—8!
Publishing is still largely driven by word of mouth. Reviews help other readers decide this may be a book worth reading. One or two lines is all that's needed.
So if you've downloaded and read any of my books as part of free promotions or otherwise, could you please help me out by leaving a review? Goodreads is a good place to do so. Thank you, in advance!
Progress on Book 1 of the fantasy duology I'm currently working on stalled this month as we all took turns to fall ill.
The good news is that when my writing brain takes a backseat, the other half of my brain begins to focus on editing, formatting and publishing. So I got the opportunity to work on a project that's been in the making for more than a decade now.
Ta-da!
I won't reveal much right now, but the name's a dead giveaway, isn't it? 🤭
I still have only about 150 pages or so to edit, so fingers crossed I'm able to announce this properly in the March edition of Monthly Missives!
Tales for Dreamers
Three of this month's offerings are inspired by nature — 'a black and white world', 'a crack in the horizon', and 'a sticker for a moon' — and one is inspired by love — 'a door of hearts' — with Valentine's Day falling on a Friday this year!
Life, Unadulterated
Much of the month passed in us being ill and recovering. There were four days last week when KrA was travelling for work, and D and I were homebound. D was still fighting a cold and fever but the worst was behind us by then.
The two of us would take long afternoon naps, which brought back to memory his infant/toddler days.
There was a certain timelessness to those days, which were not dictated by the rhythm of the clock. There was no sense of urgency, no sense of delay. Time ceased to matter, yet everything — mealtimes, nap times, playtime — happened naturally and of its own accord.
After D recovered, we were also able to enjoy the abundance of snowfall that we received owing to two consecutive snowstorms, one of which lasted for two entire days! Even now the snowbanks are taller than backyard fences in some places!
There's something about snow that completely changes the mood of winter. The season's no longer a dark, soul-less period of travail, but gets transformed into something feather-light and bright.
The sidewalks are like delightful trenches ploughed through endless fields of snow.
These are the kinds of little joys I've been leaning into to stay sane and hopeful amid the ongoing political upheaval in this part of the world.
This month has been eerily reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic exactly five years ago. The proliferation of misinformation and fear-mongering, the uncertainty, compounded by unprecedented changes in global alliances and relationships have been quite a lot to come to terms with off late.
These developments have forced me to look back and really appreciate the amazing life we have here in Canada, something I had inadvertently taken for granted over the years, lost in the daily hustle of living and making a living.
It is in this land that I truly found my bearings as a mother and as an author. It is here that D is growing up, enjoying school and the process of learning and discovery. It is here that KrA has experienced much learning and growth at the workplace.
Every time I walk to the grounds of Paletta Mansion and look out at Lake Ontario, I feel so happy to be so close to the vast waterbody, a lake that appears as vast as an ocean.
This is not a sermon on gratitude or anything, but having learnt from my past experiences with anxiety during the pandemic, I'm very intent this time around to attend to life only one day at a time, and not let worries about an unknown future upend my daily life completely.
Have you wondered what it truly means to live each day as if it is your last? What does Carpe Diem really mean?
When I was younger, I had a very twisted and reckless understanding of these calls to focus on the present moment. For instance, I used to think if today were my last day on earth, I wouldn't start writing a novel, because I'd never be able to finish it.
Now, I've understood that if today were my last day on earth, I would in fact spend some time writing, whether I finish the story or not. Because what matters is not the end product, but whether or not I was able to give myself to a labour of love today without worrying about future outcomes.
In the same measure, it's not about dropping all boundaries and allowing people to walk all over me in an attempt to resolve all conflicts before my last day on earth comes to an end.
But I sure wouldn't replay the same old dramas in my head over and over again, squandering time and energy on conversations that are not happening right now with people who are not physically present in my life right now.
Instead, I'd focus on being kind to and connecting with whoever I'm sharing my last remnants of time and space with.
Because tomorrow is never promised to any one of us. Even the very next moment is not guaranteed.
That doesn't meant we have to change our present moment to some idealized version of life. It simply means showing up to whatever reality exists right now and doing the best we can within this framework.
So, what is your take on whatever's happening in your part of the world? How are you dealing with changes in your life and in the world around you? Write to me and share your wisdom.
Books You May Love
I read very little this month, and one reason for that was I spent a lot of time relishing Diane Setterfield's Once Upon a River over several days.
Setterfield was one of my early inspirations to become a writer. Her works, The Thirteenth Tale and Bellman & Black, were like nothing I had ever read before. These works wouldn't be classified as outright fantasy but there's just that hint of magic, of something otherworldly, that renders them very atmospheric.
Once Upon a River is set along the bank of the Thames in 1887. One night, a man stumbles into an inn carrying a dead child, who seems to have died by drowning. But a while later, the child comes back to life. Only, she does not speak. A lot of effort as well as storytelling go into figuring out who she is. Is she the missing daughter of the Vaughans who had disappeared two years ago? Is she the grandchild of Mr. Armstrong from a neighbouring village?
The story unfolds from the perspectives of many different characters. The chapters are meanderings, deep inquiries in the minds and hearts of the characters. They're not meant to be rushed through, but savoured slowly instead.
Yet another edition of Monthly Missives is drawing to a close, dear Dreamer!
Writing and reading are the places I turn to for comfort. Which is why I've been offering more of my books for free than otherwise, in the hope that my words too might offer solace and comfort to a reader in these times.
As always, I'm grateful to you for allowing me this space to express myself and think aloud. I hope my words soothe you and help you too find clarity in the midst of chaos, courage in a time of confusion, and wholehearted presence when you need it the most.
Until next month then,
Anitha