Skip to main content

A Quiet New Year, A Loud Imagination

There’s something funny about the end of the year. Some people are counting down with fireworks, champagne, glitter, and questionable hats that will appear in photos no one remembers taking. Meanwhile, in my house, we approach December 31st with the tactical precision of a military operation because, well… we have dogs.

And dogs do not appreciate the European “Sylvester” tradition of exploding the sky for entertainment. Growing up in Germany, New Year’s Eve was a literal blast—fireworks everywhere, people cheering in the streets, the whole world sparkling. But now? Now I have small fluffy creatures who think fireworks are the opening act of the apocalypse. So we celebrate quietly, with blankets, snacks, and repeated promises that the big booms outside are absolutely not the end of days.

But while the sky may stay quiet, my imagination certainly didn’t this year.

Around this time last December, I had this wild spark of an idea for an art-history-themed mystery. I told myself, “Sabine, this is either the beginning of something beautiful… or the beginning of yet another chaotic writing spreadsheet you’ll abandon after week two.” Amazingly, it turned into an entire novel. A whole book! With plot twists, history, mystery, and not a single spreadsheet in flames. A December miracle.

As if that weren’t enough, I also published Book 4 in the Magical Papillon Mystery series. Blueberry supervised every chapter, of course, offering valuable editorial notes such as “more treats” and “include a fancy Papillon who saves everyone.” I also finished several short stories, and the audiobooks—oh yes, there were audiobooks. If you ever want to hear me wrestle confidently with sound equipment like a slightly confused but determined squirrel, that’s a whole story of its own.

Looking back at the year, I realize I’ve done good. Really good. Not in a one-hit-wonder, “remember that author who wrote that one thing once?” kind of way, but in a “I’m here for the long haul, pull up a cozy chair, grab a cup of something warm, because we’re just getting started” way.

And next year? I plan to do exactly what I love. I’ll tell magical, whimsical, cozy mysteries that sweep you out of the everyday world and gently drop you into places where ghosts whisper clues, dogs are smarter than detectives, and life always comes with a sprinkle of wonder.

No matter how you celebrate the end of your year—loud, quiet, sparkly, sleepy, or with a dog hiding under a blanket—I hope it ends on your own terms. Stay safe, stay happy, stay curious, and thank you for stepping into my stories with me.

I’ll see you next year—at one of my shows, on social media, and without a doubt… between the pages.

Be well,
Sabine
(And Blueberry and Buddy, the papillons, who are already preparing for a peaceful, boom-free New Year.)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Absolute Madness of Naming Characters

  Let’s talk about one of the most ridiculous struggles of writing a book. No, I’m not talking about the part where you stare at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your ancestors. I’m talking about naming characters. It should be easy, right? Just slap a name on them and move on? Oh, my sweet summer child. If only. See, naming a character is like naming your kid—except worse, because nobody is going to complain if your kid and their cousin both end up being named Liam. But if your main villain is named Liam and you accidentally give the quirky coffee shop owner in book three the same name? Cue the existential crisis. Let’s walk through the madness. The Overthinking Spiral of Doom You start writing, and there’s that moment: your brand-new character walks onto the page, full of potential. All they need is a name. A simple name. Something strong, something fitting, something— Oh no. Nothing sounds right. This one is too complicated. That one is too simple. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

DIY Audiobook. A bit of equipment, good advice and lots of patience

I want to create an Audiobook - should I?  Ever since the release of book one in the "Cannabis Preacher" series of thrillers, that question has been on my mind.  The "Cannabis Preacher" books were quite long. To produce an audiobook from each of the four, including voice actors and audio production with a turn key service, I was looking at around $15,000 per book. Financially, that was a non-starter for me at the time. That amount represented a LOT of books and audiobooks to sell to recover the investment, and I shelved my plan again.  With the popularity of the "Magical Papillon" cozy mystery series, I found myself coming back to the growing popularity of audiobooks. I knew that audiobooks could reach a wider audience and catered to busy readers who prefer listening while multitasking. The idea of bringing my characters to life through narration excited me, as it offered a new dimension to my storytelling.  The cozy mysteries were only 60-65,000...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Battle-Scarred ThinkPad and the Mountain of Notebooks: A Love Story

Let’s talk about favorite writing tools. Now, I know some authors might name drop fancy apps, sleek white minimalist keyboards, or those delicate fountain pens with gold nibs that require ceremonial ink rituals … But me? My tools are a little less... romantic. A little more indestructible . And, dare I say, a little more clunky with character . Once upon a time—cue flashback shimmer—I wrote all my stories by hand . Not just a page or two, either. I mean boxes and boxes of handwritten notebooks , full of scribbles, side notes, doodles in the margins, entire character backstories I forgot existed until ten years later. My early stories were a workout for my wrist. I had pens running dry faster than a coffee pot in a newsroom. It was chaotic. It was glorious. Typing those books up? A mission. A translation project. A cryptic decoding effort worthy of Indiana Jones. There were arrows. Stars. Entire paragraphs stuffed sideways in the margins like they were trying to escape the story. So...
Post a Comment
Read more