Sisters of the Shadows

Hello! I don’t know if this is something I’ve done aside from the occasional Raving blog–and those are password protected, so they’re more for me than anyone else–but since it’s gotten to the point where I’ve fallen behind on the schedule I set for myself (which I was doing so well on :/), I think it best to update you all.

First, thanks for checking out my blog! I check the stats regularly, and I’m pleased to see that many of you are from different countries. It’s nice to know my writing attracts a diverse audience.

Second, thank you for putting up with my previous lapse in regular content, and for allowing me this break. Last year was difficult on all of us, but this past month has been especially trying.

Last year on Father’s Day, my biological father was diagnosed with COVID-19. He and I hadn’t been close in recent years for reasons I won’t disclose, but I can say that he was immuno-compromised. His kidneys had failed when I was a teenager–which he recovered from following a transplant using one of my uncle’s kidneys–and he had a history of high cholesterol and diabetes. Since he was so high-risk, he was put in a coma while the hospital did their due diligence. I believe my stepmother said he was under for four months, during which he overcame the virus.

I wasn’t really aware of any of this until this month. Remember, we weren’t close, so while he was in a coma I was working from home and finishing the manuscript for my first book. My worst fear at the time was that my daughter could be harmed as the result of some political protest, or that my mother–who was diagnosed with diabetes during this time–might contract COVID-19.

My stepmother called me around the first or second week of February, audibly distraught. My bio-dad’s lungs and kidney had failed. He was breathing with the help of a tube, and they believed he did not have long. She asked me to come see him, if only for his sake. I won’t bore you with the details of the visit, nor the depraved state he was in. I tried to go back the following week, but there were a couple of conflicting issues that made the experience overwhelming.

He passed away yesterday morning. The service hasn’t been set in stone yet, but I’d imagine it would take place this coming weekend. I’m trying to complete commissions and schedule as much writing as possible between now and then. The last post on this blog for February is just March’s schedule, and that goes up Sunday, but I do have an article for The Arcane Citizen I need to work on and I want to write the next five chapters of Weird (in other words, enough to fill all of March).

I’ll be busy with all of that, so please bare with the quiet blog for just a few more days! Feel free to check out the commissions I offer on Ko-fi and the writing services I have detailed here.

Stay safe & stay sane, readers.

Natty P. 🖤