On Saturday morning I watched Herself and when it ended, I did an online search for “how to move to Scotland.” The film is set in Ireland, but it motivated me to work on my five-year plan. Over the holidays I scribbled a few statements down, all starting with “What if…?” But yesterday I made actual statements: “By 2026, I will have a home abroad.” I don’t have many goals, just half a dozen right now, but having clear goals makes it easier to complete specific actions that will set me on the right path. Over the weekend I heard from USCIS; since I applied early in 2020, I won’t have to take the new civics test (phew). I should be getting my interview appointment letter in the mail, so it seems that moving to IL definitely sped things up. My ultimate goal is to have a home in more than one country. I’ve felt that way for some time now, but I’m sure more people are looking abroad after the failed coup that took place last week. Watching Herself was difficult at times because the main character is in an abusive relationship. Her eldest daughter runs for help when Sandra’s husband tries to kill her, but the youngest daughter Molly witnesses the assault. The rest of the film follows Sandra as she searches for a secure home for herself and her girls, and everything hinges on random acts of kindness. It’s a really powerful film and I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending summed up how I often feel about the US. At one point, Sandra’s daughter hands her a photograph taken during happier days and Sandra bursts into tears because she misses the man she fell in love with but knows she can’t go back to him. But was he EVER a better man? Wasn’t he always the kind of person who needed to control and terrorize others? His mother sort of confirms that in the end, but by that point it’s too late. I feel like that kind of psychological conflict mirrors the experience of African Americans. We love this country and it claims to love us but there’s little evidence of that…just cycles of brutality and broken promises. Yet we keep hoping things will get better. We WORK to make things better. Georgia voters—organized mainly by Black women—turned the state blue. And within hours, the Capitol was besieged by White nationalists. One step forward, two steps back…

I’m focusing on moving forward. During my walk with a friend today I thought of something another friend once said: “It’s time to BUILD. Not just do, build.” It’s so easy to get caught up with all the things that need to get done. I have no Zooms this week but my days seem to slip away so quickly as I scratch things off my To Do list. I met one deadline yesterday but missed another last week so now will return to that project before starting on Book #3, which is due on the 25th. I could do this indefinitely, I suppose. Write, submit, revise. Write something new, submit, revise. The paperback edition of THE DRAGON THIEF goes on sale today, and I’m happy because it’s much more affordable. I’m supposed to be doing a bunch of bookstore events to promote the paperback, but I haven’t heard from my publicist and I’m not going to press her. I’m going to use this week to think about the foundation I’ve laid so far and what I need to do next to build another life. I hope I’ll always be able to write for a living but if I didn’t have to hustle so hard, what would I do with that time and energy? I signed up for a friend’s vision board workshop this weekend so that will hopefully help me to picture my 2026 life. I’m considering an online Spanish class that starts next weekend—not helpful if I do wind up living part-time in Scotland, but another language might open other doors. That’s the point of life, right? And when certain doors don’t open, you take the tools you’ve gathered over the years and build your own home/school/press/theater…