Home

Early this summer I took some time to work on a new book, binge-watch a few TV shows, and play Mario Kart with my husband (the only game I can beat him at!! Me, competitive? Nah.). And then I moved.

After several years in the same house, it's sort of bittersweet to pack up your belongings and move them somewhere new. After the art is taken off the walls and the nick-nacks packed away in bubble wrap, what used to feel like home is now an empty shell. Just a roof, bare walls and a lot more carpet now that the furniture is gone.

As a creature of habit, it's a bit daunting to uproot everything and start fresh. But it's also an exciting adventure, even if it is only across town. The new place will have different creaks and sounds and quirks and I'll soon be able to find my way around in the dark as I shuffle to the bathroom in the middle of the night. New birds will frequent my yard and the sun will cast its light on different walls in the morning.

I realize now more than ever that with a few personal touches you can literally make any place feel like home. Like I said about Home Ice: Home isn't always an address.

I know that as long as I keep people around me who love and support me, I'll always have somewhere to call home. Whether it be firmly in reality or between the pages.

At least I get to bring my characters to the new house with me. Because when I set up my new office and give them free reign of my brain again, I'm sure they'll have a lot to say after this long summer hiatus.

And then I'll feel right at home.