A. L. Brooks

I have a very good friend whose life motto is “Everything happens for a reason”. Sometimes I’ve agreed with that philosophy, sometimes not, but I have to admit whenever I’ve looked back on the big changes of direction in my life, and what they led me to, that phrase does ring round my mind.

And now I find myself smiling again at those words because my life is about to swerve in another big direction. I’ve known this has been on the cards for a while now, but as it’s now official I can put into words what it means. After 8 years with my current employer, the longest job I’ve ever held, the biggest part of the business has recently been sold and my role there is now being made redundant. It’s amazing how, generally, this would be a really tough thing for someone to hear. However, for me, this is the best news I could have imagined!

To explain… For the last 18 months I’ve been in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend, who lives in Frankfurt. If we’re lucky we get to see each other twice per month, once in London, once in Frankfurt. However, work and other commitments often get in the way, and sometimes we go some weeks without seeing each other. Sure, we talk on the phone most nights, or message, but it really isn’t the same as being together.

We’d already begun talking about me moving to Frankfurt and then I got wind I was being made redundant and I just laughed—was the universe trying to tell me something? Was there some force guiding me to a point where I was being given the perfect opportunity to make a move to a new country? Or was it all just coincidence? I don’t know, and never will. All I know is, as the old adage goes, when one door closes, another one opens, and Frankfurt here I come.

The job ends on 31^stDec. By that time, hopefully, I will have spent some longer weekends in Frankfurt checking out apartments, registering with employment agencies etc, and so the move will hopefully take place as early in the new year as we can make it happen. It’s exciting, and a little scary (I seriously need to get some German lessons, as I only speak some very basic phrases!) but I have absolutely no doubt this is the right move for me, and for our relationship, and I couldn’t be happier.

And it’s interesting, because now that I have an end date for the job, and a start date for this new chapter in my life, a lot of the uncertainty and confusion I was feeling earlier in the year has dropped away, and I’m back to writing again. I’ve been on a bit of a low with words these past 3-4 months. Not lacking ideas, but somehow lacking the energy to put them on paper. I guess there was only so much my brain could deal with at once, and the writing, for once, took second place.

But I’m back on track now, and having some fun writing something a little different. It may never see the light of day, actually, but I’m finding it good therapy writing something that gives me this kind of buzz.

Never fear, however, as YOU will get to read more things from me very soon! My next book is due out in October (look out for the cover reveal soon), and the one after that is already pencilled in for April 2019. There are other things in the pipeline too, which will all be revealed in due course – watch this space!