Happy New Year!
I admit it does feel a little strange sitting down to write this. Here I am, talking about my 'Happily Ever After' stories while the world outside seems determined to remind me daily how bleak things can be. There's something almost audacious about offering light romantic entertainment when the system grinds on, when dignity and self-determination feel like luxuries rather than rights for far too many.
But then I remember why I write in the first place. And why we read.
Here's something worth knowing: historically, people have turned to romance and fiction during the darkest times. For eg. During World War I, the British government shipped thousands of books to soldiers in the trenches, and Jane Austen's novels became a lifeline and distraction for soldiers in the trenches. Her stories of ordinary life in quiet country villages provided a respite that took their minds away from the brutal realities of combat. Read more about it here.
Soldiers would read them between battles, sometimes in groups, reminding themselves of the life they were fighting for. After the war, Austen's books were actually prescribed for soldiers suffering from what we now call PTSD. Read more about it here.
Romance wasn't frivolous—it was survival. So, I guess I'm in the business of survival therapy perhaps?
Either way at the end of the day, we're all just people. None of us are getting out of this journey alive. So we may as well be kind to one another, and that kindness can come in different forms. It can be a smile, a story, a moment of recognition. Sometimes it's a book that lets you escape. Sometimes it's acknowledging you don't have the energy to fight every battle, and that's okay too.
History doesn't move in a straight line; it circles. Empires rise and fall. People love and experience heartbreak then love again. We're born, we live our life, we grow old... then a new generation begins their journey of similar patterns. If we're unlucky, we make the same mistakes and fight the same losing battle. But if we're lucky, we learn from the mistakes of the past so we don't repeat them. There's something both humbling and hopeful in the human condition.
This brings me to a memory from my university days. I once had to take Property Law as a core subject. The textbook was a tome that lived in my backpack like a brick that constantly weighed me down. I remember thinking, "This is going to be a boring as bat shit semester, but on we go."
Turned out to be anything but.
You see the lecturer was a French historian who also happened to be a property lawyer. He taught through storytelling, switching between French and English, making centuries of legal precedent come alive. One lesson has stayed with me. After telling us some story about a French battle that was lost, he ended with this word of advice. "History teaches you to choose your battles wisely. You can't fight everyone on all fronts without depleting your energy and resources. So choose your battles."
I aced that class because he understood that stories matter. That's how we connect to one another, how we share knowledge —it all comes down to the stories we tell and the way we share them.
Speaking of stories—I know I've been quiet lately, but the writing hasn't stopped. The books I promised you, will be released this year, along with some surprises. One of those surprises is To Have and to Hold, Reluctant Brides Book 4. It's out this month (literally a few days away) and the links will go live once it's uploaded.
The positive reception of my Reluctant Brides series has honestly surprised me, so I've decided to just keep adding to the series. The schedule is all over the place (the creative life is nothing if not chaotic), but new releases are definitely on the horizon and preview samples from upcoming books will be added to the website and newsletter soon.
So here's my hope for all of us this year: May we tell stories that matter. May we choose our battles wisely. May we extend grace to others and to ourselves (that's not weakness, that's wisdom). May we remember that kindness is an act of resistance. And may we find moments of joy, connection, and escape in the pages of a good book.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading.
Here's to the year ahead!
Elina xoxo
PS - It's summer school holidays here in Australia. For me this means time with family. Being a 'favorite aunt' is a title I covet fiercely (and I'm willing to fight dirty to maintain it - ha!) so I thought I'd post a holiday snap shot of my niece Miss. 9, and my nephew Mr. 6, fishing off a jetty like two old men. It's perfect!