Hidden In the Mist

Courtesy Pixabay: Public Domain 

 About Hidden in the Mist

This story began around 2008 as a writing exercise. I simply sat down and started writing. That is probably obvious from the narrative style of the opening chapters. 

When I finished the first chapter, I wondered what in the world I was doing. I didn't like it, but I was curious enough to see where it would take me.

The story became a puzzle. As I wrote, I found myself creating a world that was far more complicated than I expected. I don't usually write about politics, in any world, yet I created a form of government almost without thinking about it. Somehow it made perfect sense. At least intellectually, it worked.

So I kept writing.

Then life intervened.

Before long, I had a dozen or so chapters. Around that time, I discovered another writer using a Blogger site to serialize a novel, so I created one of my own and invited a few friends to read along. Alice stayed with the story for the long haul. She fell in love with *Mist*. I could never quite understand why because I certainly wasn't in love with it. In fact, I hated it.

I was approaching the end of the story when my husband died. My world, the real world, collapsed. Every escape route into other worlds closed, including whatever portal had allowed me to pass through the Mist. I was trapped on the wrong side of the story.

I walked away.

For the next several years, this world lay dormant. I visited it only occasionally, adding a chapter here and there, but the story patiently waited until I was finally able to return.

And I did.

What began as a simple writing exercise in 2007 eventually became a ten-year journey to complete this version of *Hidden in the Mist*. The novel you are reading here is the result of that journey.

Although the story itself is now complete, it is still very much a work in progress. You'll undoubtedly find the occasional typo, grammatical slip, continuity error, plot hole, or any number of imperfections that survive even careful editing. If you happen to notice one, feel free to leave a comment. I'll appreciate the extra set of eyes.

Most of all, I hope you enjoy the story. For me, knowing that someone else has enjoyed something I've written has always been reward enough.

One last confession.

I'm still not entirely sure I wrote *Hidden in the Mist*. I don't normally write fantasy, and from the very beginning this story always felt as though it was writing itself. I simply followed where the Mist led.