Confirmation That I Am Alive And That Nothing Dreadful Has Happened*

This morning someone told me, “Ooh, Chris Cleave, we thought something must have happened to you!”

I now realise that I dropped out of this website and out of Twitter for the best part of a year. It was abrupt, unplanned, and just-sort-of-happened. Apologies if you missed me, but my best guess is that after a period of grieving you were able to cope with the gnawing sense of loss.

Here’s why I think I went quiet:

I was deep into my new novel, which I’ve recently finished and am now working up. I like it (you do get better at some things with age) and I wanted to give it all of my time.
I was bone weary of talking about myself, so I took the writer’s prerogative of hiding behind my work for a while. It’s our version of taking the Fifth: novelists are legally allowed to stop tweeting every now and then.

Here’s why I am, as of now, back:

I missed the banter.
I’m chairing the judges for the Desmond Elliott Prize this year, and having looked at the candidate novels I realise that the quality is astonishing and that I will want to talk about them on all available frequencies, as soon as the embargo is lifted.

Now here is the thing:

When I logged back on today after my long absence I was amazed to find so many kind and thoughtful messages, on Twitter and in the comments section of this website. I now feel pretty selfish for just tuning out with no explanation. I will try to reply to everyone individually, but the general message is: Thank you very much indeed, yes I am fine, and I count myself lucky that you cared. Really I have just been working very hard and I hope you will enjoy the new novel when it comes out, which I guess will be late this year or early next.

* CORRECT AT TIME OF PUBLICATION. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. SOMETHING DREADFUL MAY IN FACT HAVE HAPPENED BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS.