I wrote the first draft of this book more than five years ago, during one of the roughest times of my life. It was full of grief — but there was hope in there, too.
I took a deep breath.
I knocked on the door.
Those lines came out of me as simple action beats. They appeared twice, in different scenes, with different characters doing the knocking. I didn’t plan them. When I was editing the book — for the third or fourth time — I knew what I had to do.
I had to take a deep breath.
And I had to start knocking on doors.
Washed Up in B Minor is a novel about recovery. About trying to fix a self that may just be broken beyond any chance of repair or redemption. It’s about music and friendship, longing and silence, and the slow unfurling of two people trying to become real — to each other, and to themselves.
It’s also, in a quiet way, about me.
(They all are, really. Whether I like it or not.)
Not Just a Book — A Reckoning
I wrote this novel in the wake of a lot of personal change. Some of it hard. Much of it necessary. I gave up a life that didn’t fit anymore and stepped into solitude, music, and reflection. The ache — and the beauty — of starting over? That part, I knew.
Writing this book was both therapy and craft. I shaped it deliberately, slowly. I let the characters breathe. I let silence speak. I wrote it not for an imagined market, but for a kind of emotional truth I needed to get on the page.
The Publishing Part
Here’s where things get real.
I’m currently exploring publishing options. I believe in this book, deeply — but I also understand how the industry works. Not every story that matters finds a home quickly. And debut novels in this genre — quiet, introspective, literary-with-heart — don’t always make headlines.
Sometimes though, a story resonates in quieter ways.
Sometimes it finds readers slowly — and stays with them longer because of it.
Whether I end up working with an agent or a publisher directly or going the indie, self-pub route, I’ll be sharing the journey. Not as a marketing exercise, but because I believe it matters to tell the truth about what publishing a first novel really looks like — especially when you’re doing it with your eyes open.
What Comes Next
For now, I’m polishing. Just one final edit before official eyes get to see it, to read it. I’m listening to early readers. Letting the story sit and breathe just a little longer before I decide where it belongs.
If you’re curious, you can follow my updates here — or over on WriteWithOzzy, where I talk more about the writing life: the highs, the doubts, and the joy of making things that matter.
Thanks for reading.
This book means a lot to me.
I hope, one day, it might mean something to you too.