Madi Preda Author and Visual Artist-The Long Intermission: Why I Stepped Away And Why I’m Back

For a long time, my keyboard sat silent. I’ve always seen myself as a writer, but there comes a point where life demands your full attention, leaving no room for the page. Between moving to Ireland and some personal health hurdles that required my focus, I had to make the difficult choice to put my pen down.”

We often talk about ‘writer’s block,’ but we rarely talk about ‘life block.’ My health became a priority I couldn’t ignore, and the daily grind of starting again from zero and busy work drained the creative energy I usually reserved for storytelling. For a while, I worried the spark was gone. But I’ve learned that sometimes, you have to live life to have something worth writing about.

Something shifted last November. Maybe it was the change in the air or a renewed sense of strength, but the stories started knocking on the door again—and this time, I was ready to let them in. Since then, it hasn’t just been a return; it’s been a resurgence. I’ve been working with a momentum I haven’t felt in years, and took out all the unfinished stories, old projects, start some new ones and here I am again with quite a lot.

My New Books

• The Sky Was Different This Time-Right Time, Right Place, A Different Kind Of Love
  • The Premise: She ran from heartbreak. She never expected to find a home. A tender, slow-burning romance about grief, growth, and the quiet kind of love that stays.
  • The Backstory: “I started this one during the quiet years in Greece, but finished it in a fever dream of inspiration this past winter.”
• Encyclopedia of Ireland’s Castles: Stone Hearts & Shadowed Halls
  • The Premise: Discover the secrets etched in stone. From the brutal iron keeps of the Normans to the mist-shrouded ruins of the Atlantic coast, the story of Ireland is written in its fortresses.
  • The Vibe: Coffee table book/travel guide, Beautifully researched and atmospherically written, this is the essential coffee-table companion for anyone who has ever felt the pull of Ireland’s ancient, shadowed halls.
  • Step inside. The history is waiting. The shadows are watching.
• The Kingdom’s Edge: The Mountains, The Monks and The Magic Of The Ring Of Kerry
  • The Premise: Structured as a journey around the Ring of Kerry, the book moves through glacial valleys, monastic islands, coastal fortresses, and quiet inland waters, uncovering the deeper stories written into the land. 
  • The Vibe: Coffee table book/travel guide, this volume is ideal for readers interested in Irish history, landscape, monastic heritage, and the quieter stories found at the edge of the Atlantic.
• EDGE OF THE ABYSS: A Journey to the Cliffs of Moher and Beyond
  • The Premise :Edge of the Abyss: A Journey to the Cliffs of Moher and Beyond — Ireland’s Atlantic Coast, The Burren & The Aran Islands
    At the farthest western edge of Ireland, where the continent dissolves into the Atlantic mist, the Cliffs of Moher rise like the end of the known world.
  • The Vibe: A meditation on time, endurance, and the invisible edges within ourselves — the moments where awe overtakes language, where the world feels vast again, and where standing at the brink becomes a kind of awakening.
  • Rich and beautifully immersive, Edge of the Abyss is more than a travel book.
  • It is a book to return to.
  • A book to linger in.
  • A book that reminds you what wonder feels like.
  • It is an invitation:
  • To feel the Atlantic.
  • To walk the edge.
  • To remember how wide the world truly is.
• Coming Soon
  • Living Well With Type 2 Diabetes: A Practical, Kind Guide to Food, Habits, and Blood Sugar Balance 12th of April 2026
  • Irish Blood and Gilt: Irish Heirlooms in Transatlantic Migration 10th of May 2026

A Note to my Readers

Thank those who waited or welcome those who are new.

“To those of you who stayed subscribed or reached out during my absence: thank you. Your patience gave me the space to heal and grow. I’m back, I’m healthy, and I have so many more stories to tell. The ‘Long Intermission’ is officially over.”

Have you ever had to take a long break from something you love? I’d love to hear how you found your way back in the comments.