All The News That’s Fit For Print

Well, not all the news, but at least some of news of the last almost year that I’ve been absent from this site.

Let me start by saying the first half, almost two thirds of the year was good. I was working on my second and third books, that summer I was preparing for a move that would take me closer to my family again, and life was generally humming along.

Both books are still in various stages of drafts and edits, but they do exist in some form or fashion. My original goal was to get book 2 done and released some time this year (2025). Of course, there are still many edits, beta reads, cover design and other tasks that need to be done before that can be accomplished. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, or maybe you did, but you were one of the ones lost in shuffle of all things last year, you can sign up here. https://tinyurl.com/yf25ns8e Newsletter subscribers get all the news first.

The last third of the year was absolutely, by far, the worst I have ever experienced in my life. In September I lost my husband of 34 1/2 years to a traumatic brain injury that he suffered while riding an electric scooter. To make matters worse, I wasn’t even on the same side of the country as he was when it happened. I won’t go into all the details right now, other than to say, I hope that you never have to go through an experience like that. Heartbreak and grief don’t begin to encompass what I’ve been feeling and dealing with. I will eventually write more about it all. There is a lot to unpack, and a lot of information I feel that needs to be shared, especially based on comments I’ve received from the community that supported me through this painful journey.

There was one bright spot during that time, and that was when I attended the Author Nation conference in November. I can say it was probably one of the best things I could have done for myself at that time. If you are a writer and don’t have this on your calendar for 2025, then why not? It is a must attend event. I learned so much about the indie publishing industry, found new tools to make my writing and editing process that much easier too. It was the kick in the seat of the pants I needed to get my butt back in the chair.

That of course didn’t happen as quickly or smoothly as I had anticipated. Life happened again, not quite as traumatic, but definitely anxiety inducing events. The wildfires in California came a little to close for comfort to my family. Thankfully no one was hurt or lost anything, but the stress of it all I’m sure has contributed to yet another layer of uncertainty as to what the future holds. And this has all been just on a personal level. I won’t even attempt to address anything going on in the world. I just don’t have the capacity for that right now.

Now I find myself at the beginning of the second quarter of the year already and I’m finally getting back to something that resembles a normal routine. I’m working on edits of book 2. There are still a couple of plot holes to fill in, but I’m pretty happy with the way things are going. Book 3 is still in the very early stages, but words have been written there too.

In addition, my author site is getting a new look. All of my old content is still here, and while you may notice some glitches, missing images, or other features you were previously used to, the goal of the site is still the same. To share what’s going on in my little corner of the universe when it comes to the writer’s life and all things book related. As I mentioned earlier, I did lose my old mailing list at some point last year and am still in the process of getting that set up again. Feel free to subscribe here https://tinyurl.com/yf25ns8e

Thanks for dropping by. See you again soon.