Hello!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Honestly, things have been really busy and not entirely good, so I have been running on a very limited amount of energy.

Firstly, some health updates:

I can’t remember if I told you or not, but back around the beginning of March, I started struggling with some pretty severe insomnia. I think there were a lot of different reasons for this: the state of the world as a whole is absolutely awful (#FreePalestine) and I am overwhelmed by how much death and suffering has been observed in multiple countries, and very little has been done about it. It’s been weighing on my mind and, even though I continue to contact my representatives to demand that they push for a permanent and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, it’s clear that our government isn’t listening and likely never will. Another thing causing the insomnia is an increase in overall stress. Money has been tight, there has been a ton of drama going on in our condo complex over repairs that need to be done on each unit in each building, my car crapped out on me, and work has been chaotic. All of this on top of writing and marketing and house chores, have left me completely drained.

But, the insomnia has been getting better. I finally got health insurance, and so I set up an appointment with a psychiatrist, and he was able to prescribe some medications to help me. They have certainly done their job, because I have actually been getting a good night’s sleep for the last week. Usually, I would self-medicate with edibles, but they stopped working some time ago, and now I’m not on any marijuana products. To be clear: I am not at all against the use of marijuana, and I think it should be legalized in every state, and I’m sure I will go back to using edibles once I have fully adjusted to the new meds.

The car situation is very nearly resolved, and that’s a relief. I was feeling very stuck because I don’t have the money for a new car, nor could I afford to get my car repaired, and I had already sunk more money into the car than I actually paid for it, and at that point, decided to just let her die. My partner is likely going to give me his car (it’s a Prius), and he’s going to purchase himself a new one. So at least I don’t have to empty my meager savings to cover the cost of a down payment.

Money is definitely still tight, and it’s only going to get tighter as the year goes on. Publishing my own novels is expensive; cover design, interior design, formatting, paying for advertisements, mailing out copies when people order directly from me, etc. all add up. And when you’re planning on releasing three novels and potentially two novellas in a single year, the costs really add up. And while I can write them off as business expenses at the end of the year, it doesn’t mean that I don’t feel the scarcity in the interim.

However, on the flip side of that, last year when I released my debut novel, I did make several hundred dollars in sales the first few months. And while I’m not guaranteed to make that again, I am a more experienced author and marketer now. I have more ideas and a better understanding of the industry (though I still have a lot more to learn). So the likelihood of me making some money on my upcoming book is fairly good, and that money will go right back into funding the costs of these other projects. And, of course, there’s always the chance that the next book will go viral and my career will be made. It may not be a huge chance, but it still exists.

And I am still getting writing done. It’s been slow going, but I am on track for the writing schedule I’ve given myself, and hopefully as we go into April, I’ll have firmer footing and a bit more energy, especially now that I don’t have to keep stressing over the insomnia.

Plus, it’s officially spring! Winter is gone. Spring is here. And my allergies are trying to suffocate me, but I hardly even care because the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining. That, alone, makes me happy. And I always write more often/more intentionally in the spring, summer, and autumn months, so the next…8ish months will likely be very productive, indeed. And even though I am working on 3 novels — well, 2 now that my upcoming novel is with my formatter — and 2 novellas, I am also always working on poetry. I’ve had several acceptances for publication this year already, and I’m hoping that I’ll have another manuscript of poetry traditionally published very soon. No confirmations yet, but I’m hoping! I also joined a Facebook group called The 365 Poetry Prompt Challenge, and it’s been really inspiring me to write poems often. I’ve written 52 or 53 poems in that group alone already this year, and I’ve written probably 5 or so on my own.

The greatest gift I ever gave myself was choosing to study poetry in my M.F.A. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how much that one choice changed the entire course of my life. And that isn’t hyperbole.

Anyway, I hope you’re all doing well!

I’m sending light and love your way!