May the Fourth Be with You!!

Spring has arrived! We probably had the mildest winter I’ve ever experienced in all my years in Minnesota, so it doesn’t feel like that much of a transition for me, but I’m counting my blessings that snow is done until late October. This time of year always brings a smile to my face. I love watching the plants and flowers start to grow, the smell of grills and campfires going, the sound of a line drive coming off a bat on the diamond, and the ability to walk my boys outside every day! We’ve already put on 100 miles this year and I really hope that we can end with over 500 before the snow flies again. How’s your spring going so far? I hope all my Star Wars friends out there are celebrating today! May the Fourth Be with You!

May is an incredibly busy month for me on the personal front. Both my godchildren will graduate from high school. I’m incredibly proud of them. Time flies so fast. They’ve grown into such well-rounded, smart, funny, respectful, extraordinary young gentlemen. It’s been a privilege to be part of their journey thus far. I look forward to seeing all the great things they will do after graduation. When I’m not busy working on some memorabilia for the boys and their moms, my goal is to get to as many baseball and softball games as I can in May. Unfortunately, the weather and illness prevented me from attending any games in April, which was rather depressing. I love watching baseball and softball live and getting caught up in how awesome my favorite people are out there. That being said, it might be a bit into June before I provide another update.

I’m still very focused on my health and mental well-being and I’m not okay with not giving a care about when the next book is written or released. I play each day as it comes. It doesn’t always equate to writing or doing a lot for my books, but I’m finally okay with it. I dedicated 10 years to it on top of working full-time and part-time and a whirlwind of major changes in my personal life. I’ve made peace with taking time for me. Quite a few of the authors I’ve followed for many years that have had the highest levels of success have put my mind at ease with just doing me for the time being. It’s been a great comfort to know that many of us go through months and sometimes years of taking a step back and focusing on ourselves.

I rarely weigh in about the reading community and the revolving door of drama, but I will throw my thoughts out there when it comes to signings. I’m 100% happy with not doing them any longer. That whole scene seems to have taken a turn for the worst. I was burned a lot in my earlier years and it doesn’t seem like much has changed when it comes to organization of these events, the amount of money that is collected that seems to run off unaccounted for, and the questionable author and reader treatment leading up to and during these events. I didn’t think things could get much worse, but I’ve read enough in the past few weeks that proved me wrong. Seeing some of the stuff that has come to light that readers and authors have experienced lately makes me relieved that I’ve decided it’s not for me. I’m not saying I’ll never do them again. Never say never, but as of now, it’s a hard pass.

As I noted in my last update, I’ve decided to stick with ACX with distribution of my audiobooks. I’ve opened auditions for Concealed, FFS, WFS, FOS, and Taming J. I haven’t received any auditions that capture the characters the way I’ve envisioned them, but plenty come in for me to listen to so I’ll continue to play the long game when it comes to the audiobooks. Given the number of challenges and setbacks I experienced with Conflicted and Complicated, I’m going to be very picky with my selection, contracts, and completion deadlines.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which is a very dear cause to me and something I chose to dedicate a significant part of Bri’s character to in the Someday Series. I’ve put the whole series on sale. The break in prices is always nice to give readers, but the main reason I made Fighting for Someday FREE, Waiting for Someday 0.99 and Finding Our Someday 0.99 is to share Bri’s journey with anxiety and PTSD and to help people realize that they are not alone with their mental health struggles. Mental health is a big part of the Someday Series. I hope making Fighting for Someday FREE for readers helps raise more awareness on the traumas that affect our mental health.

Bri goes through a lot of unspeakable things throughout the Someday Series and it takes her a long time to reconcile some of them. She’s finally able to do so by realizing that it’s okay to not be okay and getting the help that she needs to start healing. Writing those things broke my heart but is also something I’m incredibly proud of in this writing journey of mine. If I can just reach ONE person in sharing her struggles with mental health, that is a win for me. It’s incredibly important that people realize how important it is to take care of your mental well being.

Mental health is a topic in our society that doesn’t get near enough discussion, research, or funding. This needs to change! According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five Americans lives with a mental health condition. Experts continue to stress that we need to focus more time on healing, reaching out, and connecting in safe ways by acknowledging it’s okay to not be okay. You’re not alone!

If you or someone you know is struggling, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help! If you live in the United States, you can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

All my love,

MMK