Three months down! I’m only counting because the beginning of the year seems to go the slowest. If you’re a pitcher or catcher in baseball or softball in Minnesota, the spring season has begun and I’m ready for it. I can't wait for baseball games to finally start after being postponed due to the snow still on the ground.
Counting my blessings and looking forward to the fun things coming up this spring and summer has made the harder days without Marley a bit easier on my heart. I know I will always miss him and that there are going to be days I burst into tears because he’s not there to greet me at the door any longer, but each day is getting a bit easier to fall into the new normal, especially since I know he’s watching and sending me signs all the time to let me know he’ll always be with me.
That leads me into the first big change since my last update. An accidental litter of black labradors were born the week before Marley passed away and I was 100% led to them by Marley. I could see his soulful eyes and that tail that never stopped wagging telling me that I needed one of these puppies. I reached out to the family that had them and was able to visit the following day. I fell in love with one in particular and was able to bring him home on March 2nd.
I never planned on getting a puppy so soon, but the vast amount of signs that led me to this one couldn’t be ignored. Maverick has brought so much joy and love into our house. He’s hell on wheels but a huge cuddle bug at the same time. He’s almost the perfect mix of Marley and Max with the energy and the need to snuggle whenever he’s not playing or eating. He loves Max and only lets him rest when he’s ready to be done playing. Max has transitioned from little brother to big brother with ease. He’s huge compared to Maverick, but so careful with him when they play. He’s truly my gentle giant with a heart of gold and energetic side that won’t quit. Fortunately for him, Maverick is already proving to be mischievous and full of energy as well. I really think he’s met his match with Maverick.
If there is one thing life can always guarantee, it’s highs and lows. In my experience, they usually come together as well. Getting Maverick has been a huge high. Unfortunately, a sudden and unexpected change in my contract work and my full-time work followed it. I lost some important contract work the day after I brought Maverick home. My full-time job also endured some major shifts within the following weeks that will impact my ability to take time off. Losing the contract work is a financial blow and goes without saying that the loss of it impacted my plans on the author front.
I can't justify going to the three book events I signed up for two years ago. That’s the hard thing about signings. You have to sign up for them so far in advance, and I totally understand why that is, but a lot can happen between signing up and the months leading up to the event. What may have been a great opportunity for someone two years ago can turn into a financial burden when it's time to prepare to go to the signing. I would’ve never predicted losing a dear family member, having to find new housing, replacing my vehicle, or my beloved dog passing away all within a year. Throw inflation into the mix and it’s hard to justify spending on anything other than bills, groceries, and the bare necessities.
The cost to do the signings when it comes to flights, hotels, car rentals, getting inventory to and from, and meals is just far too much for me to justify. I’ve crunched the numbers more than a few times and I can’t spend the thousands of dollars it will take to attend them without it hurting me in the long run. I’m truly sorry to anyone who was looking forward to seeing me at them.
Taming J will be released in August of this year. I’ll have a better idea on an exact date once I can get promotional tours for it booked and a few more chapters of Saving Us down. Even if I can’t release Saving Us this year, I’ve decided to release Taming J. I’ve held on to this book and story for so long that I just want it out in the world. For those of you who don’t know, I began working on Taming J at the beginning 2016, but tragedy struck soon afterwards. I lost my job and ended up moving so I had to put it aside to get my personal life back on track. When I got back into a mindset to write again, Bri and Trey’s voices were much louder than Jackson and Jenn’s so I switched gears and wrote the Someday series. Throw in a pandemic and the world getting turned upside down and it took another two years before those three books were released and I was able to get back to Jackson and Jenn. Needless to say, it’s been a journey for me and I’m finally feeling confident enough to release their story.
To mark the publiversary of WFS on April 8th, I’ve made FFS free and put WFS and FOS on sale for 0.99. Go back to the beginning to see how it all began for Bri and Trey!
What readers are saying about Fighting for Someday -->
"The way it is written makes it addictive. The writer captures your interest. There’s a progression to these star-crossed lovers and their friends." ~ Amazon Reviewer
PURCHASE LINKS
Fighting for Someday (Someday Series #1)--> https://books2read.com/FightingforSomeday
Waiting for Someday (Someday Series #2) --> https://books2read.com/Waiting-for-Someday
Finding Our Someday (Someday Series #3) --> https://books2read.com/Finding-Our-Someday
Chantelle is still working on the changes I requested on Complicated. Once they’re finished and I approve them, I’ll be able to release it. I’m in the process of putting together a good marketing plan for Conflicted and Complicated so that when it is ready, I can give both of them a solid push. If you haven’t picked up Conflicted on audio, you can do so here → https://adbl.co/3PA5rUF
Be sure to check out my Facebook Group. I’ve got some giveaways going to celebrate two years of Waiting for Someday being out in the world so be sure to check them out for a chance to win. If you miss a chance to enter the giveaways, check out the online store. There are some fun bundles that are specific to the characters. You can also get signed copies of all the books in paperback and hardcover from there along with a lot of other goodies!
Thank you for taking the time to read and your continued support.
MMK