* Niall Horan
This song came on while I was listening to my Helplessly Hoping playlist this afternoon and almost knocked me off my feet with its sentiment. It’s a contender for my 2026 Theme Song:
If everything was easy, nothing ever broke
If everything was simple, how would we know?
How to fix your tears, how to fake a show
How to paint a smile, yeah, how would we know?
How good we have it, though…
How good we have it, no?
So hold tight, get ready for the ride
I promise this isn’t a post of poor me, me, me… but it is an attempt at explaining my silence. No post since November? Yikes! And I launched I’m Goin’ Back in November! Wow, bad marketer!
Then, along came the holiday… no excuse needed, right? It was the holidays.
Along came January and that ‘ol Firehorse trampled through my world in a BIG WAY.
I went to work a week after the new year and was promptly shown the door… ‘effing fired!
But, thank you Firehorse, it seemed to have a plan in place long before I did. I thankfully landed a position with a fantastic new job with much better pay within ten days – but long enough that my start date was delayed by almost 3 weeks.
Which meant – I had time to edit. And man, did I edit! My goal was to have my sixth novel ready for release for the Spring – and I was able to get it done. The day before I started my new job, More to Do was ready to roll.
Then came the learning curve with a new job which more or less fried my brain to the point of not having a whole lot left to do much after work for awhile.
Before I was so rudely canned, I had planned a trip to Vegas to see my boys at the Sphere again. Which meant, “Hi, new job. I need a week off. K-thanks-bye!”
So, off I went on a fun adventure of driving out to Vegas for Eagles via pit stops in Santa Fe to visit a friend along the way. I could probably do a whole post of that journey. Growing up on the East Coast, driving through various types of deserts is just mind blowing to me. I am in awe the entire time at the vast nothingness that exists out there.
Getting to hang with friends, see Henley and the Gang, and visiting with my Santa Fe friend, a new novel idea sparked and started coming to life.
Then it was back to the new job and the start of looking for a new place to live because why leave it at 28 moves when I can make it a cool, uneven 29?
Amid that search, Henley and the Gang came to my area and I got to see Eagles’ last touring date here in Arlington, TX from the second row with some of my dearest Eagles friends who flew in for the event.
What I didn’t expect? All of this to slowly creep up on me and trigger a new form of depression I’ve never had before; but it did. Looking at all that was going on, it sort of makes sense to me. There was a whole lot of upheaval in not a whole lot time. Normally, I’m aware of the illness when it appears and I’m pretty good at recognizing it and riding it out, but this time it came for my writing.
No words. No joy of words. No inspiration to sit at my desk to care about them. I had a book launch lurking, a new story plot and characters to play with, two other completed stories that needed my attention and edits. What did I do?
Watch reruns of The West Wing and Mad Men.
In between series rewatches, I released novel number six: More to Do.
Then, my dear little furry companion of fourteen years got sick. Diagnosed with Stage 2 kidney disease, I thought I still had a few more years with her. Instead, I had less than a month. She got sicker and weaker in a matter of five days and I had to say goodbye. It’s only been a few weeks and I’m still talking to her in empty rooms and bursting into tears over the craziest things.
So… yeah… hold tight, get ready for the ride.
I’m still holding on. It’s been an adventure of ups and downs for six months and I’m trying to catch my breath and plod on through. Apartment has been secured. Move date and movers arranged. Boxes, boxes everywhere.
What was that saying in the 70s? Keep on truckin’
I am.
Today, I checked my Amazon Report. I was so beyond excited to see what was happening. Within the last three months, my KU pages out-performed my entire year for 2025. I’m not blazing a trail anywhere, and bestseller is not going to be tagged onto my name anytime soon, but after months of wondering if any of this was worth it? If anyone was out there reading? If anyone cared at all about my characters world and journeys? I’m seeing proof.
One reader reached out who, quite honestly, brightened my horizon so much. They will never understand how much their words meant to me at a time when I was ready to quit.
So, it’s the end of June. There’s your catch up and excuses for why it’s been crickets over here. My socials were somewhat active – Facebook more than anywhere else if anyone wants to follow for updates and more frequent information. And, of course, if you’re here, you can sign up for my newsletter for monthly updates and tidbits I share specifically with my readers.
And if you ever want to do a good deed? Reach out to your favorite author, whoever that may be, and let them know their words matter.
Thanks for reading the stories I pour my heart and soul into.
Thanks for being on this ride with me.
