Writer Life

So, I haven't been here since NOVEMBER! I can't believe it's been so long, but it was a much needed break. But I've been busy, quietly working behind the scenes. Just to hit the highlights of the last few months, here's what I've been up to--if you're interested.

November: my husband and I both celebrated birthdays only a few weeks after returning from Scotland in October and we rented a cabin in the woods with friends, which was a wonderful time. I also danced in a theatrical dance production of a Steampunk-themed Alice in Wonderland and taught a group of students a Bollywood dance piece called "Ghoomar." It was my first time teaching dance or Bollywood, and it was a blast! I don't know how long I will continue to dance or teach dance, but I'm just enjoying it while I can. I also started a part-time job as a pharmacy tech when I lost my full-time job in the media field (in September). Losing my job was hard. I tend to be a bit of a workaholic and get my identity wrapped up in my work, so I felt a little lost and adrift. I wish I could've focused to get some writing done during this time, but I just couldn't.

December: Continued on working part-time for part of December, but to my delight, my old company called me back to start in January. YAY! So, I quit the PT job and allowed myself the luxury of spending about eight days with my mom. It was a beautiful time to be with her, help her with my stepfather who is severely and terminally ill. We made lots of holiday candy to share with family and friends and endured the coldest day in Kentucky history--which killed her furnace for night, but we were blessed to maintain power. We rallied, tucked in, and weathered the storm. The worst part was that my husband who had stayed at home to work with plans to join us later, was forced to spend the holiday at home alone because the roads were too bad to reach us. We didn't get to see any of his family either. But during this time, my audio book for Devil's Kiss released! So, that was a bright spot in the erratic month.

January: I returned to my old job, dealt with a bout of Covid, taught my second Bollywood dance class, and began writing the third book in the Small-Batch series.

February: Received acceptance into a mystery anthology A Sampling of Sleuths with my short story "Killer Thanksgiving."

March: Kentucky endured some of the strongest gale winds in our history. It wasn't a tornado, but straight line winds. I called it a "Dry Hurricane" because the winds had the force of a hurricane without the ocean an

d rain. The winds knocked over a ton of trees, blew down barns, tore off shingles and roofing, blew out windows--it was wild! But I have so much to be thankful for that all my friends and family pulled through without much damage. The next day, I traveled to Covington to perform in a dance show. And now I'm back, trying to get things ramped up again for the year ahead as an author. I have two books and one story being released this year and at least two books that must be written. So I'm finding all the book fairs and craft / vendor fairs I can so I can get more involved in the community around me. And I just found out the other day, though I haven't made an official announcement, that my historical mystery series has been picked up for audio books! I also have some plans for getting back to the YouTube channel and possibly starting a podcast dedicated to Mysteries & Histories. But we'll see what life throws at me. No matter what, I can say that this is shaping up to be a great year!