We all know the phrase "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", but life doesn't always give you lemons. Sometimes it gives you oranges. "Is that a bad thing?" you may ask. And, no, it isn't a bad thing if you don't mind having orange juice. But if you wanted lemonade then, well, you're outta luck.
What's the point of this analogy?
It's no secret that the last two and a half years have been a struggle for me when it comes to writing. My last official published book was Can't Stay Away on February 29th 2016 (I'm not counting the poetry book I published under my married name or the re-release of Here All Along with bonus epilogue). Back then I didn't expect it to take long to get a new book released. I thought I'd have a new one out by summer or fall 2016. When that didn't happen, I figured I'd get something out in 2017. And when that didn't happen, I had high hopes that I could publish in early 2018.
Then that didn't happen either.
Life wasn't handing me lemons like it used to. It was handing me oranges. Limes. Grapefruit. Things that were still good, but just weren't what I needed.
What does this all mean?
After a great deal of soul searching and talking things over with a couple friends, I've come to the decision to go on hiatus for a few months. What kind of hiatus? I'll be taking a step back from the professional aspect of my writing: no planned releases, no deadlines, no publishing.
For the last two years I've been talking about what I'm working on and what I'm planning on publishing next. And every single one of these stories I've mentioned hasn't come close to getting published. It's frustrating to me that I haven't been able to follow through, but I'm sure it's even more frustrating to my readers who have been anxiously awaiting a new story from me. I don't want to be one of those authors who makes release promises they can't keep.
As of right now, I'm taking a breather. I need to get everything about my author career sorted as well as new stories written. I have to do it at my own pace, without any pressure of completing anything by a self imposed deadline that I might not meet. I don't want to fall into a habit of rushing the process and publishing something that isn't good quality.
How long will this hiatus last?
At the very least I'll be taking the summer off, but there's a good chance I'll take the fall off as well. It all depends on how the first few months go and how much I'm able to handle and accomplish.
I'll still be around of course! On Facebook, in my FB group, on Twitter, and Instagram (see links in my signature below to follow), as well as a possible blog post when inspiration happens. I don't want to just seem like I've fallen off the face of the earth. So, follow me everywhere and stay in touch. As soon as I have things back on track, you better believe I'll let you all know.
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