I want to have some real talk today. I hope that’s okay.
Most of my life (I am 49), I have suffered bouts of depression and anxiety. It goes into remission (mostly…sorta), and occasionally I have flareups. Often, they’re hormone related, but not always. For instance, after all three kids, I had debilitating postpartum depression. But I love my kids so much I was willing to go through it for them. Now, I’m entering “the change.” You know the change. (Perimenopause/menopause.)
If I’d set myself up better for this phase of life, it might have been smooth sailing (or not…probably not…) With the stresses of life, I fell into old habits, including workaholism and sugar addiction. Basically, I worked too hard and fed myself too many carbs. (Caring for three kids may have contributed to that…to be fair.)
So here we are again. I’m in another relapse of depression and anxiety. (Ugh.) And so, my priorities have shifted dramatically. They were: 1. work 2. kids. And then, in no certain order, husband, God, and health. This is no longer working for me. I have re-organized my priorities accordingly:
- God
- Physical health
- Family (including husband!)
- Work
As you can see, that’s a major shift. So what does this mean for my writing?
Well, I’m officially off the treadmill of trying and failing to produce more, more, more. I am accepting that I can produce 2 to 3 books and, hopefully, one freebie novella or novelette a year. (I like giving you free stuff.)
I’m giving up on the idea of rapidly releasing fiction (i.e., a book every 2 months). For so many reasons, this model is impossible for me to attain. Still, I believe I can thoroughly entertain you with 2-3 books a year. 😀
Also, I have settled on my Clean & Wholesome “sweet spot.” (See the graphic below.) I am comfortable with CW1 with slight CW2 elements. Because I spend so much time writing, I need to write books that feed my spirit and right now that means being conservative with the physical elements of romance.
If you prefer your sweet romance a little more descriptive, that’s okay. We can still be friends. 🙂
For those of you who are still on board, that’s great. I’m so glad you are here and I look forward to creating stories that will entertain and encourage you.
