Hey y’all.

Did you know there are 5 weeks in April? So I had a little dilemma. Do I put out my hated newsletter this week or next? I decided to get it over with. That way I can bore and/or torture you in different ways for the next two weeks of this Spring-y month.

How are you? How are things? Been practicing your Nuclear War drills under the desk? Watching him unravel at press conferences and drone endlessly about golden drapes? What a fuckin’ circus, huh? I will say, there is a glimmer of hope, after the recent events in Hungary, and as small eruptions of resistance to the madness continue to grow. Any light in the dark will do, when the dark has lasted for this long.

Random Shit:

In, non-writing related news, I’ve been trying to recover from falling on my ass while simultaneously trying to train for my 10K in May. The decent news is that I didn’t break it (its already cracked…badum-bum-ching!) the sad news is it increased my mile time by three minutes. But whatever. I’m not young. I’m lucky to be able to move at all. Let’s see…it was kind of a weird heath month even before the fall. Colonoscopy, check. Pancreatic cyst MRI, check. Yearly physical, check…my hope is by doing all the preventative stuff, I won’t need to do so much later down the road.

What else? Hmm…We’re having our bathroom remodeled. Sort of. Actually it’s been torn up for about two weeks with no progress in sight. So, we’re all sharing one bathroom. And it feels cozy, and slightly annoying. But also, a lesson in how lucky we are to have a bathroom and running water, yes? Yes. In the realm of deconstruction, we’re also tearing out our grass this year in favor of something more useful. Drought resistant, pollinator friendly, vegetable garden, and the hope to conserve what little water is left in Colorado in as much as we can.

So…all in all…it’s just been fucking chaos. But, I feel like this is the way we progress and survive, by tearing down and building back up again.

Reading:

In reading news, I’m finishing up “How We Learn to Be Brave” by Mariann Edgar Budde. I’m really getting into “Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves Through Dark Moods” by Mariana Alessandri. The philosophical reasonings she has, as well as a nod to the fact that the white-male dominated field of philosophy, for years, has been missing out on 80% of human perspective, are a breath of fresh air honestly. I am resonating with the dissonance of having a world that sets the norm as “happy and bright” alienating and missing the importance of these darker, more morose periods we all encounter.

For a bit of something light, I’m reading my good friend Megan Crawford’s book “Dozen Dates“. It’s pretty good and a nice escape. Though I will say, it doesn’t make me want to ever date again. Single folks, seriously, how do you even begin, and once you do, how do you still want to continue. Maybe I’m too old for ‘young people’ romance. All that aside, it’s a great book and I’ll be reviewing it as I’m done.

Writing and Editing:

I’m done with my final round of edits for “Heir to Time”, and thank the great mystery of the universe for that. Now all that remains is the cover design, proofreading and it will be out. Due to the unforeseen and difficult Fall, I’m planning to have a larger book signing (or a couple) for the entire series sometime this summer. I’m in talks with some local bookstores and our local tea house here in Fort Collins. It was a fun series to write, but I’d be lying if I said I wish it would have lasted longer.

Onward and upward.

I’m chugging away at 5 Prince Publishing’s first shared-town anthology due out in the 2026 holiday season. My little derelict of a Hallmark failure is currently sitting around 48,000 words so I’m on track to finish it on time with a few weeks of editing to spare. I thought I’d have a hard time even hitting 50,000, but per usual, I have overwritten this little novella. I can’t help it, shennanegans, banter, and spicy scenes in wood shops just manifested and now this “sweet” romance is wavering over the line to “spicy”. Because of the parameters of the project, I will have to cut some of the more ‘intimate’ scenes. But, because I don’t want a good sex scene to got to waste, I’ll be offering those annexed chapters on my Substack. Follow me for more details on that. AND if you want to check out my idea board for Eight Nights, you can find it here: 8 Nights in Everpine

After this project is complete, I’ll be taking a little time to get my next series prepped and ready for publication. In a complete 180 of historical fiction (why can’t I find a subgenre and just stick to it? Same reason I have multiple degrees and certifications in different fields, because I don’t think life should be about doing the same thing over and over again) this will be a mythology based urban fantasy, set in the Ornkey Islands north of Scotland and south of Scandinavia. If you like demons and fairies, valkyries and björns, witches and merfolk… you’re gonna love this one. I already do.

I’m keeping up with my submissions. Currently I’m at 19. Which has resulted in 17 rejections or no responses, but here we are.

I’m also keeping up with Writing Heights’ Poetry Month Challenge, with a poem a day. Some of them are pretty good. Some of them are defiantly bad. But at the end of the 30 days at least I will have some new material and maybe even a better understanding of my soul.

Events

I had such a lovely time participating in the Fort Collins BookFest last weekend. I had a great panel on Romance with two other amazing authors (check them out here: Jenny Elder Moke and Chelsea Pennington) And the fun continues this next weekend with readings by local authors, poets, and pros in the field. Please take the time to support this wonderful event so that it can continue on for years to come. You can find the full schedule here: FoCo Book Fest.

Finally, if you’re in the area on Friday, April 24th) from 5-7pm, I’ll be at DC Oakes Brewhouse in Fort Collins, hosting a write in with some folks from WHWA. You don’t have to be a member to stop on by and work on your writing, poetry, or anything that needs a little focused time.

Well, that’s about all I have. I’m still helping out the Wyoming Writers Inc, as a board member to put together a killer conference in Casper Wyoming in June. There are so many classes and pitches, and workshops happening in this weekend, I’m telling you it’s worth going. You will get your money’s worth and Casper is a fun little place to visit. Some great hiking trails, and a warm and welcoming community. Check it out here: Wyoming Writers Inc. Conference.

Crying out loud. That was a lot. Life’s a lot. I hope you’re taking time for yourself and your mental health. I will if you will.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other.