Lyra Parish's Blog, page 3

Ace: a Band of Brothers News!

I’ve been mentioning everywhere that I can that ACE has been post-poned until January 11, 2016. If you’re a subscriber of my newsletter, you would have recieved the reminder with super cool news on September 15th. My goal is to release my monthly newsletter on the 13th of each month. Oh, you’re not a subscriber? You can sign up here: www.bit.ly/lyranewsletter. Soon, I’ll be sending out preview chapters links of ACE that are exclusive to subscribers only. You’ll not want to miss out on that!

The second week of January is kind of a special week for me because the same week in 2014, I released Weak for Him.

In 2015, I release No Longer Weak, so it’s one of my literary traditions to release at that time.

There were several personal reasons why I decided to wait.

MAIN REASON: I had a health scare, but I’ve been cleared! WOOHOO! A million pounds of stress have vanished!

2nd – I wanted to make sure that when I started releasing these books, they were the best they could possible be and the series was close to being finished…. SURPRISE!

My goal is to have all 4 books of the Band of Brothers ready to release at the beginning of the year. Of course not all at the same time, but to be scheduled no longer than 6 weeks apart. Pre-orders will be available closer to time! I’m having so much fun writing Ace. He’s not like any other character I’ve written and I love him. I hope you do too!

Want to pre-order?

ACE on iBooks

ACE on Nook

Ace on Kobo

 

Pre-order is available on iBooks, Nook, and Kobo! You can pre-order now for $2.99. Soon after release the price will go up to $3.99. I will have pre-orders available on Amazon starting January 2nd, so keep a look out!

Also, just incase you haven’t noticed, I rolled out an online shop right here on my website! Eep! That’s right, now you can order paperbacks directly from me, signed and all orders come with some swag. If you use promo code lyrashop15, you’ll get $2 off of each paperback you purchase until October 1st. You can even pre-order ACE in paperback now! Super cool, huh! I’ve had several people take the opportunity to order it now. My goal is to ship it at the beginning of 2016 before release so then you’ll have it before everyone else! Kind of like an advanced copy, but edited and ready to go. hehe. Yes, there will still be a CD coming as well that will be packaged in a pretty little jewel case. The details are being worked out now, but I should have them on the site to purchase soonish. Oh, and you’ll also be able to download the music from iTunes, listen on Spotify, and purchase on Amazon. Fancy! It’s nice to have a musician hubby!

Oh and just a quick reminder, there is a giveaway-a-day going on over at my Facebook page until October 4th. They will stay open all month incase you’d like to go over there and catch up! There are lots of prizes, gift cards, paperbacks, ebooks, etc. www.facebook.com/lyraparishauthor. All winners will be announced on October 11th. Happy Fall Y’all!

Hope you’ve all been well and that the cool weather has headed your way. Can someone tell Texas? It’s been way too hot the last few weeks.

My notifications are going crazy! Single 3 is live!

Single 3 is liveeeeeeeee! Omg! 

Single 1 — http://amzn.to/1hGPJ91 — currently free!

Single 2 — http://amzn.to/1UN6sps — going on sale!

Single 3 — http://amzn.to/1hGPAT5 — newly released!

I pressed publish on Single 3, my 8th title (if you count the anthology I was a part of in late 2014), and it’s such a surreal feeling. My notifications on Facebook are going crazy and I can’t seem to catch up with them. lol. That’s a GREAT thing! Right now, at this very moment, I’m one of the happiest people on the planet. The only people who have read Single 3 are those who received advanced review copies. I knew that once I pressed publish, it was me letting go of it for everyone to read. It’s the true end of the story and a set of characters that captured my life and heart for months. All of it is making me a little emotional. I’m getting that burning sensation in my nose and my eyes are watering. I’m not a cryer. I will not cry. Crap. Maybe I will.

It’s been a crazy ride so far and though I haven’t made some gigantic list or sold a million copies, I feel accomplished. I think success is kind of like beauty in a sense. It’s all depends on the beholder. Of course one day I would love to do any of those things, but right now I am completely content with being Lyra Parish. I wouldn’t trade what I’ve done for anything in the world. Why? Because I know I’ve kicked some ass, wiped some tears, demolished insecurities and struggles, and come through on the other end as a better, stronger writer.

To me, all of this is about the journey. And so far it’s been a fabulous one. One that I am thankful that I’ve taken the chance on every day. One that requires me to go to sleep at 3am and wake up at 7am to be on time for my day job. One that constantly has me day dreaming, exploring my own creativity, and learning. It’s a great day to be an author and I’m happy to be me. Too many of us wish we were someone else. We wish we made NYT Best Seller, we wish we were #1 on amazon, we wish we could pull readers, bloggers, and agents like the top indies out there. But today, I don’t want to be anyone but myself. I still have much to accomplish and it’s the journey that keeps me moving forward.

This book may only sell 5 copies, I’m okay with that. In a few months, it may only have 5 reviews. I’m okay with that. People may hate it. People may love it. People may rip it to shreds. People may gush over every chapter. While all of those things matter to me in one way or another, they will not change the story that I’ve written and published. Because It’s out there. It’s finished. It’s live. And I feel accomplished for doing it. For completing another series. I did it and I’m elated. I feel like I’m soaring through fluffy clouds full of happiness. Okay, I know I’m a total cheeseball.

Thank you for all of your support over the last 20 months. It’s been a crazy ride and I feel like we are still climbing that mountain. There is so much more to come, so much more to celebrate, so many more releases to set free into the world. I couldn’t do it without all of your support, honest feedback, love, and positive reinforcement. Thank you so much!

p.s. Single 3 will be live on ibooks, nook, and kobo. The links will be posted on my Facebook page as soon as they go live. Remember you can now buy signed paperbacks on the site Paperbacks will also be available on Amazon this week.

ACE: a Band of Brothers novel COVER REVEAL!

ACE a Band of Brothers novel by Lyra Parish

Coming September 1, 2015

Cover created by Letitia at RBA Designs

 

Synopsis

My name is Ace and I’m the Ace of Spades.

I’m not nice and I misbehave.

I will be your nightmare.

I will be your dream.

I will have you begging for more of me with each scream.

The truth is in my lyrics.

Uncontrollably controlled.

I bleed many things one being Rock & Roll.

I don’t date or make love, I fuck real hard.

Did you know the ace of spades is considered the death card?

Love doesn’t exist in my world, it never did.

Love won’t exist in my world; it’s something I forbid.

My name is Ace and I’m the Ace of Spades.

Proceed with caution, because I’m sharp like a blade.

The Band of Brothers novels are full length and will follow each brother in the band. They can be read together or separately.

If you would like a one-time email when ACE is live on all platforms, please sign up for this email notification: http://bit.ly/acenotification

Goodreads Link: http://bit.ly/acegoodreads

 

Except of Chapter 1:
Disclaimer: this is subject to change.

 Tonight I would fuck the blonde in the front row. The set was nearing the end and I could feel her gaze peeling off every piece of my clothing. I liked when a woman knew what she wanted.

Blue and green lights flashed over the stage then washed across the crowd. When we made eye contact again, her tongue traced the outside of her plump bottom lip and at that moment I knew she was DTF. Her being down to fuck made this so much easier but then again, being the lead singer of the Band of Brothers made panties magically melt. I’d be her fantasy for the night.

This tour wasn’t like the others because this time everyone wanted a piece of us as if our success happened overnight. But we earned every fucking opportunity we had. I would say given but that’s bullshit. My brothers and I worked hard for every small and large success we had because that’s our nature. We were raised to not take shit for granted and to work hard. Being assholes just came naturally but we knew to give respect where respect was due.

Each show from Florida to California, all the way to New York was sold out and that felt incredible.

The drums beat on as I screamed out the next few lyrics. “I won’t let the world decide. I’ll die before that happens.” The drums stopped and the distortion was cut leaving a melodic strum of Nicolas’s guitar.

The lights faded when walked off stage leaving the crowd to themselves. Ian, Nicolas, and Liam had huge smiles covering their faces as they chugged the water the technicians handed us. This would never get old. Moments like this were the ones we lived and worked for. Once the chanting and clapping started, the four of us walked back onstage and gave the fans what they wanted, an encore.

Green and yellow lights flashed over the crowd and smoke hovered at the bottom of the stage. We played three more songs and the people sang and swayed to the lyrics and music. Some jumped up and down, feeling the full beat of the drums while others banged their heads. The feeling of having thousands of people chanting my words would never become real. More often than not, I felt like I was in a dream, one that I never wanted to wake from.

During the last song, I pointed to the blonde who continued to visually rip my clothes off with every little blink she took. By the way she was dressed in a tight pink shirt and little bitty skirt, I knew she wanted to be seen. She could have possibly had this night planned from the beginning. Randomly, I chose a few others from the crowd to join us, to dance in front of our audience, to feel the temporary power. It was something I did every show, every tour. It was a habit of sorts.

Security helped the girls climb on the stage and they shook their asses in those little pieces of material that were supposed to be skirts. It always made women feel special when they were with the band, and I loved giving them just a little taste.

A person doesn’t fully understand performing live until they have had the opportunity to look out past the stage lights and see the people. Before the song ended, the technicians led the girls’ side stage as cannons of confetti shot from the floor. Different colored pieces of paper glittered everywhere. When the final song ended, my brothers and I walked side stage where girls anxiously waited us. I smiled, popping an eyebrow at my chosen woman for the night, and she instantly came to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and hers hung on my waist. My brothers stopped in the green room with the other girls, but Blondie and I walked to the bus.

“I’m Lindsey,” she whispered in my ear before we reached the end of the hallway. I smiled at her and pushed open the exit door. Groupies and fans waited near the bus and as soon as we walked up they rushed it.

“I’ll be out in a bit,” I said, smiling at them with pearly whites. “My brothers are coming out that door over there. Really soon.”

I hated to out their exit strategy, but I wanted to take my time burying my dick deep inside Misty or Christy or whatever the fuck her name was. It didn’t matter. Names never did.

 

Author Bio

Lyra Parish loves to write, glamp, and sing obnoxiously loud at the top of her lungs in the shower. Sweet love stories (along with the dirty ones) make her gush. She is a firm believer that a person can never have too many cups of coffee, cats, or happily ever afters. When she isn’t busy writing, she can be found sipping various beverages from her non-alcoholic drink buffet, pimp slapping excel spreadsheets, or riding her bike. Lyra lives in Texas with her glassblowing, guitar-playing hubby and black cat named Nibbler.

 

Lyra’s Links

Mailing List: http://bit.ly/lyranewsletter

Facebook: http://bit.ly/lyrafacebook

Twitter: http://bit.ly/lyratwitter

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/lyragoodreads

Amazon: http://bit.ly/LyraAmazon

 

Giveaway

Sign up to receive an ADVANCED review copy of ACE. These will be only be sent to kindle addresses. Several random people will receive them close to release date. http://bit.ly/ACEARCgiveaway

A year to the day (May the Sith)

So I got this neat little notification from Facebook that I had memories today and scrolled through them. In the feed, I came across a blog post about the Eluded Cover Reveal….on the May the Sith. So I thought, that I would write up a little blog post and keep my yearly sith tradition going. Instead of posting a cover reveal, I thought I would catch you up (quickly) because I’m still on my lunch break, with some cool things that have been going on and some even cooler things that are happening!

There have been tons of crazy things happen since my last post! I had my first author event at the North Shore Author Signing (#NSAS15 if any of you like searching hashtags on instagram) and met tons of readers. I have to say, it is an odd feeling meeting people in real life when you’ve talked with them on the interwebs for months. It’s almost like a dream! I will be in Little Rock in July for the Little Rock Book Jam signing and San Francisco in August! I had to cancel Austin due to personal reasons, but I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at the other events!

Books, books, and more books!

Recently I’ve had a few people ask me what’s next! If you are a follower on Facebook, you’ll see that I’ve been teasing you all with my upcoming projects! If you’re in the Lounge, you’ll get to read snippets. Anyone can join and during release time, we are going to have all sorts of giveaways and special events for lounge members only!

Single 3 is in the works and I am also writing ACE. Parker continues to be bad and Ace, well, he is something else. I’ve never written a character quite like him before and I’m enjoying every second of it. He’s all rock star, all man, and is in a band with his 3 brothers. Each book will be written as a stand alone but they can be read together if you’d like. If you’re interested in helping with the cover reveal, which is TBA, please fill out this form!!  I know I say this about every cover I’ve ever had, but it’s HOT! If you search on Barnes and iTunes, you might even be able to find the pre-order links, I’ll have an official announcement about that very soon!

I’ve also been tinkling with ideas of a Christmas Special Oh lord, I can already hear the high pitched squeals. I haven’t really said anything about it yet and it’s still very much in the works but it’s something I’m strongly considering. AND you’ve read it first right here on my page! If I can write fast enough, you might see some of your favorite characters featured. Hmm… who could that be?

So the lunch break is wrapping up which means I’ve got to get going! I wish I could have loaded this post down with Sith Gifs. haha. NEXT YEAR! So happening!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful week! And to all of you who are receiving this in email, thanks for following!!

 

 

 

 

An advocate of following dreams…

I am an advocate and huge supported of people following their dreams. It doesn’t matter what your dream is as long as it is YOUR dream, and not someone else’s that you’re pursuing.

Lately, I’ve had several people ask me about writing. I am odd ball in the sense that writing never was my dream. Sure, I blogged on OpenDiary when I was 15 for 3 years straight and wrote sappy poetry when my heart was broken as a late teen, even wrote lyrics for a band, but I never considered myself a writer and I didn’t want to become one. It was never my dream. If someone would have asked me 10 years ago what my dream was, I would have said something silly like graduating college then becoming an attorney. Writing kind of just happened. If any of my friends are reading this, and my husband can attest to this, I consider myself a do-er and a fixer and most of all, a dreamer. I will randomly choose that I want to do something then put everything I am into that something. At one point in my life it was performing in the theatre, then it was directing shows, I even took up tap dancing in my mid-twenties, trained for 5k’s, worked for a publishing company while working a full-time job, rode a 50-mile bike ride on a whim, and so many other things. It’s a part of who I am.

I randomly said, “I’m going to write a book.” I wrote one. One turned into six and I have ten more planned. One day I remember turning to my hubs and saying, “what if I run out of ideas. What if I can’t think of anymore stories and that’s it?” He laughed at me but being dried up was a real concern of mine. Haha. Okay, you can laugh too!

Writing was one of those things that just stuck, that felt right, and that’s become a huge part of my life. I think about it every free second I have of every single day. I’ve met tons of wonderful people in the industry that have taught me invaluable lessons, who I’ve shared knowledge with, not even counting the handfuls of readers and bloggers that reach out to me and spread the word about my books for every single release. It’s a beautiful, all inspiring dream. It’s a huge collaboration and while at times I feel alone in my writing world, when I open up social media, I see just how large and wonderful the literary universe is.

When I first published, I said that I would be happy if 5 people read my book. Last year, I had 2400 times that downloaded. It doesn’t seem real. I recently ran into a professor that wrote a recommendation letter for me when I was applying for Law School. She asked me what I was doing these days and the normal how-are-you questions. I told her that I had written and published 5 books. She was happy for me, impressed, and then we went our separate ways. I remember turning to my hubs and saying, “I felt like I just lied about all of that.” And he said “I felt like you did too.” LOL. But the truth was, I hadn’t. It’s just so unbelievable to the point that it doesn’t seem real. But then I’ll walk into my office and see the books on the shelf and think, wow, I really did write all of that. I really have knocked some things off of my dream/goal list and I have so much more to accomplish.

This year, I am more grounded in my goals and my craft. Eventually, I want to write, market, and bring stories to you every hour of my day and I know that it will happen, it’s just a matter of when. I’m a normal person with a husband, a day job, and a few hobbies. If you have a dream, I say go for it. Even if you didn’t know what you wanted to do 10 years ago, even if you can’t push tons of time into it at first, it’s about starting and moving toward accomplishing what you want to accomplish. I think about the last year and what’s been accomplished so far and then I dream about the next five years and the amazing things that could happen. It’s never too late to start working for something that you want…so get out there and follow your dreams!

 

p.s. I’m seriously going to try to update once a week!

Single 2 . . . it’s coming!

 

Real quick, I wanted to announce that Single 1 is currently on sale for 99 cents!

It was featured in the Owned Anthology with 8 other amazing authors, but now it’s time to celebrate Single 2!

There are some exciting things in the works right now for Single 2 which releases on March 9. I’m not sure if you are all followers of my page, but I’ve been posting teasers to help get everyone back in the Parker mood. God, I love that man and I hope you do too! Just incase you missed them, here they are:

 

If you have a blog, and you’d like to take part in the Single 2 bliz, I would love to have you! You can sign up here: http://bit.ly/Single2BlitzSignUp It’s hosted through Love Between the Sheets and they are always an absolute pleasure to work with! The blitz will be on March 11th.

There is also going to be a big celebration on Facebook on March 12th starting at 5pm CST to 10pm CST

Click here to attend: bit.ly/Single2FBparty

So without further ado… I’d like a show of hands who have read Single 1? Today is your lucky day if you haven’t read it and if you’ve scrolled down this far in this post. All you have to do is comment below on this blog post and let me know if you’d like to read it. I’ll give away 5 copies to 5 different comments right here on www.lyraparish.com, just post your kindle address in your comment. 

Single 2 is coming in 21 days. The countdown has officially begun!

2014 Reflections . . . Bring it 2015.

I don’t know who I need to credit for making this amazing picture, but I love the quote.  

Last year during this time I wrote a blog post about my 2013 reflections. I was only a writer, not an author, and I had no expectations with my first novel Weak for Him. I went back and read it before I wrote this post just to see where I was. I’ve come so far.

2014 was a year of learning for me. I learned more about the publishing industry in the last 12 months than I had in 3 years. It’s like when I pressed publish, light bulbs started clicking on or something. I don’t have it all figured out, far from that, but I’m more seasoned than I was last year. I’ve changed as a person, improved as a writer, and pushed myself harder than I thought was possible. In 2014, I published 3 novels and a novella. I wrote No Longer Weak (coming Jan 12) and am 25% finished with Single 2. Accomplishing this while holding a full-time job and spending time with hubby wasn’t easy, but it was doable with a little determination and dedication. There were lots of long nights but overall it was worth it.

I’ve met so many wonderful, beautiful people–readers, bloggers, tour hosts, and other authors. I’ve learned that while this journey can be done alone, it’s more fun when you have people there with you who understand, encourage, and support you. I’ve met so many people that I can truly call my friends and it’s uplifting. In 2014, I had the equivalent of a small town download my work. Honestly, I never thought I would sell 100 copies especially not 12 times that. I’m honored, shocked, speechless, and thankful. I had no expectations in 2013 and that was completely blown out of the water and I have you to thank!

2015 is here and I hope it’s much better than 2014. There have been major changes in the publishing industry (especially with kindle unlimited releasing) and most of the predictions that are being splashed across the internet aren’t very positive. Some of them are just downright depressing especially when it’s said many indie authors will completely quit writing because of the changes taking place in the industry right now. I won’t make any predictions but I’m going to lay out my goals so then 2016 Lyra can see if she accomplished them. I will have some professional goals and personal ones, so bare with me

1. Finish Weakness and Single… happening! lol.

2. Blog more. 1 post per week.

3. Work on and publish Super Secret Story

4. Write more

5. Expanding (Don’t be so dependent of Facebook and Amazon)

6. Send out a newsletter once a month

7. Be more organized and manage time better

8. Focus on getting out of debt

9. Workout 30 minutes a day

10. Enjoy life!

2014 was a warmup. 2015 is game time. I’m ready to bring it!

What are some of your resolutions goals for the year? I’d like to know!

The Fish Sandwich Incident

Recently, I was at a burger place waiting in line to get some quick food before we went to a concert. The dining room was full, there were several people standing around waiting for their food, and the constant chatter of the patrons filled the restaurant. We walked up to the line and everything was fine and dandy until I spotted the man in front of me who was ordering. He wore dirty gloves and pants and everything he owned was strapped to his back. He ordered a fish sandwich and began counting out his money. The husband and best friend were standing around chatting about something and all I could focus on was this man in front of me. I quietly pulled out my card ready to pay for it. But he quickly handed the guy at the register the cash and I tried to speak up to say I would pay for it and then the ticket was cashed out and the man moved to the side. His total was $3.84 cents.

I exhaled and shook my head no, because I should of just spoke up and paid for the guys food. The hubs asks me what’s wrong because clearly I was upset. Then when I got my food, I glanced over at the guy eating his fish sandwich and burst out crying in the middle of Whataburger because I didn’t pay for it and because I had no cash to give him. All I could think about was him spending his last $4 on a hot meal, a hot meal that I should have paid for. I know I looked like a crazy person crying while eating a hamburger.

Now, though it’s been a week, I can’t seem to get over it and I’m still upset about it (hence the blog post). I don’t regret much in life, but I wish I could go back and just say something, anything, stop the transaction and buy him everything on menu. I shouldn’t have stood there quietly as I pulled out my card. I should have just walked up and stood beside the guy and told the manager I was paying for it. But I hesitated then my opportunity had passed.

The moral of the story is when you feel compelled to do something, just do it. Don’t wait around for the perfect time because it might not be. You might not be ready, and if you’re not courageous, if you’re not willing to step out of your comfort zone, the opportunity to make change, to better someone’s life, even if it’s your own, will flat out pass you by then you’ll be left thinking about what you could have done. This is true in all aspects of your life, with hobbies, jobs, and simple things. Even something as small as paying for a stranger’s fish sandwich.

Announcement – No Longer Weak

As some of you have noticed, I’ve changed the release date to No Longer Weak probably a gazillion times over the past few months. A gazillion! Now it’s coming down to the nitty gritty and time for me to make an announcement of when No Longer Weak will actually be available for purchase because I’ve been asked several times over the past few weeks. (Thank you for keeping me honest!) Just to give you an idea of where I am, I’m sitting at 20k words. Most of my novels are in the 55k – 70k range, so I’m around 30% complete. I’ve got quite a few more chapters to write, critiquing, beta reading, edits, proofreading, and have to start scheduling promo so it’s important for me to set this in stone now.

I know I’ve promised it will be released during 2014 for the entire year of 2014, but the other day I received an email stating there was going to be a blackout period for books released around and after Christmas on all sites except for Amazon. So instead of promising that it will be out in December, I can promise that it will NOT be released in December, and not by my doing. My goal was to release on the 28th, but with the blackout dates, it’s just not going to be possible. I’m so sorry but there is good news!

…. I’ve decided on an official date…. ::drum roll please::

No Longer Weak will officially be released on January 12, 2015.

I really don’t want to have to change this date again so I’m pushing to finish it ASAP. There are several reasons why I chose this date, but the most important one is because it will officially be one year since I published Weak for Him. I think it’s absolutely perfect. I will put pre-order on Kobo, iTunes, and Nook very soon. I will have pre-order on Amazon but it won’t be until a week before the actual release so then there will be no waiting the day of (hopefully).

The first part of Single will be re-released on January 5th as well and I have Single 2 coming out in at the beginning of Feb. So the first half of the year, you will get book from me every two weeks, with the final (maybe) book of Single being released in March. EEP. It’s going to be fun and crazy, and I really appreciate all of the support that you’ve given me with the Weakness series. I’m sad that it’s coming to an end but happy all at the same time. It’s all a little bittersweet and I’m very excited.

p.s. Love Between the Sheets will be the official tour host for No Longer Weak. They will be taking care of the release week blitz and also ARC distribution. I will have links to sign up for that very soon, but if you’d like a direct email from me about it, please click here and sign up. You will only be emailed once the information is available to me. Thanks so much!

The blog post that almost didn’t live.

I wrote a blog post a few months ago and never published it. I’m not sure why I didn’t. I think it’s because I hit a personal nerve when I wrote it and thought it was stupid. But today, I am saying screw that. Why? I feel like it should be said. I feel like I can be real through this journey. Though it’s not relevant at this moment, it was at one time and it meant a lot to me that I wrote it. So here goes nothing, the blog post that almost didn’t live.

***

Writing isn’t the easiest profession in the world. It takes hours upon hours to improve the craft enough to write a draft, which then takes weeks, months, or even years to complete. Obviously some are faster writers/creators than others, but the bottom line is, writing takes time. Over the last month, after I pressed publish on Eluded, I took the opportunity to NOT write, (insert gasps), and just reflect on who I am as an author and who I want to be. Often I do this in my personal life as well, but I’ve found it to be helpful in my professional life too. For the past 8 months, I have pushed myself through hard deadlines, written pages upon pages and trashed them, got promoted at the day job which then rolled out a huge software upgrade, got horribly sick (eff you pneumonia) and published 3 novels. The truth was, I needed a break not just from writing but from everything. So I hopped on a plane and visited Colorado. While I was there, I refused to open my laptop even though I brought it because it’s like a security blanket to me.

At one point, I stood at the top of Lookout Drive in Golden, CO and realized how insignificant I was as a human being and it did exactly what it did to Abbot, it fecking empowered me. To see the little cars driving on the road, see dots of people walking down the street or riding their bikes made me understand that no matter what happened, everyone keeps moving forward. So I had a choice: keep moving forward with the masses or stop. Those people below me had no clue who I was, that I was even on top of that mountain, and they didn’t care. If I would have fell off the side, they wouldn’t have even known. Sometimes I feel like that as a writer.

At the top of Pikes Peak, where it was 32 degrees, I looked out again. At one point a huge gust of wind pushed me off balance but I adapted and stood strong and it reminded me of my life in the literary world. I know some of you are asking what the hell I am talking about. I’m really not trying to be ambiguous or philosophical but I’ll break it down. Sometimes I question myself and ask if I am really meant for all of this. It’s not a bad question, as in I’m going to just stop writing, it’s just a personal reflection question. When I started writing, it was because I had a story to tell. I was passionate and I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole process: what it would feel like to release, how people would love/hate my writing, the plot and characters of the story, or if could I really accomplish it, etc. That part hasn’t really changed within me, but I’m adapting. I feel like I’m at the point where I’m up at the top of a mountain (not the highest one by any means) looking out watching the little dots move around me and feel the strong gusts of wind push me off balance…. until I grab my footing. Maybe I’m getting too deep and no it wasn’t because I had any wacky grass in Colorado.

I often question myself.

What if I never accomplish any of my goals?

What if my novels never gain traction?

What if I can’t think of anything else to write?

What if I’m not meant to do this?

What if I’m a failure?

That’s the big one.

Failure. That’s the one that drives at me. Each one of those questions are real concerns and maybe sometimes I psych myself out. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has gone through this or even made it public, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. I’ve always promised to be real, to be the person that I am, and share my feelings with you to show everyone that some authors do worry about these things. Maybe I’m being too real?

While I was in Colorado, I reconnected with that burning passion inside of me, the one that inspired me to write and publish in the first place. I think short reflection breaks are a great thing. It helps people reevaluate what’s important, what’s not, and to look deeper within themselves, at least it does for me. We can’t keep worrying about the insignificant factors in our lives. It causes unnecessary stress and does no good. I know that I have to keep pushing forward but I don’t want to write for the sake of writing, just to push another generic book out to the world. I want to write because I have a story to tell, because I have something to say, and I want to create words that I’m proud to call my own. Eventually I want to write full-time and throwing down meaningless words for the hell of it is an injustice to myself and to you.

It takes lots of dedication, determination, and time to accomplish everything but most of all it takes patience, something that I haven’t quite conquered yet but I’m trying. So with all this being said: I’m back. I’m ready to write. I’m ready to bring you Single and No Longer Weak. It’s been too long and I’m itching to dive back into the world that stole my thoughts and paved itself through my heart. I might not be the most popular author, and I might not rank on some big lists, but I can promise you this: the words I write are bigger than all of that, they are for you, the ones who get the story and characters, who understands the words that I write. I didn’t want to write No Longer Weak for the sake of writing, I wanted to give the series the conclusion it deserves, the ending you deserve. I’m beyond grateful that several people loved it. It’s not about the numbers. It was never about making X amount of dollars. It was about writing a story that people cared about and were passionate about, and the messages and emails I’ve received while I took my short secret sabbatical reminded me why I started this journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.