Flu Season, Spooky Season, and Deadlines

As a self-proclaimed wonder woman, sometimes it’s hard for me to admit I can’t do it all. It’s hard for me to take the punches and stay down, knowing full well that when I force my tired bones up onto my feet, I will be absolutely useless. Hey, I am flawed! I know that. This is something I’ve especially struggled with since becoming a full-time author.

I got my first job when I was fourteen (not including the countless babysitting jobs I had before that) getting paid under the table at a small bakery that made a delicious sweet bread I have never been able to replicate, and I have been working ever since. Up until I went on maternity leave, the longest I went without a job was a few months when I had hopped off one ship and was swimming toward the next one I set my eyes on. What that means is I absolutely suck at taking breaks. When the pandemic struck and we had no one to watch our little when I went back to work, my husband and I made a big decision: this was the time to follow my dreams and see if I could make it as an author.

In theory, this was the dream. I got to do something I loved all day, and could just sit back and be the next big bestseller. Easy peasy!

Something a lot of creatives likely don’t tell people is, when you set your own hours, oftentimes it means you are working around the clock. There are days when I write pretty much all day, stopping only for drop offs and pick ups, snacks, and dinner. Burn out is a constant whisper in my ear, and I have been relentlessly stubborn as I ignore it.

Then my little started school, became a little germ factory. Flu Season kicked down my door like the Kool-Aid man, riding the coattails of Aunt Flow, that burnout that had been following me for months. Guys, I am a hot mess!

I still worked tirelessly so I wouldn’t have to push back my spooky release of A Bite Full Of Death, but this meant that I didn’t have the mental space for a lot of my side projects… yes, I know. BOOOOOO!!!

What I will say, is if you haven’t found yourself a handful of Indie Authors to support with everything you’ve got, please do. You will never fully understand how hard it is at times. Some of us are juggling jobs, kids, households, being authors, editors, proofreaders, our own social media teams… this isn’t for the fainthearted (she wrote while having chest pains brought on by day four of intense anxiety).

What am I talking about?

It’s all a fog.

Oh, yeah. Inside the Shadow That Bleeds: episode three has been pushed from a release date of today to hopefully around the 28th. This will give me the time I need to peel myself off the sofa long enough to make it all spooky and pretty for you guys!

Don’t worry guys, it’s coming!!!

XO

SJ.