Where Have I Been?

It seems like forever since I completed a book. Two years to be exact. Time can fly when your busy with other things. My motto used to be write EVERYDAY even if it's a sentence or two. But in 2024 that became near impossible.

Let me preface by saying my mother is not easy to get along with, and she has always been nasty to my daughter (even though she thinks it's playful). But then came the statement that she was disowning her. After that I was done. I didn't speak to my mom again until February of 2024. My mother's partner died. They had been together about twenty years, and he did everything for her. When I stepped into her house again that summer, I was shocked. They'd become hoarders and had too many animals. Their two dogs were allowed to use restroom in the house on puppy pads despite having a huge lot of land. I tried to clean it up, but it was hard to stomach being inside the house. I dropped the idea of assisted living and like most older people who are extremely stubborn and independent she was against it. So, the next idea was to get her a new trailer to live in. We looked at them in December, but she was not proactive at all. And with a busy main job and two side hustles, I was drained but still had to deal with her mess.

Then came her AC breaking down, a heat stroke, and a few falls she couldn't get up from. It was time to move her out of that mess and into a safer space. It was not easy trying to sell off as much as I could, trying to rehome animals, and dealing with her anger and frustration everyday with me doing this to her. Writing about romance and love were the furthest things from my mind. I started a few books but couldn't seem to move forward with them. Once she was in assisted living, I still had to take her to the grocery store and run errands for her. I got nonstop complaining about the place SHE CHOSE. She had a couple falls that landed her in the hospital and rehab for week, which mean everyday I'd have to go to her apartment to feed her cats and clean up after them. Because she doesn't do computers or phones, I have to manage her bills, doctor's appointments, etc.

Then this spring something changed. She allowed herself to make friends and get involved in the activities at the facility. She's becoming independent again. She finally got it through her head that YES, you need to use a walker at all times to save yourself from hospital stays. Not everything is perfect, but it's so much better than last year when I spent my summer break driving back and forth everyday an hour away to help her out.

I've been able to focus on writing, my older books, and get back to being an author. Back to advertising again, and I created new covers for all the older titles. No more searching for the perfect model. No more paying big money for covers I end up hating. I changed the covers to reflect symbols, not people.

And my next book is taking shape. I have the entire book outlined in my head and know where it's headed. I can't wait to introduce the world to Damien Cole who was inspired by Yungblud. And now readers who enjoy my Love on Fire series will get to see Kyla Hall all grown up.