A Writer's Departure - and Return...

The first half of 2015 has been a roller-coaster ride, and that's only a slight exaggeration...

(Bare with me as I explain)

After Christmas, I was informed that my room-mate was moving to Colorado at the beginning of February. That gave me a little more than a month to find a new place to live. Fortunately, I was able to find a nice place. Unfortunately, it was a bit more expensive than my previous living situation. But I had a bit of money saved, so things didn't look as bad as they might have been. I also had a month long leave of absence from work scheduled, which was to start in March. My intention was to go home to Kentucky for the entire month and do a LOT of writing.

Then, everything changed.

Only one day after my arrival, my Mother died unexpectedly. Needless to say, it turned my world upside down. The four weeks of vacation that was meant to be relaxing turned into a nightmare of funeral preparations, financial decisions, long-buried family turmoil, and of course...grieving. My mother and father were married for 47 years. My main focus turned to my Dad and doing all I could to support him. All of this was going on, on top of my impending move.

It was hard to come back home after such a month, but I had no choice. I was happy to finally be in my apartment, but upon my return to work, I was dealt another blow.

My favorite boss transferred out while I was away. He was always so flexible with me regarding my schedule. With him, I was able to work in my Overtime hours in a way that left me a little free time. That free time was spent writing, but it was lost when he left. I had no choice but to work with the new bosses, and to say they are rigid with the schedule is an understatement. For nearly three months, I've had to work in a way that barely leaves me enough time to eat, sleep, and do a few household chores. Needless to say, writing has been put on the back-burner. 

But now...

The chaos of the last six months seems to be dwindling down. All of the endless working has started to pay off, and I'm coming to a place in life where I can at last take a breath. 

Which brings me to my announcements...

Starting in mid-July, (If all goes as planned) you will see

a lot more of me and the muse. My original story, "The Grace Emancipation," will be getting back on track. I know it's not a Gisborne story, but it has a very strong fan-base created by those who read the original edition, which was first published in 2008. If it's of interest, you might want to know that I had Richard Armitage in mind when I created the lead hero/anti-hero. I have a really good feeling about the success of this book when it comes out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Gisborne fans, if you're still out there, I plan to get back to "Rebel Mine." BUT, I'm also planning on an anthology of the series! I know I mentioned starting this project last year, but obviously, nothing went as intended. Unless something happens, you should see the anthology around Christmas-time. Not only will it combine all the books in the series so far, but I'm planning on adding some bonus material throughout. If you're a fan of this series, I think you'll be very pleased. At least I hope so.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!

I am really hoping that I can get this anthology published in a hardcover edition. If it happens, I intend to give out a few copies as gifts. I want to do this as a way to say thank you to everyone. Some of my readers have been with me for years, and I can't put into words how much your support means to me. 

I'm starting an exclusive list of friends who will receive a copy. Are you wondering if you made the list? Are you hoping to be on it? If so, just send me a message here, or on social media. (I'm on Facebook and Twitter.)

I'm hoping to liven up the blog as well. I haven't dedicated much time to it, and I know it needs some work. I'll do my best to improve it.

So that's all my news in a nutshell! (A very big nutshell, actually. LOL) Much love to everyone!

Yours,

Charlotte