We have made it far, my friends. It is officially summer and 2022 has deemed itself halfway finished!

Um yeah. I’m a bit confused how that’s a thing. It’s still totally March in my head. (Though the deathly high temperatures and excessive humidity seem quite aware that it is, in fact, summer, but we won’t talk about that. >.>) Summer is very much not my favorite, but I’ve learned to find the joys in it. Long evenings and starry nights and movie marathons and swimming and ice cream and a general wild thrill in the air. There is something charming and almost electrifying about summer, and I’m trying to remember all its goodness instead of wallow and complain about the heat and bugs (though, admittedly, I’ve already done plenty of that…)

So to truly embrace the season, I’m planning on taking a hiatus from things for all of July. Thus this random little post on a Wednesday.

For the past few years, I’ve used July to step back and recharge. I find the year halfway point is a great time to recover from the busyness of the first half of the year and refill back up for what’s usually even a busier second half of the year. And what is summer for if not lazy carefree days of reading and binging movies and shows and playing video games and random scribbles in notebooks and hanging out with friends and family? And that’s exactly what I hope to do this coming month.

I’ve been running on a surprisingly good creatively charged streak for most of the year thus far (which I have been so grateful for), but in just the past couple of weeks a sudden bout of mental exhaustion has set in, indicating it is definitely time to take a break.

So I’m going to step back and do everything I can to pour the juices back into that creative well, because I have so many projects I want to tackle for this second half of the year.

This means there won’t be any new posts from me (here or on Instagram) and though I will be around a bit, my engagement on social media and places will probably be low, and I may not be answering emails and such much either. But I should be back in full swing come August.

BUT. Before I disappear completely, I have a few fun little things I wanted to mention. It’s been far too long since I’ve shared any sort of writing update here, so here’s a little peek at what’s kept me busy as of late.

WRITERLY HAPPENINGS

For the past few months, I’ve been busily at work doing the second round of edits to one of my novels. Last year I did a total rewrite of this thing, so I thought this next round of edits would be easier. And…it was to a point, but it also needed a lot more work than I thought. So this second bit of revision has taken up a good chunk of 2022.

But I am very happy to say, as of June 17th, I am FINISHED!!! Just in time for my hiatus!

Alas, this book still needs a good bit of work. Namely lots of cutting. It is such a monster wordcount-wise. *sigh* But it is getting there, and I am far, far happier with it now. Honestly, it was a joy to work on. This story just makes me happy and, as I said, I’ve been so creatively charged and just enthused about storywork lately. It’s been a blessing!

My hopeful plan is to tackle the polishing/cutting round of edits after my hiatus and get it ready for beta-reading. Being as how the second half of the year tends to have a LOT, I’m not sure if this plan will actually come to fruition, but hey, maybe saying it publicly will give me the right motivation. 😉

Whilst doing that, I’ve been slowly but consistently tossing out query letters for Burning Thorns here and there. Not much exciting has happened on that front save for rejections mostly, but it feels good to do the hard thing (querying is…not my favorite task) and know I am making progress toward my dreams. And I do have one partial request out for review, so that’s at least something!

I’ve also recently been absolutely plagued with another story idea that is basically 24/7 poking at me to play with it. This is actually a story I’ve had since 2013. Yeah. I got the idea, worked on some characters, and wrote the first chapter, annnd then proceeded to not touch the thing for nearly a decade. I loved the idea but just never really knew where to go with it. WELL. Here, all these years later, I’m suddenly being bombarded with so many ideas I can’t seem to write them down fast enough. Proof that letting a story percolate (even if it’s for a decade *cough*) can pay off!

I haven’t really done much with it yet, save for messily typing out all these crazy ideas, but now that I’m finished editing for a bit, I may allow myself to play with it just for fun. Honestly, these days I hardly ever have those “just for fun” projects. I’m always heavily working on something with a goal in mind. But I think there is something liberating and honestly creatively charging to have projects with no goal in mind save for enjoying them. That’s what I used to do when I was little, and I miss that feeling. Really, those for fun projects may turn into our best works. So I’m trying to loosen the reins on my workaholic, goal-oriented self a bit and just be messy and creative and have FUN with stories again.

ANYWAY. I don’t want to say much, but this idea is a sort of urban fantasy thing (something I’ve never done before!) with heavy ABC’s Once Upon a Time vibes and all sorts of chaotic faerie folk galore.

I may be a bit excited.

NEWSLETTER

I’m quite aware I haven’t even mentioned the story I’ve been editing by name. *sheepish grin* Lately I’ve found some freedom in keeping my projects a little closer to my chest, just because I never know what will come of them and there’s something liberating about working on things without reader expectations, you know?

BUT.

Every month in my newsletter I do in fact share all that I’ve been working on, and even toss out the occasional snippet. It’s where I invite you into my writing space and give you a sneak peek over my shoulder.

I have been finding so much joy in having a newsletter. It feels so much more personal than social media, like a close meeting with friends to catch up and share heart-to-hearts. In addition to writing updates, I share what I’ve been reading and watching, plus little bouts of encouragement, usually on things God has been working through me. So if you want more updates on what’s been going on with me—life, entertainment, writing, and faith-wise—my newsletter is the place for that.

You can sign up using the form right there on the sidebar or HERE.

I only ever send one out once a month. And, in fact, June’s newsletter is going out tomorrow (June 30th) so now’s the time to sign uuup!

(You know, only if you want to. *grins*)

Become a Fairy Godmother!

My last bit of super fun news…

The fairy tale site I co-host, TheFairyTaleCentral.com, is looking for new contributors! Due to busyness and life changes, my fellow FTC fairy godmothers and I realize we need a few more people on the site to help put out content. So we have officially opened applications to bring in more people to join our happy little fold of fairy godmothers!

We’re mainly looking for people who, aside from loving fairy tales, of course, would be available to put out a few posts each month. We have a fairly structured lineup and even templates for posts which makes getting our content out there quick and easy.

Mostly we just love sharing fairy tales with people and bringing obscure ones to light or a new appreciation for known ones in whatever way we can. And my fellow fairy godmothers are some of the sweetest girls I know and it’s been such a blessing collaborating with them. I suspect it will be a blessing to you too, and we are so excited to have new members within our little circle.

Plus, who doesn’t want to be a fairy godmother?

If that sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, you can find all the details and the application form HERE!

OR if you know someone who you think would be a perfect fit, do share the application with them. We’d love for you to spread the word! We’ll be leaving the form open throughout July, and hopefully will start choosing people to join come August.

WELP. I do believe that is it from me for now. I am off to go hopefully soak up some relaxing summer days. I pray you all have a most wonderful and fun-filled July.

I will see you all in August!

Okay but I’m going to miss you guys! So let’s talk all the things before I go. What are your plans for July? Do you have any fun summer-y things coming up? What’s your favorite way to spend a vacation (because sometimes my workaholic self doesn’t even know what to do with free time eheh). Tell me all the things!