Updates and Stuff

The Story so Far...

With summer just around the corner, I figured it was time for an update. 

So, firstly, it's been a rough couple of months for me. My dog died. I hurt my back. I've had the worst allergies of my life, and developed asthma. I didn't even know that was possible. After having Covid three times, I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. 

My allergy medication was causing pretty severe depression, and my antidepressant made me a freaking zombie. Wonderful.

Of course, I didn't recognize any of those signs while I was in the midst of it. Only after coming off the allergy med and switching my antidepressant (actually for anxiety) did I realize how bad I'd been feeling for the past three YEARS. 

I'm fine. It's fine. Everything is fine.

So, I said all of that to say this. I am way fucking behind. Like, not even in the same zip code of being on schedule. Obviously. Sorry about that. 

I also have a knee surgery coming up in a couple of weeks. It's nothing too major and my doctor assures me recovery will be quick and easy. Still, there's going to be at least a few days where nothing gets done. 

Then, there's physical therapy. I also start my allergy injections soon. I'm getting four injections every week, and from what I understand, I'll have to be in the office for about 90 minutes every visit to make sure I don't have a reaction. Seems like a good time to write, yes? No. I am definitely not one of those "post up in the corner of Starbucks" kind of writers.

In other words, I'm getting shit done. It's just slow right now.
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Where is "X" Book?

Some you win. Some you lose. In the case of a few short titles I released on Amazon at the beginning of the year, I lost. Lean on Me, Stay with Me, Heart of Glass, and Heart of Stone are currently not available to purchase or borrow anywhere.

The problem seems to stem from the fact that I had previously released these books under a different pen name through my KDP account. Rebranding is allowed for books published elsewhere, but apparently, not ones through Amazon. 

Since republishing them with the same title, author name, etc completely defeats the purpose of rebranding, that's not something I'm willing to do. As of right now, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with these titles. Even though these books aren't published right now, I still have to wait until the 90 day Kindle Unlimited term expires.

So, I guess check back at the end of June for an update. Hopefully, by then, I'll have a plan. 
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Releases

Okay, I made a big deal, hemming and hawing, about how all of these series were getting makeovers and blah, blah, blah. I'm a liar. And an asshole. Again, apologies for that. Amazing what happens when you can actually think straight.

So, here's the deal. 

I realized the story I wanted to tell with Fatefully Yours is a new story.  But I don't need to reinvent the wheel to tell it. I can just--gasp--write a new series. I know...mind blown. 

So, Fatefully Yours is being rereleased as it is. Yeah, I've edited, but I haven't changed anything with the characters or plot. Nothing new has been added. If you've already read the series, you definitely don't need to pick up these rereleases.
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Midnight Matings

Ah, Midnight Matings. This isn't a series I necessarily wanted to change. For reasons I can't get into, I just thought I HAD to. Come to find out, I don't. Hell yeah!

These books are undergoing edits and some minor updates. (Blockbuster and flip phones anyone?) Otherwise, they haven't changed, either. I added a couple of paragraphs to the end of Fire and Ash, but honestly, not enough to warrant purchasing a new copy. 

I have changed the series title to Mated by Midnight. This was largely to avoid issues with Amazon. Since the print-on-demand versions of my books are still on Amazon (but not available for purchase?) they seem to think I'm trying to plagiarize myself.

​When I rereleased the first two Fatefully Yours books, it took an entire week for me to convince them otherwise. 
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what's next?

Right now, I'm working on getting the rest of the Fatefully Yours and Mated by Midnight books out. At least, the ones I have the rights back to. That includes the entirety of the Fatefully Yours series, minus the holiday special Lest We Forget. 

For Mated by Midnight (previously Midnight Matings) that includes, Fire and Ash, Myth and Mischief, Fantasy, Legend, and the Guardian, and Howl and Harmony. 

I still have a couple of years before I get the rights back to the rest of the series (or any other books, for that matter) so there will be no new Mated by Midnight books until then.

I'm still planning to release the brand spankin' new Shot in the Dark series this year. I just honestly don't know when. I'm hoping sometime this summer, but I've got a lot on my plate right now, both with real life and my other pen name. 

I promise I'm getting there. I'm working hard, and I'll provide updates as soon as I have something relevant to share!