"Fire bad. Tree Pretty."

I don't get it.

In times of turmoil, many respond by simply keeping on. That I understand. Do what you have to do, make it through the day. Hope that things get better, easier, simpler. That someday you'll have space for something more than surviving this moment.

I read months ago observations by psychologists that humans are incapable of processing trauma in the midst of living it. There are coping mechanisms, like denial, but we can't truly engage with the way trauma has impacted us until we have space free from the trauma to do so. Until we can do more than keep on keeping on.

People respond in different ways, of course. Many writers had an immensely productive 2020. Some continue to escape the political circus—and its terrifying implications—by focusing on their stories. And maybe if the extent of their personal trauma is dealing with the isolation of lockdown, I can understand that. After all, I've been living in a "shelter in place" way for years, for reasons unrelated to COVID, and with limits that go beyond local laws (or even the threat of infection). That hamper me even inside my own home. Maybe I would have started to process that, but COVID happened.

And then the traumas kept piling up. People I'd known for years died. And I made my way out of that grief enough to return to looking forward. The protracted disaster that was the US election became just another thing to live with. Staying abreast of developments required energy, sure, but there was a little something left, enough to revise my 2015 NaNo project, however slowly; to reveal the cover of the Dragon Story; to start to plan what I wanted to accomplish writing-wise in 2021.

Then people were diagnosed with terminal cancer, or were injured in a way that required hospitalization. Friends lost relatives to COVID.

The Capitol was attacked by white supremacist terrorists whom half the US still considers "patriots."

And even so I tried to push forward. To be more than a body that drags itself through the rituals of daily life (hygiene, sustenance). To try to find the energy to post here, or write that newsletter I really need to write, or work on the planned revisions to a published book I wanted to re-release. 

But my body has decided that food is too complicated a concept for it to handle.

And today, a family member was hospitalized with COVID.

I'm an expert at "keeping on." I do what I have to do. Hygiene. Water. Food, if I can, or now when I get hungry enough that I'm willing to suffer the consequences of a bowl of broth. Checking in on the people in my life who've been having a hard time.

But writing? Even revising?

Trisha and Ev (Forging Forever #3) have been walking through my mind more frequently. I should be writing their story. The Dragon Story needs to be revised. That other book, the plan was for a February re-release.

But I can't keep on keeping on with my writing. I can't even find the right tone to hit with a patreon post or for a newsletter. I can't be "an author" when I can barely manage to be a person.

I'm sorry. I don't know how other people do it. I feel so incredibly weak, but it's all I can do to keep the endless disasters from overwhelming my mind. So I stare at whatever show or movie is playing on my screen, or I drag my eyes over the pages of stories I'll never remember reading, or I play some inane game online literally because it takes no effort yet still occupies that little bit of my mind left that isn't enough to process everything but would otherwise still try. And break. 

I'm sorry. 

2 weeks into 2021, and I've already failed to keep up with everything, too busy keeping on. 

Someday.

I hope you've found ways to be better, to take care of yourselves, to be kind if you're keeping on, or to celebrate if you're achieving more than that.

p.s. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the title quotation without looking it up. 

This post originally went up on my Patreon here.

Let's Start with the Oven Mitts

A recent conversation with a friend meandered to a struggle of hers: anxiety about getting burned when using the oven. Of course, she was using potholders, but there are still quite a few ways to accidentally get burned. And burns suck. Anxiety, which is often less than reasonable, also sucks. 

As you can probably guess from the title of the post, we quickly reached the conclusion that oven mitts would offer her the protection she needs. More importantly, they would offer her peace of mind when using the oven. And that means, she'll be able to use the oven more often, making the task of cooking that much easier. 

Now, it wasn't like she was starving before this conversation, so this may seem like a pretty small change to her quality of life overall. Except, making one thing easier is always worth it. When we're juggling a million stressors, it can be hard to see how we can lighten that load even a little. Sometimes, outside perspective is the only way. Sometimes, we see a potential solution but it still feels insurmountable. Or maybe the problem seems too tiny compared to the Real Big Problems, and we convince ourselves (or, perhaps, stress and anxiety convince us) that fixing that tiny problem isn't worth it. 

But consider that experiment with holding a glass of water. Brief recap: picking up a glass of water isn't hard for many of us; holding it awhile isn't that hard either; but if you keep having to hold it aloft, it seems heavier and heavier as time goes on. The same goes for your stressors, whether they're pebbles or boulders. Putting down a pebble is, overall, a small change. But incremental change in the right direction is a good thing that can still have a great impact on your everyday life.

So, let's start with the oven mitts. 

What's one way you can make your life a little bit easier right now? Or, what's one everyday annoyance you'd like help solving? Let us all know in the comments!

"Be Interesting"

Public post from my Patreon

In a little folder in my email, I have ~200 messages focused on teaching authors how to communicate effectively with their audience, primarily through newsletters, but basically they're all about how to create content that reaches through the messy mass we're all trying to avoid and actually has an impact. Because reaching an audience is part of the business of being an author, and I do try to learn and improve. 

The most recent of these expert emails included the groundbreaking tip in this post's title: Be interesting. 

Who knew the trick to writing good, engaging content (whether for blogs, patreons, or newsletters), boiled down to such a simple thing? All I have to do is be interesting! 

Too bad this has very little meaning. What's interesting? To whom? When? How often? (This is where nailing your target audience comes in.) But even if you know your audience pretty well, "interesting" is still a relative, fluctuating concept. Influencers, perhaps, have this figured out. A little while ago I read that if you weren't an influencer 3 years ago, it's too late to try. Frankly, if that's true, it's almost a relief. I'm an author, not an influencer, and being "interesting" isn't my main goal. 

Freshman year of college, one of my professors pointed out that calling a story "interesting" is entirely meaningless, partially because while it should mean that you found the story engaging, it most often means, "I have no idea what to say or have formed a slightly negative opinion but don't want to be offensive/confrontational, so I'll call it interesting." 

So, goodness forbid folks find my real work "interesting." I'd almost rather people hated it—at least that would mean it had some kind of impact. (Though I assume if you hated my work, you wouldn't be here...) But wanting my work to have an impact does mean reaching an audience. 

And that means, apparently, I have to learn to be interesting. So, wish me luck... 

Something to Celebrate!

To say 2020 has been and continues to be difficult may be the greatest understatement imaginable. As we all grapple with stress, uncertainty, and loss, joy can feel incongruous. And yet, that's precisely why it seems important to grab on to any cause for celebration, to commemorate our achievements or simply take a moment away from the incessant turmoil of the year.

Since I've found myself with something to celebrate, I wanted to share this moment of happiness with you. What's this big news?

I've finished the first draft of the Dragon Story! 

(Check out the draft book description, an excerpt, and much more on Patreon.)

Started back in February, before 2020 fully imploded and trapped us all in its depths, this story is quite different than my previous books, with fantasy creatures and pocket dimensions mixed in with the heartfelt emotions you can always expect from my writing. World-building to this extent is new for me, and many revisions await, but there is a story hidden in those ~85,000 words. It exists. 

So I'm giving away three different prize packs celebrating my published romances! Check out the details and enter to win below. 💕

Summer Seduction Prize Pack:

• Tantalized by Taralynn mug
• E-book copy

 

Mortal Musings Prize Pack:

• Signed paperback
• Dreams to Dishes jumbo mug
• Mortal Musings playing cards

 

Forging Forever Mega Prize Pack:

• All 3 signed books! (Mending Heartstrings, Tasting Temptation, Taking Chances)
• Stainless steel water bottle
• Cavaliere Vineyards coasters
• Taking Chances notebook
• Guitar pick necklace

 

Enter to Win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hush, Now (On Writing Quiet Genre Fiction)

One thing I've come to accept as a result of working on the Dragon Story is that even when working with a premise that could naturally be plot-driven, filled with escalating external stakes, I still write what's considered "quiet" fiction.

Quiet genre fiction is almost a cross between genre fiction and literary fiction. It focuses primarily on the character(s), even within the framework of its genre. Rather than being boldly direct, it relies a bit more on inference and nuance. It usually avoids laying out every piece of the story and the characters under a spotlight. As a result, it allows for a more colorful, vivid style of writing, rather than prioritizing the most direct language possible.

Though quiet fiction overall has long been considered not commercially viable (literary fiction authors often seek out teaching positions or paid residencies, rather than relying on book sales), some agents and authors have started talking about the viability of quiet genre fiction. This is interesting, since like I said, I can't seem to help but write quiet stories.

Summer Seduction is the perfect example. It could have been mostly fun sexy times between an author and her fan, but it became character-driven and much "quieter" from the concept through the writing. The Dragon Story is turning out much the same at the moment (for better or worse).

It does make sense—whether reading, writing, or watching, ultimately what interests me is the characters. Even in romance, if the story dips too heavily into the plot-driven side, it feels dissatisfying to me.

Of course every genre story has to balance character and plot, and some genres require more external action and tension than others. For me, plot without significant character development is just stuff that happens, which also explains why I don't watch/read many action-based stories. But I believe in any genre, the best stories are the ones that incorporate compelling character development, which also allows those stories to appeal to readers who may not normally explore that genre. For example, I don't read much Fantasy or Sci Fi, but I really enjoyed many of the books in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series back when I read them, because McCaffrey allowed the balance to tip enough toward character development to pull me in.

As a writer, though, I have to recognize that many readers do prefer "standard" genre fiction. They want the more blunt language, laying everything out on the page. They want the action-driven stories. They want the drama and excitement of external experiences far outside their own, even if they also want to find something relatable in the character as well. For some readers, quiet fiction feels like English class.

I also have to accept that my stories may never fit that more standard genre style. While I can't say I've quite reached that perfect balance of plot, character development, and language that we see in the truly masterful quiet genre stories, I have come to recognize that nailing this blend is more my aim with my writing. So, it is fairly heartening to see these types of stories starting to claim their space within the market, which really means, in readers' hearts and minds.

What do you say—which type of story do you prefer? Something quieter, more character-driven, or something more direct, more focused on the external action? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Add Some Sizzle to Your Summer!

We've made it through (a little more than) half of 2020, and if that isn't worth celebrating, what is?

Up for grabs are a $100 Amazon Gift Card and over 20 ebooks! Including Tasting Temptation, like you might have guessed from the graphic. 😉

Entries are all based on signing up for our author newsletters. So if you're subscribed to mine, you get a free entry! For the others, please remember that while you're welcome to unsubscribe at any time, we would greatly appreciate if you remembered not to mark the message as spam as a shortcut to doing that. Thank you!

We're hoping these books add a little spark and sizzle to your summer, so without further ado:

Enter the Giveaway

Click here to enter