It’s been almost a year since I posted a blog entry, but what a different place I find myself in now to where I was a year ago which was kinda dark and more than just a little bit scary. When I read those last few blog entries I can see how much I was retreating inside myself, letting negativity and self-doubt take over and keep me from doing the things I loved. I’d stepped away from martial arts, stepped away from writing, stepped away from almost every online community I belonged to and just sort of isolated myself from the world.

I’ll always be grateful to those who kept sending me PMs asking how I was and hoping I would finish Broken Prince, because at that point I really didn’t think that I ever would finish it or anything, but the constant encouragement was just the motivation I needed to get it completed. Thank you. I missed wandering the message boards, engaging in conversation in chats and threads and taking part in the anthology, but like many other things I abandoned when I was struggling, returning has been difficult. Some days I feel like the shy kid in the corner, people watching but still hesitant to take part but the thing is, the best thing I ever did was take part in this sight because it taught me not to be afraid to write what I wanted to write.

In the past year, as I’ve pulled myself together, I’ve been more active in my writing group in my community, even helping to organize book signings for my fellow authors as well as being part of the committee to help set up open mic night in our town. What a huge leap for the girl who liked to hide in her darkened studio all day. I’ve attended workshops and retreats, traveled and even started attending historical events again, as well as getting back to fossil and mushroom hunting which I loved but couldn’t even manage to drag myself out of my house for last year.

I’ve also been submitting my stories, thanks to Mann Ramblings for letting me know about Wayward Ink, and I wanted to share with you all that the story formally known as Guitars and Crossdressers, now know as Guitars and Cages would be appearing sometime in June. They have also accepted for publication Broken Prince, as well as Desolation Angel. I’m blown away by that, still, and know that would never have been possible without all those who read the stories as they were being created and left such wonderful feedback and comments.

In the last three months I’ve completed three unfinished stories that have been languishing on my desk for the better part of the last two years, and am slowly working towards getting back to the incomplete stories I have here on the site. I won’t be posting chapters for awhile, I’ve learned a valuable lesson about not posting until I finish writing, but I wanted to let readers of those stories know they haven’t been forgotten.

Didn’t mean for the blog to go so long this morning, really just wanted to say thank you to the wonderful friends and readers I have met here, and say how much I am looking forward to getting back into being active on the site again.