Um…Yeah. I’ve been MIA

Hello Friends!

I know. I know.

I’ve been missing in action for the past year…or more.

It wasn’t intentional that I ignored you. Honestly, I’ve been hesitant to post anything on any social media, and I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s because I don’t know what to say. Or maybe it’s because I was waiting until I had good news about a new book to share with you.

But, I don’t have a new book. I haven’t written anything at all in nearly 2 years. I haven’t written since COVID happened and my kids started to be home more. BUT I’m not complaining. Yes, there are more distractions at home, but I’m enjoying my slower paced life. In fact, besides enjoying my family and exploring a new city, I spent the past year working on improving my Spanish. It’s been great to be able to dive deep into learning something new.

Let’s get you up to speed. From 2016 to 2020, I wrote and published 17 novels, 14 novellas, 9 short stories, and 6 collections of stories. That’s ALMOST 1 story every MONTH! (11.5 Published books per year for four years.) No wonder I felt burned out! (Yes, that’s right, that’s 46 published stories. If you think you missed some, you can find them all linked HERE.)

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE writing and books in general. I mean, how can you not? It’s just the thought of putting so much effort into creating something…especially with all my life distractions…wasn’t something I was ready to tackle. Writing is a labor of love. A passion. You need the right frame of mind at the right time of your life to be successful. And I’m just not there quite yet.

So…I last updated you last spring (Spring of 2021) when we sold our house in Wisconsin and decided (on a whim) to move our family to South Carolina (North Myrtle Beach) for a year before moving full-time into our travel trailer this upcoming summer. Well, that life plan hasn’t changed. On June 27th, we will be living on the road…and I can’t wait!

A ton of adventures are coming up for my family and me. Adventures I hope inspire me to write some crazy adventure stories. So, when I think about it…am I done writing? NO! I’m just not currently writing Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Cozy Mysteries. Instead, I’m writing about our travel adventures for a few years.

Interests change throughout life.

And that’s okay.

I’d appreciate it if you stuck around and waited, as I haven’t given up on writing novels. I’m just focusing on other endeavors for the time being.

Oh, and my family and I had an absolutely WONDERFUL time living on the ocean for the past year. We hiked some amazing coastline, saw the most beautiful sunsets, and even threw a few starfish back into the ocean. Not only that, but we learned what “Chicken Bog” is, got to listen to some really cool southern accents, and even started saying “you all” instead of our Wisconsin “yous guys.”

I hope you enjoy these photos of our time in South Carolina. Please like and/or comment on this post if you want me to continue to update you on our travels and my writing projects.

Take care,

–Joy