So Let's Talk About It

AKA: Why I haven't released a book this year

It's been a year. 

I'm slowly coming to the realization that everything happens for a reason, and for some reason, I needed to be fired from my tech support job, so I could get back to what I was good at. 

Writing and doing hair. 

For those of you that don't know, I was a hairdresser from 1995-2022. I worked full time as a hairdresser, and from 2008-2022, I rented a booth, which basically meant I was in charge of my own schedule and my own time. There are pluses to that--like being able to take off work whenever I need to, and if I'm repeatedly sick, I don't have to explain myself or have doctor's notes or anything to validate my need to take some time off. 

The minuses? Insurance and retirement plans. And then COVID hit me hard. I got a very bitter taste for people during COVID. The number of times we had to shut down and get tested during COVID because someone came in with COVID to get a haircut because they "felt fine" was ridiculous.

After COVID's huge impact on me and my business, I needed to step away from the salon chair, and people, for that matter. What I wanted to do was write and support my family with my books. 

But I didn't make enough money that way, so I had to find something else. 

Instead, I became a Customer Care/Tech support agent at a local cable company. 

It had benefits, paid days off (something I'd never had before), a steady, reliable pay check, they took out and filed taxes for me, all that stuff that I had to do on my own. And I got to work from home. 

Post-COVID that seemed like a dream. 

Well, it wasn't. And it was. 

The good? I had really good medical insurance, which was very helpful when we figured out what was actually wrong with my stomach, an issue that needed to be resolved. I was able to get proper screenings without having to take out a loan for the bills. I even got a good chunk of my kid's braces covered by the insurance. 

I will miss that insurance. 

What I won't miss? The phone calls. Tried as I might, I was unable to just "autopilot" the calls, follow proceedures and move on to the next one. I got invested, in EVERY SINGLE ONE. I needed to fix their problems. Many times, I did. But I also was drained and a zombie after a 10 hour shift. 

Not to mention depressed with no motivation to do anything but stream some random series. 

So guess how much writing I was able to do? 

Zero. 

But wait, I had 3 days off a week. What about writing those days? Well, I tried, but I had nothing left in the tank, and too much to do. Or worse, I was sick, and unable to do anything, which only built up the to-do list until the next day off. 

I looked into different things to try and revitalize my energy. 

1. Got all new branding. Which I love. 
2. Created Merch for my website. Which I also love.
3. Researched and started drafting ideas for special Kickstarter projects. 
4. Looked into special editions, and what I'll be doing for those. (Yes, I have some special editions coming, I'm still working out the details on them)
5. Worked with a PR company to help boost my social media and my online presense so my books sell better. 
6. Researched new story ideas.

And the list goes on. 

Notice none of that actually says "Writing". 

Because the juice I use to write, I finally figured out, was the same juice I used to solve problems on the phone all day. That creative well was being tapped for work every day, so I had nothing left for my books. 

I knew I had to do something. 

I had started looking for a new job, but Fate intervened and wound up getting me fired. Which honestly, I probably needed, because while I was growing horribly frustrated as the company's needs from me and my department changed, I was hesitant to just quit without a plan. 

And at first, I wasn't sure I wanted to get back behind a salon chair and start doing hair again. That was a lot of work, and this old body is in bad shape after 3 years of sitting in a chair answering the phones. 

But really, after interviewing with a chain salon that specializes in just haircutting, I took the job. I didn't know if I'd like it, or if I was even able to still do it. 

Guess what?

I am. 

I'm pretty exhausted when I get home, and the cuts are very much back to back, so I certainly have been thrown into the thick of it.

But it's the thick of it that I know. I can do this all day long, and I can do it on auto-pilot. Not that I don't get connected with my customers, and I don't mean that I don't speak or anything, I do all that. 

It's different. 

A different kind of energy vibe. 

One that I know and can work with. 

I've written more since the start of November (when I started this job) than I have in 2 years. And I want to write. I haven't wanted to write in a long time. 

Am I still worried about insurance and bills and stuff?  Yeah. Of course. But it's a worry I can handle. I know how to do this. I can pick up extra shifts when I need them, and I'll still have a regular paycheck, since it's a company and not me on my own. 

I'm hoping it will be the best of both, and allow me to get back to my creative work, and remove some of the chaos in my life. 

My goal is to get Alien Want and Cyborg Unclaimed out in December. 

I have 2 short stories that will be in anthologies next year, as well as more Kantenan books, and there are some Orcs and Shifters on the horizon. 

We're gonna get there, I know it. 

Thank you for being there with me, and sticking by me all this time. It's not been a great year, but I appreciate you so you much.