So it’s been a while…

…and I’ll tell you why.

This has been quite a year. Well, more like a year and a half. It’s been the most challenging and disruptive year of my life.

At the beginning of last summer, my spouse and I split up, and started divorce proceedings. This was along with my kids being home, moving to online school, and all that came with such a move. I know that there are a lot of you who dealt with the same challenges. But it was hard. I don’t like to talk about myself outside of book world all that often, or fun stuff like cons and writerly things, but this is my truth. It was hard.

Then, in February, my beloved Daddy passed away. He’d gone into surgery for his heart, and he was doing well. Something happened – not sure even now – and he left us one night, after we’d all gone home. To say that I was shell shocked would be an understatement.

I’ve been devastated for the past four months. I miss him every day. I’ve finally stopped calling him automatically, because we talked regularly.  There’s a hole in my life left by his passing that will never heal. I’ll miss him forever.

What else can you say after that? Getting up, taking care of my kids, my pets, and my work was basically one step in front of the other, and just working to get through the end of the day.

My kids and my friends and family have kept me going. Amazingly, because I’ve never gone through this before, so did my writing. At the moment, I’m writing Wynter’s story, in the Oracle of Wynter series, and while she and I aren’t on the same path, there are similarities. She has been the perfect story for me to be working on.

And you all. I’ve had readers reach out, just to offer kind words, and check in. A lot of times, you all made me cry with happy appreciation. This may have been a challenging year, but I am most fortunate in those that are still around me.

As summer finally hits the Rocky Mountains, I feel as though I’m coming out of a dark tunnel.

Which is nothing but good. So onward, and hopefully upward.

And thank you.

XO,
Lisa