Alley! Where Have You Been, Loca?
Boy, has it been a minute since I’ve added a blog here!
Let’s get all the new life updates from the past (almost) year out at once:
I got married!!!
On August 10, 2024, Michael and I officially tied the knot! We got married back in Ohio where both our families still live with all of our friends and families with us. I think a huge part of why I took a step back from writing was due to wedding planning. I am such a Type A person, and I really thought I could plan a beautiful wedding on my own (and BOY was I wrong!) Turns out, wedding planning consists of so much more than I ever thought it would be. Since December of last year, I have been stressing over my bridal shower, our joint bachelor/ette party, communicating with and booking vendors, meeting with our venue’s event coordinator, attending food tastings, and so much more.
While it was a ton of work and stress, the day was absolutely perfect and now we’re married! We took a nice little honeymoon to the Virgin Islands afterwards. Now, I’m back into the writing groove and helping my sister plan her wedding for August of 2025. (Pray for the both of us).
We’ve moved
In September, my husband got a promotion that took us about two hours outside of Bluffton where we used to live. We were so excited about this promotion as it’s the next step up for Michael in where he wants to be. Luckily, we had a conversation a few months before the promotion about our future and whether we were at the point of being comfortable taking any sort of promotion that would require us to move. I always knew we would likely follow Michael’s career, as teaching is sort of a career that you can find an opening just about anywhere right now. I let my department know at the end of last school year that I would not be returning because my husband was going to start pursuing opportunities to move up in his career.
Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long before an opportunity came up. Like I said, Michael got the promotion in September and by the end of the month, we were moved into our new home, and he was already starting work. I’ve spent a lot of time during the past few months driving back and forth between our new town and Bluffton. Our old house is up for sale, so I spent a lot of time in October with my mom cleaning out the house and getting it ready for sale. Now I go back and forth every week or two to maintain the yard, collect any mail that still may be going to that address, and visiting my favorite coffee spot that I was sooo sad to leave.
So, what am I doing now?
Good news, I’m back to writing every day! Since we are in the middle of the school year, I am not currently teaching full time. I am, however, substituting at the high schools around our new area. And let me just say how much I appreciate substitutes now that I am one! I’ve always appreciated them as a teacher, but now experiencing what they go through on the daily, oof! I’m still getting used to the new area, exploring around and trying to find new coffee shops and restaurants for Michael and I to enjoy together. Right now, I am working on what I’m hoping is the FINAL draft of Throne of Exiles, the second book in the Crown of Blood series! I had planned to have it available for preorder before 2025, but I think I’m going to wait until early 2025 to have preorder up and ready.
I’m also working on the first draft of a NEW SERIES. Let me just say that I am still fully dedicated to Crown of Blood as that series is my absolutely baby and I am having so much fun writing book 2. That being said, I’ve had a new idea swimming around my brain for the past few years as well. I’ve been keeping these ideas in the Notes app on my phone, and we’re at the point where the number of notes I have for this new series could be a book all on its own. I decided to finally just take the plunge and begin putting all these ideas together into a cohesive storyline. So as of right now, I’m working on two books at once! (Again, pray for me).
I don’t have any specific dates for when this new series will be released as I am very early into the real writing process for it. But I do plan to add teasers on here and beginning chapters once I get through the first few drafts and the first book is closer to publication.
Until then, I’ll keep writing my updates here!
