If at First...

 

Welp, here we are.

It’s been just short of a year since I announced I was going to write a romance series (eight books total) at the pace of roughly one book a month over the course of the coming year. Checking back over my posts, that was September 21, 2022.

As you can tell, the writing didn’t happen.

However, a lot of other stuff did. I got punched in the wallet by an unexpected tax bill, followed by quarterly tax payments. Then there was the tooth infection, which turned into an expensive root canal. In between receiving the tax bill and getting the tooth fixed, I began bleeding from my lady parts. That can be scary when you’re a decade past menopause. I’m getting surgery done later this month. Even scarier, my freelance job, which has been covering expenses for me since 2015, began to dry up. Over the last several months the assignments have slowed to a trickle, and I can’t in good conscience look for other employment until the issue with my lady parts has been resolved. Be hell to land a new job only to have to tell the boss, “Sorry, I can’t start on Monday. The bulb burned out on my Easy Bake Oven and it has to go into the shop. How about I start next month? Is that good for you?”

Then there’s that issue with my right eye, the one the optometrist told me has developed a cataract, which began acting up around the same time as the tooth, and I only had funds to deal with one. I never did get the eye looked at.

Definitely should have put more effort into completing the book-a-month challenge last year. Or the year before that. I might have had a bit more disposable income to dispense to the doctors and dentists. Yeah well. You know what they say. Life’s a bitch.

They also say try, try again.

Which brings us to the here and now. At the moment my publisher’s still in business, I still get assignments here and there and there’s absolutely nothing on TV. Between that and all the extra free time, I don’t see why I can’t churn out a 45K-50K sex book every four-five weeks or so. I can also go prospecting through all my old notebooks for straw to spin into gold. Gotta do something on the weekends.

Now all I need is a kick in the pants. Oh wait, my utility bill almost doubled this summer due to me running the AC during the various heat waves. And winter heating season’s coming up. And the annual homeowners and car insurance bills. Reminds me of a tale once told by mystery writer Mickey Spillane. Heavily paraphrased, he said, “I used to take walks on the beach, waiting for inspiration. Then my accountant called and told me the bank account was running low. Man, did I get inspired.” Preach, Brother Mickey, preach.

***

It’s not quite as bad as it sounds up there. I did write a book last year, the one I used as a side project to keep words hitting paper when I kept stalling out on the series. I even finished it. I’m on the second draft now, and it’s going great guns. Now that I know the story and the characters better, I can spot and fix all the problems. It’ll probably mean almost totally rewriting the entire first half, but I’m getting all sorts of great ideas and fresh inspirations. I didn’t even have to walk on the beach. The third draft should be golden. Any time I get stuck on the series books I’ll just hop back to this one, and vice versa. If all else fails, I’ve got another possible series waiting in the wings. It’s still in the nebulous stages, though, so I’ll let it simmer for a while.

So once more into the breach. I will write a book a month this year. I don’t have much of a choice. I’ve never had to live with credit card debt and I don’t aim to start. To keep myself on track, and accountable, I’m throwing myself back into the habit of posting a blog once a week. I promise you, every Monday something will appear in this space. Might be an update, might be a rant, might be an excerpt or even a flash scene. Maybe I’ll post redacted copies of my hospital bills. Let them serve as a warning to others. You might have a good job now and be healthy as a horse, but that can change in the blink of an eye. Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel. Happy writing!