Sometimes, I look at all of my titles and think, “I can’t believe it!” Then I think about the fact that this entire journey wasn’t my idea and ask, “Why am I surprised when God is behind it?” Yeah, publishing 12 books in two years was a lot, and I was ready to keep going, but I received the message that I was supposed to slow down. You see, both of my illustrators had ‘life happen’, and each had to postpone my next publications. At first, I was frustrated, but then I decided that maybe God was telling me to take a breath to recharge my creativity and catch up on a few things that were being neglected. I have learned over the years that it’s important to listen to that “still small voice” and “take heed lest you suffer more.”

I haven’t written anything substantial since last February. That was another sign. I didn’t feel like writing. A couple of times I woke up in the middle of the night with ideas so I wrote them down, but they all sounded incomplete. Maybe they will be ideas for future books. I guess life happened to me, too, because of a teacher shortage at my school, I’m teaching two additional classes. It’s all about balance, right? I’ve decided that I will try to write again when Christmas break begins. After all, I’m getting pressure from my readers of “The Crustacean Chronicles” to write Book Three as soon as possible. That’s what I get for ending the book with a cliffhanger!

In the meantime, I’m throwing all my energy into vendor shows. My husband and I enjoy having a booth at vendor shows. It gives us something to do together on the weekends, and he enjoys being the Director of Transportation, Logistics, and Security for Tall Girl Publishing. I miss publishing new books, but I am confident there will be a few new ones in 2025!