Have you ever seen something and fallen in love with it immediately? Knew you had to have it right away? Thatās the very feeling I had when I saw my new cover! Itās exactly what I wanted for this book, the embodiment of the mysterious atmosphere (not to mention a libraryā¦how cool is that?).
In addition to the cover, the PRE-ORDER is now LIVE!!! Iām so excited for you to discover the town of Thornbury Woods and the secrets its inhabitants keep hidden.
This book is a contemporary twist on gothic romance books Iāve loved by authors like Phyllis A Whitney and Mary Stewart. In it, youāll find:
In addition to the cover, the PRE-ORDER is now LIVE!!! Iām so excited for you to discover the town of Thornbury Woods and the secrets its inhabitants keep hidden.
This book is a contemporary twist on gothic romance books Iāve loved by authors like Phyllis A Whitney and Mary Stewart. In it, youāll find:
- A mysterious manor house under renovation
- A hidden past crime
- A broken vow
- Secret passageways
- A ghostā¦or is it?
Wading Through Lifeā¦
Itās spring here in the South. Everyone focuses on the new flowers, but it can be a mix here with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes thrown around every couple of weeks. This year, as my daughter and I prepare for another round of ācan we actually grow somethingāfor realā, I find myself fascinated by all the seeds sheās bought. Sheās so excited by the potential of their growth and what will happen as they come to fruition.
The potential to take something from an idea (a tiny seed in a paper pouch) to the thing it can become when given the love and right conditions to flourish IS exciting. We havenāt had great success with our potted plant garden, except for okra. We grew a lot of that last year! [heart emoji] But its exciting to know that it can happen!
It takes a lot of energy to bring projects to their fullest potential. For plants, it's lots of water, the right soil, sometimes additives or sprays for bugs, and making sure you pick the fruit before it gets too ripe (oops!).
For my new series, itās been the idea, planning and plotting, drafting, editing, and now publishing. The entire process has taken me 3 years, which at times made me feel like I wasnāt accomplishing anything. Kind of like those weeks between when you plant a seed and when the sprout actually shows up.
But seeing the first fruits now is one of the most exciting things Iāve ever done! I hope you enjoy going along with me on the journey. Soon I will have a cover to share!!
How does your garden usually grow? Do you have a green thumb? Or is it hit or miss (like me)?
Take care,
Dani
Something that caught my eyeā¦
My daughter went to a tulip farm nearbyāabsolutely gorgeous. Weāre so lucky the freeze didnāt stop them from blooming. And we had a beautiful bouquet in the house for a week. Wading Through Life...
Iāve been immersing myself in some gothic-esque TV shows and movies as I work on book 2 of my contemporary southern gothic series to put me in the right frame of mind. I thought Iād share some of these with yāall this month. Theyāre perfect for a cold winterās night with hot chocolate (shot of Baileyās anyone?) and a fuzzy blanket, joined by one or more of my kitty babies to keep me warm. Some awesome options:
Haunting of Hill House (series-Netflix)
I do a rewatch of this series every couple of months. The characterization of this family is stunning. They are all SO flawed, yet Iāve come to love each of them. Then the setting and hidden ghostsā¦lovely!
Coco (movie)
I recently watched this with my daughter, who was re-watching it. Nowāskeletons are my jam, so a whole movie of talking skeletons is right up my alley! But the music, the themes, all of it spoke to me.
We Bought a Funeral HomeĀ (series-Discovery+)
This is a reality show about a family who moves into an old funeral home to renovate it into a family home. The motherās style is over-the-top gothic and I absolutely love it. Then all the neighbors curious about what theyāre doingā¦the speakeasy in the basement is awesome!
These are all adding to the misty, gloomy atmosphere and ghostly activities of my second contemporary gothic novel.
What are your favorite atmospheric, spooky TV shows or movies featuring ghosts, supernatural themes, or just gothic style for a cold night in front of a fire?
Take Care,
Dani
Hot Irish Romance for a Cold, Cold Night...
STRIKING A CHORD Backstage Pass series
He has fame beyond his dreams ā¦ now he needs her to make it all complete.
Sean Rosslair, Irish drummer, is now a US rock legend. One with a craving for controlāand his new PAās sultry voice and smokinā BBW body have him demonstrating what happens to naughty girls. Meghan Adams finds herself begging for more of Seanās discipline. But can he share all his erotic secrets before a hidden enemy puts him out of commissionāpermanently?
Sean Rosslair has made his dreams come true, and then some--despite his turbulent break from a family who considered image more important than anything. Now Sean has a new goal--getting up close and personal with his new assistant, whose smokin' sexy voice makes him ache to show her what else he can do with his hands. But one look in her clear, innocent eyes tells him she's the kind of woman he should never have.
When Meghan finally exposes her plus-size presence to her new, uber-sexy boss, he doesnāt react the way she expects. She takes her punishment for her white lie wellātoo well. Meghan canāt refrain from begging her boss for another spanking ā¦ but when he takes her with him to his wealthy family's lovely Irish estate, this Southern girl finds herself surrounded by secrets. In the midst of Sean's painful past, can she let go enough to embrace romance with a rock star?
Caution: Contains crazy families, dark secrets, and a hero who knows how to transform pain into pleasure--get your copy of Striking a Chord today!
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Whatās better than spooky season in Americaās spookiest town?
As many of you know, my daughter and I recently went on a girlsā trip to Salem, MA. I donāt travel often, but I love it so! This was her first flights, so it was fun to experience that with her. Salem, MA, is actually a smaller town than I thought, and a lot of the tourist spots are in a very close area. The leaves had just started turning that week, which added to the autumn feel along with the cold temperature (hence my weapons of creation sweatshirt). I got to see enough spooky decorations to make my creepy-loving heart happy! But I also learned so much about Salemās history and their current focus on tolerance, diversity and inclusion. Here are some of the highlights: Architecture: I love the āfeelā that architecture lends a place. Salem (and Massachusetts in general) felt very New England/American historical with some quirky stops along the way.
Atmosphere: Letās get real! We were there to celebrate Halloween, which Salem does all October long.
Some other fun things we did!
This trip inspired me so much to really think about atmosphere and the feel of a place, along with the unjust persecution and why this happened. All of the cool things that we saw and everything I learned fed my creativity in a big way! Inspiration has been hard to access easily during the pandemic, which added to my difficult case of Writer's block. From the "Feel" of Salem, the historical information, visual fodder, and architecture, it all came together to boost my creative energy and refill the well. Yay!
I'm also grateful that I experienced this place with my daughter. We share a love of spookiness, so these are memories we will both cherish.
I hope you enjoy a chance to see it too. Spooky season was wonderful this year and lasted extra long! But it gave me lots of thinking time, then and into the fall. How about you? Also, do you find travel boosts your creative juices?
Take care,
Dani Wading Through Life...
In my day job, Iāve always worked at full throttle. Iāve always been expected to. A To Do list a mile long and constant questions and interruptions. Someone always looking over your shoulder, judging. And I was raised to believe meeting this challenge was a sign of a hard worker. Complaining would be a sign of laziness. Sometimes that busy pace helped the day go quicker; some days, not so muchā¦ Recent changes mean that Iām currently in a slower time. How long that will last remains to be seen. But for now, my days at my new job are happening at a much slower pace. Great, right? Not always. I think our brains can get used to that fast pace and pushing to keep up. Even while you know it isnāt good for you and not a healthy way of operating 24/7. I know I had begun to have difficulty powering down at night. Or I would shut down to complete inactivity (which should have been a huge sign to me that something wasnāt right.) My new job is slower paced, but the restless, anxious, āI must be wrong because every second isnāt packed with something waitingā feeling wonāt go away. Thatās when I realizedā¦I donāt know how to downshift. Everyone tells you to just breathe>>but I donāt actually know how.Ā š It isnāt just a matter of getting your body to slow down (i.e. stop running on adrenaline). The problem is the BRAIN. It feels like if I just exited an 80 mph interstate and found myself on a 30 mph backroad. My brain keeps searching for the speed, even though itās no longer necessary.
I know a lot of people view this as a good problem to haveāme includedābut its not one Iāve encountered before.
Creativity requires a slower, meandering mindset, like a Sunday driveā¦until it latches on to the idea it wants to pursue. But I think its easier when you start from the more exploratory mindset.
But I havenāt been on that easy back road on a daily basis in years. Even writing retreats, when I was able to have them, required some time to get back into a slower mindset.
So now Iām brainstorming some ways to get my brain to slow down on the regular. I want to boost the environment that will in turn encourage my creativity. But I believe it will take some training! Here's some ideas:
- Schedule in some daydreaming time. I find myself constantly searching for something to distract meāSM, music, something to readānot good! I think some āthinking timeā is in order, even if I can only do 5 minutes at a time.
- Walking in natureāIām hoping the weather cools soon so I can do this.
- JournalāI used to call this a ābrain dumpā. It often helps me to get racing thoughts out of my brain. I need to do this more often!
- Cut down on communicatingāmy environment has allowed me to already do this. Less emails, calls, people coming by.
- Lower consumption of TV, internet, etc. Also doing this. No wifi access at work, so less lunchtime binging.
- Relaxation activities, like meditation, breathing. Already doing this, but working to ramp it up.
- Distract myself with something fun, like trip planning (see last blog for more on this) or getting together with friends or planning regular date nights.
Author Joanna Penn talks about the different types of energy authors use ā āstarting energyā, āpushing through energyā, and āfinishing energyā.** This final one is the push to get a project completed, to see that story through to the very end. Usually it is fueled by the momentum that has built up during your project and the rush to see your story wrap up.
Iām full tilt in finishing energy right now, and its both satisfying and exhausting. Normally I find it exciting to push to the end of a story, but my current energy is also muddled by everything else going on in my life. Finishing up at my old job... That meant (for me) wrapping up any outstanding tasks, trying to proactively cover anything that might come up while thereās no one there to do my job, leave instructions behind, and clean out my office (on top of the emotional energy of closing out this chapter of my life).
And now learning my new job. Yes, my expectations of myself are a little highā¦
But Iām trying to focus o the joy of setting all of that chaos aside for a few hours so I can explore this adventure with my characters. Not easy, but oh so fun!
What story are you enjoying to escape your work load today?
Take Care,
Dani
** More on different energies in the book writing process from Joanna here: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/starting-but-not-finishing-writing-projects/
Sheād watched him from afar for yearsā¦now heās up close and personal.
Shy librarian Cara spent her life overshadowed by her three older brothers, while secretly crushing on their best friend. After a family tragedy, he cut himself out of their lives, but she still watches his house on the hill from the darkness of her bedroom every night.
Then she gets a second chance to reveal the man behind the mask. A night of revelry leads to passion and high hopes, until her tortured heroās troubled past rises from the shadows.
Will he retreat into the darkness once more or let obsession lead him to her love
Novellas in Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
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Check out my novella series set in Covington Corner...starting with Book One for FREE.
Sheād watched him from afar for yearsā¦now heās up close and personal.
Shy librarian Cara spent her life overshadowed by her three older brothers, while secretly crushing on their best friend. After a family tragedy, he cut himself out of their lives, but she still watches his house on the hill from the darkness of her bedroom every night.
Then she gets a second chance to reveal the man behind the mask. A night of revelry leads to passion and high hopes, until her tortured heroās troubled past rises from the shadows.
Will he retreat into the darkness once more or let obsession lead him to her love
Novellas in Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
Add to your TBR Shelf in Goodreads
It Caught My Eyeā¦
My daughter and I are headed to Salem, MA in a few weeks and I'm knee deep in deciding what we will see while we're there. Yay!! Change is inevitable, someone said, but if Iām honest, itās my least favorite thing in the world.
I like comfortable, cozy, familiar. Change feels like an itchy wool sweater, only I have to wear it 24/7. Even good change is difficult, because my body/brain doesnāt know the difference between happy stress and difficult time stress. Iāve officially dubbed this season the āSummer of Changeā. I thought it would start and end with my childrenās graduation (one from college, the other from high school), and the youngest one starting college in the fall. This is a bittersweet season for us. While Iām excited to see my babies find their wings, and they arenāt completely leaving the nest because it takes time to get established as an adult, itās still the realization that they no longer need us as much anymore, and theyāre becoming their own independent selves. I certainly hope that they find a sure footing as they move forward, and happy, healthy lives, doing things that they love.
But with the oldest moved home, unexpected medical issues (not me), unexpected feline medical issues, getting everything set up for sonās college start, house painting projectā¦and the big oneāan upcoming job change for me.
Thatās right. After this month, Iāll no longer be working at the university. Itās good (more money, less stress, great company). Itās sad (Iāve loved working on campus and am going to miss so much about it, including a lot of the people). Itās hectic (lots of paperwork, arrangements, forms, appointments, etc).
Big changeā¦and my body is super stressed. Enough Iām not sleeping. Ugh! Hate it when that happens!
But one YAY factor? Iām using the deadline of starting the new job to motivate me to push to finish the book Iām working on. Learning a new job will require brain power, not to mention getting used to a new environment. I can probably edit, but not write new words (author brain is weird!).
This weekend is my first big push. Iāve got 2 more to finish the last 3rd of the first draft. Fingers crossed I can jump that hurdle for a fast finish!
Have you faced any major changes lately?Ā I'd love to talk about it over on my Facebook author page! Follow me at:Ā https://www.facebook.com/dani.Love Small-Town Suspense? Try my Small Town Secrets series!
BENEATH THE SURFACE is FREE on all platforms!
Welcome to Cadence, TNāwhere secrets can be deadly.
Too many secretsā¦
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgottenā¦
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running outā¦
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emmaās sisterā¦ and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
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Apple Books
It Caught My Eye...
As you know, we have a whole clowder of cats in our house, but we only have one outside cat. Her name is Ghost. My daughter caught this awesome picture of her this week and I just love it! I hope you do too!
If youāve been following me for a while, you know that Iām a Planner Girl! I have a 3-drawer set of planner supplies and put together weekly spreads pretty regularly. It helps me stay on track and, frankly, clears out the cobwebs.
Many years ago, I learned to do what I call a brain dump. If I pour everything out onto a To Do list (appointments, chores, projects, etc), then I no longer have to use a lot of brain power to keep track of those things. Iāve fine-tuned this to a monthly and weekly calendar setup so my To Dos donāt outdistance my time (mostlyā¦).
And now Iāve become addicted to planning every week, usually on Sunday afternoons. Which meansā¦an excuse to use stickers!Ā š Just kidding. Not!
For my fellow planner girls or those who want to get started, hereās a list of some of my favorite tools, along with some of my daughterās also (because I managed to pass this one gene along!).
BENEATH THE SURFACE, Small Town Secrets Book 1
Welcome to Cadence, TNāwhere secrets can be deadly.
Too many secretsā¦
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgottenā¦
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running outā¦
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emmaās sisterā¦ and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
For my fellow planner girls or those who want to get started, hereās a list of some of my favorite tools, along with some of my daughterās also (because I managed to pass this one gene along!).
- Passion Planner is the actual planner I use (monthly and weekly spreads-I prefer undated-with monthly and yearly reflection questions), but there are a lot of different ones out there. Passion Planner also posts content on Instagram and YouTube. I enjoy watching their ideas for different ways to use their planners.
- Archer & Olive is really good for those who like to do bullet journals. This is my daughterās preferred option (and you can see some of her spreads on her blog here-alittlebithappierblog.com). These journals have high quality bindings and paper that doesnāt bleed, which can be a big deal when you are creating your own spreads.
- The HB90 planner by Sarah Cannon is available on Etsy and is wonderful for all the authors out there! I bought the download and use some of the ideas to incorporate into my own planner. I also print word count charts and some decision-making tools she has to help me keep my planner useful for author needs. She has an awesome HB90 class and you can also watch planner videos on her Heart Breathings YouTube channel.
- My sister, author Ella Sheridan, and I are working through the Heal the Way You Work class (based on the Do Less book by Kate Northrup). This teaches you how to plan your schedule based on your energies of that day/week/month. A very different approach, but Iām finding it very interesting. Fingers crossed I can figure this out, but her checklists of questions for creating annual/quarterly/weekly schedules is super helpful for clarifying goals and focuses.
- Stickers!!! I love and use a lot of Happy Planner sticker books. I especially like all the quotes and encouraging sayings in them. I was gifted some gothic ones for Christmas from HoundsflyteDesigns on Etsy that Iām loving! My daughter and I immediately went to her store and bought more of them.
- Pens, pens, and more pensā¦ I have a lot of these but not as many as some planners. Iām very picky about mineā¦ My favorite black pens are uni-ball signo, whether Iām writing or planning. I also have a set of Pentel EnerGel colored pens that work well. My daughter likes Muji gel pens in 0.58 and Tombow duel brush pens.
- But planning is always a good excuse for a STAPLES TRIP! I collect all kinds of Post It notes, page tabs, and washi tape. Writers love all kinds of office supplies, but I mean, who wouldnāt?!?!
Experience Cadence, TN, with BENEATH THE SURFACE
BENEATH THE SURFACE, Small Town Secrets Book 1
Welcome to Cadence, TNāwhere secrets can be deadly.
Too many secretsā¦
Hidden in a quiet town along the Tennessee border, a secret society exists where the privileged fulfill their darkest desires. One of their members initiates a desperate act designed to bring home his lifelong obsession: Emma Hartwell.
A past not forgottenā¦
Drawn back to her hometown by the psychic connection with her twin, Emma must fight the stubborn silence of those around her in her quest to find her missing sister. Colin McIntyre hopes to make up for his past mistakes with Emma by helping her, but his own ties to the Gathering might be exposed along the way.
Time is running outā¦
Exposure could be dangerous for his family, along with himself and Emma. Can they fight the secrets and lies to rescue Emmaās sisterā¦ and their own chance at life-long love?
Other books in the Small Town Secrets series (can be read in any order):
BEHIND THE SCARS
SNOW BOUND
Amazon
B&N
Apple Books
Kobo
Itās hard to feel inspired and connect to creativity during hard times. Weāve all seen that in the past year. But itās just as hard during busy or chaotic times when other things in your life have to take precedence.
Combine the two and being creative can be nigh to impossible.
I havenāt posted about this a lot because I hate to be all ādoom and gloomā for yāall (that would expose my natural Eeyore tendencies a little too much!). Besides, weāve got enough of that going on every day.
But Iāve definitely struggled with my depression, doing two positions for the price of one at the day job, health issues, and renovating our garage over the last year. Iāve completely lost touch with my creative side and words are ephemeral right now.
As we move into the fall season in the US, I find myself longing for that connection once more and the chance to rejuvenate my creativity. But this takes purposeful choices (I know this from past experience).
Here are a few of the choices Iām making right now. Hopefully by sharing I can inspire you to reconnect with your creative, dreaming side too.
**Rest
Yes, this is the opposite of doing something, but it is a choice to be made.
Iām not just talking about sleep (though I personally love a nap!), but just slowing down, reducing the number of obligations I have, letting my mind wander, and leaving time in my life unplanned.
**Cleaning
What?!?!
I know yāall think Iām crazy, but this is totally true for me. When life gets hectic, my house/office/car/yard gets totally cluttered!
Itās hard to relax with all that stuff staring me in the face. While I donāt have time for a major declutter, working on some āhot spotsā definitely helps with my mood and feeling like I have at least some control in the midst of chaos.
**Explore/Discovery
This is more about refilling my well and awakening my curiosity than actually accomplishing something (a big driver in my day-to-day activities). For me, this can be an intellectual pursuit like reading articles about subjects I want to learn more about or just watching videos about random stuff (I have a morbid fascination with creepy/scary/tragic things so will sometimes binge Youtube channels like Ask a Mortician).
But itās also about physically exploring! Personally I like to get out in nature, whether its walking on campus or hiking nearby trails. But this might also mean wandering a local craft store, meandering through an antique mall, or braving a new restaurant.
**Pampering myself
I hesitate to call this āself-careā because all of the pursuits in this blog fall under that label for me. But I am trying to purposefully make time to do things I love that make me feel good right then, that I donāt often make time for!
A long soak in a hot bath. A night with the family around the fire pit roasting marshmallows. Putting out my seasonal decorations. Puttering around in my flower beds. Yes, I actually have to give myself permission to do something thatās fun, that doesnāt normally fall on my To Do list.
There are other things Iām working toward, like giving myself permission to just brainstorm, writing long hand, researching my story/characters without putting pressure on myself to log in wordsā¦but those are specific to my writing practice. While I long to put words on the page once more, I want to reawaken the creative side of my whole being!
I hope this was inspiring to you if you also struggle, or at least gave you some insight into my process as a creative. Iād love to hear how you reconnect with your creative side during trying times. Comment below or send me an email with your tips!
Take care,
Dani
readdaniwade@gmail.com
**Rest
Yes, this is the opposite of doing something, but it is a choice to be made.
Iām not just talking about sleep (though I personally love a nap!), but just slowing down, reducing the number of obligations I have, letting my mind wander, and leaving time in my life unplanned.
**Cleaning
What?!?!
I know yāall think Iām crazy, but this is totally true for me. When life gets hectic, my house/office/car/yard gets totally cluttered!
Itās hard to relax with all that stuff staring me in the face. While I donāt have time for a major declutter, working on some āhot spotsā definitely helps with my mood and feeling like I have at least some control in the midst of chaos.
**Explore/Discovery
This is more about refilling my well and awakening my curiosity than actually accomplishing something (a big driver in my day-to-day activities). For me, this can be an intellectual pursuit like reading articles about subjects I want to learn more about or just watching videos about random stuff (I have a morbid fascination with creepy/scary/tragic things so will sometimes binge Youtube channels like Ask a Mortician).
But itās also about physically exploring! Personally I like to get out in nature, whether its walking on campus or hiking nearby trails. But this might also mean wandering a local craft store, meandering through an antique mall, or braving a new restaurant.
**Pampering myself
I hesitate to call this āself-careā because all of the pursuits in this blog fall under that label for me. But I am trying to purposefully make time to do things I love that make me feel good right then, that I donāt often make time for!
A long soak in a hot bath. A night with the family around the fire pit roasting marshmallows. Putting out my seasonal decorations. Puttering around in my flower beds. Yes, I actually have to give myself permission to do something thatās fun, that doesnāt normally fall on my To Do list.
There are other things Iām working toward, like giving myself permission to just brainstorm, writing long hand, researching my story/characters without putting pressure on myself to log in wordsā¦but those are specific to my writing practice. While I long to put words on the page once more, I want to reawaken the creative side of my whole being!
I hope this was inspiring to you if you also struggle, or at least gave you some insight into my process as a creative. Iād love to hear how you reconnect with your creative side during trying times. Comment below or send me an email with your tips!
Take care,
Dani
readdaniwade@gmail.com
The best laid plansā¦often go awryā¦Ā Robert Burns
Iām definitely a planner. Iāve talked about this often. I do a lot of scheduling, lists, goals, etc., for both my every day life and my creative life too.
But many times I donāt take into account how outside forces/life happenings/family needs/many other things can affect or halt those plans. Iāll admit, Iām not good at āgoing with the flowā, so these types of things often derail me.
My goal for the early part of this year was to get my new series started, specifically write the first of my contemporary gothic books. I knew my day job was going to ramp up, because my colleague retired and I would take on her job until we hired a replacement, but in true Dani-fashion, I reasoned I could do it all somehow.
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Hereās what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Hereās what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
- Sometimes, you canāt do it all.
- Sometimes, forcing yourself to do something doesnāt produce your best work.
- Sometimes, you have to set goals aside for a season and come back to them when you can.
- Sometimes, the ādig deepā button is not worth resurrecting. (Brene Brown)