The Land of A Thousand Setbacks

So the post title might be a bit of an exaggeration. But I've found when you're in the thick of it, when setbacks hit you, it's hard not to feel like you're stuck in one spot and can't get out, or worse, moving backwards, further and further from your goals instead of towards them.

Me, to my goals

It started after Christmas when me and my agent parted ways. The split was amicable. She's a wonderful person and I wish her all the best, but it was still a setback plus a major bummer.

Then last week, my romance publisher Samhain announced they are closing down for good by the end of the month. While the news didn't come as a surprise- they announced a year ago they were closing but managed to stay open all this time- it's still a huge setback. And a double shot of bummer.

So what do you do when setback's happen? Because they do happen, to all of us. For me, I had a good cry (or three), I threw my little pity party, asked WHY ME? and got jealous of the writers who's journeys *seem* to be only on the up-and-up. I did those things, because it's human nature to do so. But now I've moved on.

You know that saying, there's no use crying over spilt milk? Well, it's tough but it's true. What happened, happened, and now I have to figure out my own path forward. Otherwise I'm just wallowing in these setbacks. Otherwise, it's ME preventing myself from moving ahead.

Said path is leading me into a place I wasn't sure I'd go: self-publishing. When Samhain closes at the end of the month, my book will be removed from vendors, so it's on me to get it right back up there. Self-publishing has always been in the back of my mind as a maybe for my romance novels, and a definitely for my novella. The novella isn't ready yet, and I figured I'd learn how to self-pub when it was. Enter Samhain's news and now I'm getting a crash course on the how-to's of self-publishing. On the upside, I belong to a small yet wonderful group of Samhain authors and we're all helping each other out. If it wasn't for them, especially the fabulous Lauren Smith who's done this all before, I'd be drowning, not knowing where to even begin.

Writing is easy for some people, or so they say. But for most of us, it's a constant struggle of some kind. For me, it's been a battle since I started this all seven years ago. I have no doubt it will continue to be a battle. As much as I wish I didn't always have to fight so hard for it, I know that it's toughened me up. So when the next setback comes, then the next and the next, I won't be knocked down for good. I will always get back up again.

Now comes the shameless plug. If you like romance, Samhain is having a sale on everything! Check out these books below by some fabulous authors. *heads up: each of these books has sexual content*