I'm Back! #AmWriting #writerslife

Did you notice I disappeared? I sure have! Life certainly got in the way of my dream and I've decided it's not worth forgetting about. So, I'm back! 

My Personal Story

What happened?
To make a long story short, my family and I moved back to the United States in the summer of 2015. We didn't have a home, a car or full-time jobs. Did I mention that I have three boys? It was CRAZY! By the end of summer, I got a job to support our family (a great teaching job that I love, but it's oh-so-challenging) and we moved to an area that we are happy to live, by the water and with excellent schools. We couldn't afford to ship our "home" from Guatemala, so we basically lived with very little. During all this, my father-in-law passed away from cancer, then, a year later, my oldest son moved off to college (Hook 'Em!) and that was a whole other emotional roller coaster.

Slowly, but surely, our lives started to get on track...

This past year, hubs finally got a secure job, and our middle son got a job working for NASA Space Center in Houston and just finished his junior year of high school. My youngest was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease (another life hurdle, but we're ready!), but he's excelling in the States! Best of all, we finally shipped our belongings a few months ago and our "home" is slowly becoming our HOME.

So, in a nutshell, life has been tough. I wouldn't change it for the world, because I have grown through this process. I've realized a great lesson that it isn't the "things" that we need in life, but it's each other. I'm so lucky to have such a supportive family who stood by us! I'm also so lucky to have a husband who I love and would navigate any life's hurdles with again and again (but please slow down, God!)

My Life as a Writer

The bad news...
I have been so out of touch with my "happy place" -- my writing.  It truly depresses me. Two years is a long time to go with nothing to count for in the publishing world. My agent dropped me (rightfully so) and I lost touch with so many great writing friends. I haven't published a book in years. YEARS!!! Now I feel like I'm starting over again from zero. It's no fun.

The good news...
Though I have been busy with life trials, I've been working on a book that I'm almost finished with! My goal is to finish this summer and hopefully find a home! This has been in the works for years now, so I am excited and tremendously motivated to get back at it. Also, I'm working on self-publishing my very first novel, Time Changes Everything. Though this is a whole learning process, I'm so excited to get this novel out there as this book is so dear to me!

Lessons ...

Many people may forget that writers are people too. We have lives, hurdles, trials and triumphs. Usually, we don't like to talk about the tough stuff. Why burden others with our troubles? But I challenge you to reach out to others who you may sense is going through something, be it a writing friend, an author you love, or even an acquaintance. A simple "I'm thinking about you" can go a long way! 

I want to thank those few who have stood by me in this hard time. Who have just said "hello" or asked how I was doing. Knowing that you've been there for me means a lot. 

Now, onward and upwards to my "happy place." The writing world awaits! 

I had to add a little Ry-Ry. ;)