Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose

April is somehow over. The month blew by, and I nearly didn’t get a release completed in time. Rather than publish a Bijou book, I finished writing my first erotic romance and published it under a new pen name. I really enjoyed writing something with no expectations. I got to be as dirty as I wanted, which honestly was pretty vanilla compared to what else’s out there. Still I enjoyed going wild (for me). The story has done reasonably well with really no promo, reaching 3000 on Amazon today. I have a few other erotic stories in mind for the pen name.

Publishing diversity is a solid way to keep my writing from becoming stale. I will eventually write Christian romances using my Dakota pen name. I plan a few horror-themed romances too, and my beta reader asked if I might write paranormal romances. I have a lot of ideas, but now I need to get moving.

Bourbon Blues is almost finished FINALLY. What a difference a few days make. April was another one of those emotional months with family issues distracting me. I wasn’t certain I could even finish the book in May. Now I’m aiming for a May 20^th release date. Fingers crossed that the rest of the week is as productive as today.

In my last post, I wrote about ways to deal with depression. My main tool is choosing to fight the negativity. Depression is treatable like most illnesses. Positive thinking is all it takes, but thinking positive can be difficult if you don’t choose that path. Some people embrace their unhappiness until their depression defines them.

The other night, I felt overwhelmed by a million little things. All of the negativity built up in my mind and I couldn’t find relief. So what did I do? I made the choice to be happy by finding something to pull me from my dark funk. In this case, I played Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 with Roo. I'm still horrible at the game but improving at “free for all.” An hour of playing with Roo left me laughing easily. While the funk lingered in the background, I made the choice to fight it.

I have a lot to be thankful for. My middle baby, Pooh, celebrated his 19^th birthday yesterday. He went through so much the last few years, but he’s finally in a good place. All I want for him is health and happiness. Right now, he’s found both, and I pray he remains blessed for a long time. With Mother’s Day nearly here, I can think of no greater gifts than my boys’ frequent smiles.

So May is here, and deadlines are looming. I’m confident I can put out another Bijou book and get myself back on track. After Bourbon Blues, I’m ready to jump into Black Sheep. I also have another erotic romance story in mind, and I’m planning to finally give Lost Highway a try.

Here’s hoping your first week of May is as fortunate as mine.