Last year was hard. Lots of personal struggles and mental illness bullshit and seven family deaths in the last six weeks. I had some wonderful moments but I also often felt like I was slogging through life and that I would never finish anything. But in the last few weeks the depression that slows me down so much lifted and I was able to work again like an almost normal human being and last night, just hours before the new year rolled in, I finally finished edits on my next book.
MAY I REQUEST THE LOUDEST OF WHOOPS?
Of course, it’s possible that I will need more edits and even if the edits are accepted I still have to do copy-editing and legal review and a million other things but it is such a relief to know that right this moment my next book is close to being done. And hopefully this year it will find you in the world.
I’m writing this to remind myself that it can be done. That even when life and the world and your broken brain seem to collude against you things will brighten again. I’m writing this to remind myself that even when I feel like a failure these small steps forward eventually add up to something. And I’m writing to remind you of that too. It’s okay to struggle, to feel worthless, to fail and to question…but you will get through this. I will too.
My amazing friend Adele Morse agreed to read some of my book as I was struggling to finish it and it inspired her to create an amazing faux-taxidermy mascot for the book:
Her name is Shirley and she’s misplaced her glasses, her wine glass is empty and she has a giant bowl of comfort macaroni and cheese that is not sharing with anyone and I have never felt more seen in my life.
So here is to full glasses and more macaroni and finishing books and to remembering that it all works out in the end.
Probably.
Happy 2020, y’all. Shirley and I are toasting you right now.