Send a Raven: Newsletter #14
The calm after the storm...
Happy Summer Stolstice, Ravens!
(do you get the joke now?????)
I can’t believe it’s officially been one full year of newsletters…not just because time flies, but largely because I can’t believe that I’ve managed to stick to them.
A monthly newsletter was always something I’d wanted as part of my author career, but there’s still a small part of me—the depressed teenager who couldn’t trust herself to get out of bed most days—that really can’t believe just how much I’ve come to be able to rely on myself to actually make those things happen.
Speaking of making things happen…
Did I mention I’m also a published author? (of course I have, but if somehow you missed it:)
And now that ARAC is finally out, I can finally start doing the segments of my newsletters that I’ve been most excited to do:
✨Monthly character birth charts✨
That’s right, astrology hoes, this one is for you…
This month’s feature? Our favorite villain who you either love, hate, or love to hate…
June Stahl, 45, born June (haha) 21, 1963 at 11:13 A.M. in Lodi, California. And—especially if you’ve seen the show—I truly couldn’t make this chart more accruate if I tried…
But that’s not the only segment I’ve been dying to do… Starting next month, I’ll be doing a short Q&A at the end of every newsletter. You can send your questions in here. They can be anything at all! About writing, books, me, ARAC, etc.! (I may even drop a little spoiler here and there if I’m feeling generous)
*Billy Mays voice* But wait! There’s more! I will also be doing a fan art feature every month! Because I’ve been lucky enough to have such wonderful readers who are as touched by the characters in my story, as I am. This is my all time favorite piece that I’ve ever received, drawn by one of my dear OG Tumblr girls, Nicole.
As far as how life has looked since releasing my debut novel after 7 years? I honestly feel like I’m still trying to gather my thoughts… Or maybe I just don’t have any thoughts to gather? But that doesn’t feel like a bad thing? I feel like everybody talks about the calm before the storm…but I feel like preparing for the storm was my storm, and the storm itself has been the calm.
Which is such a crazy mindset to look back on my journey with, because just a few short years ago, the thought of somebody even knowing I wrote was enough to make me want to puke. And I can’t lie, there is a teeny little part of me that still feels that way, but the thought that used to make my stomach sink has been reduced to nothing more than a flutter, and for that, I’m extremely grateful, because I’ve always known that the only way I wouldn’t succeed in doing what I love is if I didn’t let myself, and thanks to all of you, I’m learning to let myself. Which is absolutely still a work in progress, but I’m allowing myself to see that all of those fears that I knew were irrational and unnecessary, actually are. I’ve received a boatload of love and support from both people I knew loved and supported me, and people I had no idea were waiting for an opportunity to.
I feel like because the bulk of this journey has been me vs. me, I forget how much credit I owe to anybody who is reading this; who found me through the fanfic sites; who has followed my journey as an author; who has downloaded my book. I wouldn’t have even considered embarking on a journey of such self-discovery if your love and support hadn’t given me the courage to take the first step.
Yes, I’m still very much soaking it all in (and forcing myself to take a break…by my standards), but the—somewhat unexpected—success of this launch has only made me that much more excited to continue on this journey, and that much more confident that it’s the right one; with ARAC #2; with (insert name here) #1; with wherever this road leads me to next.
