One of the nice things about writing and publishing is that even if you go on a burnout-induced hiatus, good things can still happen in your career.
Stories on retailer sites continue to sell.
An editor contacts you and asks if you might possibly have something lying around for a themed anthology. Lo and behold, you actually have something that fits, written months ago and abandoned since. Even better, said editor likes the story and buys it.
Your husband hand-sells your books, and you hear back from a reader that you write like a poet, picking your words with care.
Your c0-writer points out that the story you wrote together made it onto an Honorable Mentions list for Best Horror from 2013 (I didn’t realize Creepy Doll Story, aka Sand and Seawater, was horror, but considering who I co-wrote it with… *eyes Jo*).
You go on Twitter after months of ignoring it (*blows dust off*) and discover that someone wrote a lovely review of your novella.
And when you finally return to your writing blog and start clearing out the tumbleweeds and cobwebs, you’re greeted with, “Missed you! So glad you’re back.”
All of which are so helpful as I return from a long, but much-needed, break.
So. *deep breath*
Hello, readers and writer friends. Hello, stories o’ mine. I’m back.