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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

2/28/2024 (blog post)

I don’t always get emails from readers that inspire me, but when I do, they’re titled

“Are you dead?”

It was with an odd mixture of amusement and dread that I opened this email, confident I knew what the contents would be, and certain that the likelihood of my feelings based largely in guilt of my own making for not having published at all in recent years, and that it’s highly likely my personal feelings regarding the questions, and NOT the intended implications that inspired me to write this post.

Or maybe they are…

The first line of the message itself was “No updates, no mention of any of your boards,” and for some reason my mind produced the stalwart figure of Molly Weasley adding that to her tirade of, CAR GONE, NO NOTE, NO UPDATES, NO MENTION OF ANY OF YOUR BOARDS, YOU COULD HAVE DIED!

The email was short, direct, and with only 3 questions, to the point. Three qualities I struggle with when crafting a response. 

Are you dead?

Where is Isabel Wroth?

Why are you leaving your readers in the dark?

I thought about those three questions as I started my day, deciding whether to just email this reader back directly, or take the opportunity offered to indeed make it a news update in the world of my own design.

As you can see, I’ve gone with the latter. Ye olde, two birds, one stone approach. 

one with this update, I’ll be the first to say, there are a lot of platforms! And not all my readers follow me on all the platforms, and please note that I don’t expect them to, as I clearly struggle to keep up myself!

I’ve got TikTok, which is my most frequent.

Facebook, semi-frequent

Twitter, rarely used.

My website, I forgot the password and had to reset that so… yeah.

Goodreads, I don’t ever visit unless I’m attempting to purposefully have a mental breakdown.

And the newsletters which I also forgot the password to and had to reset, which will tell you how often in the past three years I’ve sent out a newsletter.

In an effort to cover ALL my bases and reach ALL the readers who no doubt have the same questions as the person who emailed me directly, I’ll be posting this to ALL my social media platforms, and possibly doing a reading of this here post on my TikTok, but I’m thinking given the lengthy content, it might be a multiple video thing, which is annoying… stay tuned.

Dear reader who sent me this email,

Despite rumors to the contrary, I’m pleased to report I am indeed NOT DEAD!

The crowd may now go wild. 

I’m not certain if you’re a member of any of my social media accounts, but I’m guessing not as I have in fact made a few updates semi-recently. 

If you ARE a member, but only on Instagram, I suck at posting on Instagram. I forget sometimes that there’s an option at the bottom of TikTok that will post it for me to Insta AND FB, but honestly it’s usual that I’m on the go and not able to repeat all the #’s ad infinitum to reach all the peoples who may or may not want to see that video/post. 

Also, I’m aggrieved by the multiple platforms when I so wish I could have just one.

“Where is Isabel Wroth?” you asked, and as I can’t be certain whether you meant physically, emotionally, or just generally where am I at in life, alas I must cover all those bases as to not leave you dissatisfied, backtracking just a wee bit to ensure you’re up to speed in case you haven’t seen any of the aforementioned semi-recent updates. 

In December of 2021, I made the grand move from sharing a property with my parent in Texas, to leaping out into the wild Blue Ridge yonder to an oasis I found in Virginia, with the intention to gain a years worth of residency so my daughter could apply to college here in VA.

I came with 2 horses, a semi-hairless dog, and just that one uncertain teenager.

Almost immediately, I had to take up a muggle job and was at that time, putting in 40+ hours a week to make it all work, struggling to find a more permanent living arrangement, because the oasis was a literal one-bedroom loft situation, and very temporary.

April of 2022, I left that shining oasis with my daughter, my dog, and a boyfriend I’d collected along the way, having realized that said oasis was the literal perfect real-world example of ‘not all men, but we have to assume it’s all men for our own safety,’ and moved into an apartment. 

As things unraveled with the boyfriend as they often do, I picked up more hours at work in an effort to remove myself from his presence until I could get him physically out of my apartment, and my life.

 I won’t bore you with those details, but suffice it to say, between work, duties as a mom, making sure my animals were taken care of, and dealing with the boyfriend, I had zero time to write, especially as anytime I sat down to attempt a chapter or two, the boyfriend would plonk himself beside me on the couch or on the floor by my desk, doing kundalini yoga and breathing like a yak in distress RIGHT IN MY EAR.

I wish I were joking.

If I got up to move elsewhere, he’d follow along like a drunken kicked puppy, asking me why we never spent any time together, despite living in the same apartment, with the same work schedule, eating all our meals together, going nowhere without the other.

I didn’t go out on solo adventures, because that was suspicious. 

I began to write down when I’d leave and when I’d be home, because if I wasn’t home within a five-minute window, I might be doing something with someone else I shouldn’t be, and so I began getting time-stamped receipts or sending excessively detailed texts as to my location.

If I put on make-up and did my hair, who was I dressing up for?

Why does your phone need a passcode to get into it? 

You need mother/daughter time? I guess. Fine. I’ll just stay home with the dog and drink a few beers that I got because I know you don’t like it.

You’re going to hang out with friends? Why? Who are they? Why can’t I come with?

Oh, you’re on the phone? That’s okay. I’ll sit right here and be quiet. 

NO! You cannot listen to my phone calls! That’s invasive!

Etc…

Not exactly the most conducive environment for creativity to flourish, not at ALL my vibe, and it took until August of 2022 to permanently oust him from the premises, and it took me the next four months to unwind from the knots I’d put myself in.

If you read chapters in books of mine later, you’ll probably recognize the character inspired by this person.

January of 2023, I unintentionally started the home buying process. Yes, you read that correctly, it was unintentional. 

I had a plan for my year that included staying where I was at my apartment, 20 minutes away from work, letting my daughter finish up her high-school year without another move, and getting her to college before I thought about moving again. 

Suffice it to say, things did not go according to plan. 

The opportunity which I am endlessly grateful for, began as an email sent to me by my parent. Said email consisted of a number of listings all within a ten minute drive of my daughter’s college, requests to go and view houses on behalf of my parent for THEIR interests, pushy suggestions of why this particular house was or was not right for me, and I had a moment where I did and still do believe, the Universe was speaking to me to say it was the time to buy. 

So, testing that theory, I applied for an FHA loan, not expecting to get approved, and surprise! I was approved.

I know, I was shocked too.

With pre-approval in hand, numbers crunched, houses available,and extra-firm support from my parent, the process began.

In March of 2023, just three months later, I went through a heinous experience with my former apartment complex, bought a house, and moved to the town I now live in, an hour away from my work, and ten minutes away from my daughter’s college. 

Two months later, on Mother’s Day Weekend in May of 2023, while literally on a FB Marketplace mission to purchase a shelf, I stumbled across my dream home, ten minutes away from the house I just bought, and five minutes away from my daughter’s college.

With dreams of having my remaining parent close, assisting them in their alcohol recovery that they said they were serious about starting, while having all my horses at home, chickens in a coop, living the dream of stay at homestead mom who spends her days gardening, writing, and playing with her horses, I called that parent and told them all about this house that was conveniently for sale. 

That parent was all in, stars in eyes, an attitude of, “HELL YEAH, LET’S DO THIS!” 

And so we bought the farm together. 

It was my intention to live in MY house, the one I’d just bought in March, and be on site at the farm for all the little updates and renovations, fencing, etc that needed to happen, while my parent packed up all their stuff in TX to make the move here to the Dream House.

Somewhere along the way in this plan, I knew my little March house was going to become a rental and my parent and I would go back to sharing property. 

It was discussed in lavish details, but another move for me was NOT the bingo card for 2023. I had too much going on, too many irons in fires, plates in the air, balls in my court… too much to move again. 

To keep score, at this point I’ve now moved THREE times in just over a year.

Texas to Virginia Oasis, Virginia Oasis to Apartment, Apartment to March House.

Because it was taking longer than expected for my parent to get their ass in gear, it was decided despite my having so much going on, that I’d move into the Dream House, rent out the March House, and be on site until my parent was able to sell their house in Texas. They sent their 2 horses to me to prove they were serious about all the things, we’d figure the rest out later, and go from there. 

So I moved out of my March House just shy of having been there for THREE MONTHS with my daughter, across town to the Dream House in June, and in August my daughter moved out of the Dream House into her dorm room.

The score now reads: 4 big moves in 3 years. 5, if you count the dorm move in.

Which I do.

During this third, fourth, and fifth move, I’m still working 40+ hours a week, I’m at this point spending 2 hours a day in the car (and on the phone for both those two hours talking my parent off the proverbial ledge, again) five days a week, to work 8 hours of a job I do enjoy, but wish I didn’t have to, and get home after dark, exhausted, with only my naked dog to greet me and horse chores to complete before I can rest.

I have no support from another physical person to assist me in farm chores unless I pay them, am now taking care of 4 horses all by myself, have gotten a kid graduated from high-school, accepted to college, moved into college, and am footing the bill for all of it by myself, all while being the emotional support/whipping post for a parent in the middle of a downward spiral brought on by the re-visitation of 20 years worth of physical and emotional stuff while they’re binge drinking and becoming more and more unstable. 

At that point and time, it became a daily struggle to find the energy to feed myself at the end of all that, let alone write.

My precious days off are spent running errands, doing farm chores that have been piling up, making myself meals for the week that I may or may not actually eat because… Doordash… catching up on laundry, both fresh and the clean pile that’s been sitting for the requisite 7-10 business days waiting to be folded and put away, and answering any calls from my college student who does not drive to run HER errands…

Leaving little mental power to find any sort of creative mojo or desire to write.

In October of 2023, on the verge of a mental breakdown, I decided I desperately needed a vacation from work, from life, from the all-encompassing, ‘it all,’ and booked myself a stay at a hotel I love in Salem, MA. 

I had it all lined up, and in the course of conversation, the parent, having STILL not really started packing their stuff, decided they also needed a break and could come to help out and babysit the animals and be present in case of emergency, despite the fact I’d already found someone to do all this. 

As the alcohol made it’s presence known and the words turned ugly, it came to pass that our relationship as parent and child, ended.

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad conversation where I finally realized the enormity of what it means to be the eldest daughter of a narcissistic, alcoholic, verbally, physically, emotionally, AND financially abusive parent who is perfectly aware of their behavior and how their actions not only hurt, but leave terrible scars, who has zero intentions of actually doing anything to correct that behavior. 

The realization for me was, I can’t change the way my parent behaves. I can’t fix something I never broke. 

But I CAN fix and change how I respond, and how I behave going forward.

Suffice to say, shit got real, and I left on my vacation, my parent still in Texas, and the person I hired to pet-sit manning the fort.

I had every intention of taking that week to find my muse again, to create, to write down all the ideas, to use the 40 hour round trip in the car to let the juices of my imagination percolate.

Instead, that first 20 hour drive was spent revisiting the worst of the conversation with my parent, and when you’re in that state, I do NOT recommend driving through the tunnels of New Jersey/New York at night, while emergency vehicles are screaming up your tailpipe, and you have literally nowhere to get out of their way. 

Cue screaming panic attack…

Anyway, once I got where I was going safely, it was with having made several hard decisions as I prepared for a war, and gave myself permission to set boundaries and seek therapy. 

I packed my beautiful clothes planning to spend evenings in spooky, cozy pubs there in Salem, but instead spent my nights curled up in bed allowing myself to rest after a day of retail therapy. 

My computer sat unused, because I was in effect, experiencing shell-shock post the latest in a long, long, long line of traumatic events. 

I didn’t do half the things I set out to do, because I was mentally taking a break before I had to return to reality and put my armor back on. 

If you’ve never experienced Narcissistic Abuse, dear reader, and I hope you never have, it’s difficult to explain the relief you feel when you’ve finally decided to leave the situation, but it’s never as simple as, ‘just leave.’ 

It’s a process that’s painful, chaotic, and there are so many thoughts of ‘why didn’t I leave sooner?’ or ‘why did I let this go on for so long?’ that all must be worked through and looked at through a lens of kindness and understanding for oneself.

From my personal experience, it’s been ten times easier to go no contact with a former romantic partner (mouth-breathing yak) who was toxic and manipulative.

When it’s your parent, it’s not so cut and dry. 

When it’s your parent with whom you’ve made financial decisions with, it’s even harder, especially when that parent holds more of the financial cards–by design–and threatens to rock the foundations of your world by taking away the safety and happiness you’ve built for yourself because they want all the things you’ve built, but are more inclined to try and take yours, rather than do the work required to build all those things for themselves. 

It doesn’t leave much room for creativity when you’re not sure what the hell tomorrow is going to look like, as you’re faced with the inescapable choice of selling the horses you’ve raised from birth, not sure how many more hours you can physically work to pay the bills for yourself, your college student, feed yourself, and put a brave face on it for the clients at your muggle job, at the same time beginning the arduous journey of repairing a lifetime’s worth of damage both emotional and physical, revisiting all the things in therapy you wish you could make disappear, rebuilding boundaries and regaining strength, all while preparing for whatever fresh hell your toxic, drunk, unapologetically manipulative parent will certainly visit upon you next in their crusade to try and bring you down. 

All that to say, your question of where am I? I was most recently in a raging battle of wills, facing a reality where I might have to move for a fourth time, leave my dream home, and start over once again, this time completely on my own with zero support except from my best friend, whose voice is on the other end of the phone, half a country away, having gone no contact with my last living parent, and cutting the ties that bind with said parent, one by one.

Let me tell you, some of those ties are easy to cut. Others require a hack saw, and a blow torch, possibly a corrosive substance to completely sever.

If you’ve made it this far, intrepid reader, I’ll now answer your final question, “Why are you leaving your readers in the dark?”

The simple answer is, I’m not.

Unfortunately for you, I’m not really satisfied with that answer. 

Do you remember the story of Orpheus and Eurydice? 

Eurydice dies in some freak accident, and in his wild grief, Orpheus goes down into the Underworld, where he plays his lyre for Hades, who is so moved by Orpheus’s grief, Hades tells Orpheus he can take Eurydice back to the land of the living, but the catch is that while Orpheus is leading Eurydice out of the Underworld, Orpheus can’t look back. If he looks back, then it’s over and Eurydice gets sucked back into the gloom.

Orpheus almost makes it, but then he looks back, literal feet from the entrance, moments away from being reunited with Eurydice, and he looks back because he fears he’s been fooled and Eurydice isn’t there. But she was with him, every step of the way, and because of his lack of faith,swoosh, there she goes!

This is how I feel about my creative ideas. 

They’re always with me, little whisps that swoosh around inside my head, a voice here saying something funny, or dark, or sad, or angry, reminding me that this emotion I’m feeling can be described in detail so the readers feel it too, and to not forget the way it smells, either.

They’re with me when I read a funny meme, or a story prompt, or listen to a song on repeat on Spotify that unfolds a little movie inside my mind. 

They’re with me when I’m texting back and forth with my best friend and I tell her I’m tempted to show up at her place in an RV, kick in her front door, and bellow, “GET YOUR SHIT, GET YOUR DOG, AND GET IN THE RV, WE’RE GOING FERAL!” and she sends me back an audio text laughing her ass off, insisting I put that in a book.

I write those little details all down in the notes on my phone, or in a folder on my computer labeled: BITE SIZE INSPIRATION.

And I raid that folder from time to time for content when the opportunity to write a chapter presents itself. 

The problem is, when I go looking for the inspiration, when I doubt my creativity, when the guilt for not having produced content gets overwhelmingly loud as more than one voice asks me, “Why are you leaving your readers in the dark?” I lose the progress I’ve made, and I have to start over after a stringent talk with myself that I’m allowed to have a life and be overwhelmed as I do my very best to get through the day in one piece, having brushed my teeth, showered, put deodorant on, and taken care of my responsibilities. 

That unfortunately, I don’t have someone helping me pay the bills or do the chores, or carry the emotional burdens when they get too heavy for me. 

It’s literally just me, myself, and I right now, and much to my extreme disappointment, the days of writers finding a patron to foot all their bills so they have nothing to do but languish in their creativity, doesn’t exist. 

I remain grateful that there are people like you out there who continue to want more of the world’s and stories I’ve created. 

Please believe me, I want more of them too, and I have every intention of publishing, finishing, and starting new books.

It’s all still there, the ideas, the characters, the stories, but those voices have simply gotten a little quieter, like a TV on in another room. 

When I have the time, the spoons, and the mental quiet without the intrustion of actual voices, to sit and listen to those characters, I continue to write their stories. But it’s a paragraph here, a page there, a chapter then, a monologue later, and I’m doing my very best to complete the literal dozens of projects I’ve started to put them out there for all to read. 

George R.R. Martin says that every time someone asks him what happens next, he kills a character. 

I feel that.

In my imagination, I’m leading my muse up out of the proverbial Underworld, and every time someone asks me when my next book is coming out, I’ve turned around to look at my muse for the answer, and sent her right back down to the abyss.

Having done so, I have to climb my ass all the way back down the stairs, past Cerberus, play a song for Hades and Persephone, convince them to once again let my muse go free and this time for sure, I’m going to have faith in myself.

Hades smirks, and Persephone leans in and says to me, “Hey, you’re in the middle of a hundred year war with a raging tyrant that’s literally gone cuckoo for cocoa puffs, you’re worn out, looking a little bit like microwaved bullshit, and there’s been a lot of bloodshed. It’s okay if you need to leave your muse here for a little while and sort that all out. I’ll take care of her until you’re ready to come back down here. We’ll have girls nights, and play with Hecate’s puppies, and I’ll make sure she talks to everyone from here to Elysium for story material. Okay? Good. Go away.”

And with that, I leave you with good news!

The good news is, you and all my other readers are not actually in the dark. You’ve got an entire digital library at your fingertips, and while I’m over here getting my shit together, dozens of new books are published every day for you to enjoy. 

I appreciate your readership, and thank you for reaching out directly.

Still here,

Isabel.

5/10/21

For the direct link, click HERE

Salutations WOW members!!

In today’s broadcast, there’s a sizeable forecast of news heading your way, so let’s get started!

The update on the release of Dillon's Universe is this:
It’s still happening, I’m just behind schedule and haven’t received the edits back yet to go over and revise, so it’s looking like that’ll be out this coming weekend (as in no later than the 17th)
I got excited, I read my editing contract incorrectly and popped off too soon with the news that I’d finally finished a Perdition MC novel after however many years. My only excuse is that I had too much sugar that day...

NEXT!

You know that meme that goes around asking whether or not you’d live in a fantastical cabin in the woods for so many months without internet?
Well... I’m putting that to the test!
I won’t be getting a million dollars, but I'll get to play with horses and be completely cut off (physically) from the outside world!

I honestly have no idea what the internet situation is going to be out in the wild woods, so from about June 12th to August 20th, you may not hear anything from me!
Never fear, I’ll be safe, contained, and I will have my computer and my phone with me. I just may not be able to get a signal out, or if I do, it’ll be sporadic and I’m warning everyone now so y’all don’t think I’ve died or stopped writing!

The Sarazen Saga…
I PROMISE, I’m not done with that realm. I’m just having some trouble. See, authors like me who ‘pants’ their way through things also sometimes have short attention spans. We get distracted by shiny new ideas, we have Muses who refuse to stick to one channel or television program for very long, and oftentimes we fall in and out of love with a story.
Which is my problem right now.
I know exactly where and how I want the story of Sarazen’s Pride to go. I know who’s going to die, who’s going to live, the secrets to be revealed, and how it all is supposed to flow. But every time I sit down to write the story out, the characters who are usually so loud and alive in my head are SILENT.
There’s no love! None of the characters are lovin’ me right now. There are Sarazen crickets chirping, and no one is communicating.
I don’t know if they’re unhappy with my ideas or desires, or if they’re just off doing other things they haven’t told me about yet.
So, yes. I can technically write it all down, but it just falls flat. There’s no passion or authenticity to the story, no epic adventure unfolding before my fingertips.
I don’t want to write something just for the sake of writing it, even though I KNOW y’all have been unbelievably patient and stuck with me despite the way I’ve jumped from one genre to the next with all the focus of a squirrel on steroids.
I want to write you an awesome story worthy of the Sarazen Saga, and not just something I feel ‘meh’ about.
I actually outlined this one in an attempt to get some creative juices flowing. To my unending frustration, that river is stagnant right now.
It won’t be forever, but production has stalled. There’s gotta be a beaver dam or a log jam higher upstream I haven’t found yet clogging everything up, and all I can say is maintenance is working on it.
I’m really hoping getting back to the woods and immersing myself in a semi-feral state will give me the kickstart I need to get back into a mindset of writing “primal leonine alien alpha cats.”

Not that long ago, someone left me an AWESOME review on Amazon, and it sparked some thoughts I feel the need to share.

The review, in reference to the Little Coven series:
"This feels like a truly inspired series and not one written due to fan pressure or publisher obligations."

I don't have words to properly express how happy this made me, but it was a reminder I needed to stay true to my own style, and to all the reasons why I became an author in the first place.
See, right now, there are a lot of folks looking for explicitly specific storylines, and I don't mean 'explicit' in the way of sexy and steamy.
I mean, they're asking for this character to treat that character this way, be of this age, in this situation, doing this specific thing, in this specific setting.
They're asking for such specific things, because these are the situations they relate best with, and I get that. I'm not upset or calling anyone out, this is just the current trend and people are doing their best to communicate. Fully support that!
However, some authors (and I've been guilty of this myself) read these comments and panic, thinking to themselves most anxiously,
"Man, I'm really not writing things my audience obviously wants! If I don't write a book exactly this way, I'm going to lose readers!"
And we start to write books based on what we think our readers are searching for. What we think readers will buy, review, and tell other people about, and wind up writing a really crap story because we didn't love it in the first place.
For instance, I don't write helpless females in dire need of men to rescue them.
I can't write this type of story. Like, physically cant, because it upsets me and activates all my, 'I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR' attitudes, and the story just... well, it goes to the place where those stories die for me.
I write strong, independent women going through struggles who appreciate a man/alien/creature that comes into their life willing to help them carry the load. I can write that all day long! Weak victims? Eh... no. Sorry. No can do!

I had a reader contact me when I first started writing, and the bare bones of what she told me, was that she LOVED a specific author and wanted ME to write stories like that other author, because those were the books the reader wanted, and mine just weren't doing it for her.
It took me a hot minute to unruffle my feathers and turn an important corner in my journey as an author.
I am incapable of writing books like anyone else because I'm not like anyone else. I'm just like me, Isabel Wroth.
I might write about a similar topic, but I'm never going to write the way someone else writes because that's not staying true to myself.
My first one star review was a woman who just took a dump over the whole story and really hurt my feelings, but she had an incredibly valid point when she said, "This author needs to find her own voice."
That was right up there on the list of top five things every new author needs to learn.
To accept the fact not everyone is going to like my books, and be okay with it.
To graciously understand not everyone is going to like my writing style, my stories, my characters, or agree with my outlook on what romance is.
Another reader left a review that made me chuckle for days and use it as a way to attract MY KIND of reader ;)

"It actually started out well. The book then devolved into the author's fantasy sex life! I guess she will do what it takes to fill up pages in lieu of a good story! This could have been a good page-turner! Didn't even bother to finish this sex novel!"

I wasn't offended in the least, because despite this reader's distaste for my sex novel, she was absolutely right. My books ARE my fantasies.
The entire thing came out of my imagination (not just the sexy parts, just FYI)

I want breaks from reality, so I write them.

When I get inspired by a person or a place or a song that evokes an intense emotional response within me, I use it.

I want alpha possessive men dedicated to ensuring their woman's pleasure, who are aware of the mental hang ups their women might have, who are willing to work to earn their partner's respect... to replace all the whiny jokers shopping around for the easiest prey they can find to satisfy them in the moment, so I write them.

I want genuine kindness in my life. Adults who communicate, women who aren't afraid to put their foot down and demand better of themselves and others, so I write it.

I'm sick to death of reading books about men who gaslight their women, abuse them, cheat on them, or justify their terrible behavior based on some alleged thing their partner did or didn't do, ergo all the bad stuff was her fault, so I DON'T write that unless it's an example of how NOT to behave in my fantasy realm.

I want all the dirty inappropriate jokes that make me worry that I'll pee a little from laughing so hard, and I want to nurture the idea of intimacy and sensuality instead of cancel culture or instant, selfish gratification, so I write it.

I write for the world I want to live in, and the happy by-product is I'm using my imagination to attract the people who enjoy all those same things. So I'll tell you a secret that's not really a secret.

I sat down with a marketing guru right after I published Sarazen's Claim. I'd gotten all the feedback I needed from my new audience to let me know, I SUCKED at editing. Specifically, grammar.
It was a hard pill to swallow because up until that point, I thought I was a BOSS when it came to grammar.
I had a huge list of opinions about people who refused to type out complete sentences, who opted for letters to spell words, and that if they couldn't even send me a text with at least a punctuation mark or two to break it up, I didn't want to talk to those people.
Translation: I was an arrogant shit about what I thought it meant to be an author, and I got schooled.

I'm so grateful for that slice of humble pie I had to eat, and I sought out the best person I could find to help me educate myself on publishing.
I call Ashley my guru, because she was so wise and simplistic in her advice to me. She opened my eyes to a whole new world (sing with me now...) and I did some adjusting, not just with my mindset, but with my approach to authorship.
I'm still not the marketing whiz I hoped to be, I move in some ways with the speed of a sloth until it's my idea, then I run with it.
But the best piece of advice she gave me was this:

"Write for the audience you WANT to attract. Envision your book as a finished product, then picture the kind of readers you want to give it to and imagine what you hope they'll say about it in the reviews."

I took her advice to heart, and I have to say, I feel like one of the luckiest authors in the world to have exactly the kind of readers I want.
I may not have the quantity, but y'all are QUALITY.
There are the token few readers out there who quickly realize my realm is not for them, and most exit gracefully with a nod for whatever experience they had.
Some do it with their ass on fire, clutching their pearls in outrage because I don't write books that are fashionable or trendy or what the Facebook groups suggest are the best new way to gain more readers and more money.

A cover artist I worked with told me the curly script I like doesn't go with the genre of MC romance and it's probably going to hurt my sales. What I wanted wasn't "aggressive enough," and would do better in historical romance or chick lit.

Fair enough, that artist has seen the trends and it's their job to advise me on what they think is best, and it's my job to listen and discuss my reasons for wanting a font with script in it. To be honest when I say, 'I hear you, but I'm still going to stick to my guns.'
Is it industry standard? NO.
Do I intend to re-do all the MC covers after I polish up the content and have them professionally re-edited? YES.
Will they be industry standard at that point? NO. Definitely, probably not.
The point I made with that artist was, it's mine.
This is my style, I'm not sacrificing it in favor of a few more dollar signs, and I'm okay with it not looking like every other MC novel out there.
In fact, I insist.

I'm one of the lucky few writers who are able to support myself and my family with my passion.
I'm not rich in money, but I sure am rich in the quality of my readers, and I hope I do a good job of expressing how much I appreciate you.
Not all who find their way to my books will like them, not everyone will care about the things I care about or enjoy this book the way they did the last one, and that's okay.

I'm still glad for all the people who leave negative reviews on my books. Your complaints and/or criticisms only make me better.
I read all the reviews about my grammatical errors and my obvious lack of editing, and I upped my game.
I fixed what I could, tweaked this, added that I utilized the folks who truly upset me or hurt my feelings as inspiration for dead bodies in a few of my novels (they died horribly, just so you know, and it was extremely cathartic) and I stopped writing books based on what I thought those people wanted to read.

In short, all these things are why I can't write simply for the sake of writing.
Even in a realm of pure fiction, I'm not putting something out there that doesn't make me happy and doesn't honor my gratitude and respect for the people who've stood by me even though they might have cringed over my first few novels riddled with too many commas, and my struggles to find my confident voice which declares...
I LIKE CURLY SCRIPT AND I CANNOT LIE!

I write for me.
I write stories and characters who spark my passion and allow me to bring my fantasies out of my head and make them real on paper.
So, I just wanted to say thank you for being my ride or die readers who asked where I was going, if I'd packed snacks, and if there would be bathroom breaks.
Don't worry, the answer is yes.
I appreciate you, and I promise you, we'll get to that place you want to see eventually. We're just taking the scenic route for the time being.

I now step down off my soapbox, and we can resume our regularly scheduled broadcast. We head out to the field now, where Stormy Weather's (one of the many voices inside my head) has your forecast for the realm.
Stormy, what's going on out there?

The Portrait of Death series…
The beginnings of book 3 have been written by candlelight, with many devious chuckles on my part, evil plots, and consideration on the multitude of ways one can be inspired by the phrase, ‘he dropped a dime on me, so I had to take him out.’


The Little Coven series....
Oh yes oh yes oh YES! Each sister will indeed have her own book, and A Little Wild Magic (which is Juliet’s story) is in the lead to go next.
I’m having fun with her right now, and part of why I’m heading out to a cabin in the woods is to also give this book some of the wildness Juliet and company require to tell the tale.

Though there’s nothing planned on the horizon for Queen’s Ransom at this time, I still have storyboards compiled and ideas pinned for later. Alas, so far none of those imaginary friends have come forward with anything probative or interesting to say.
I imagine someday that’ll change, likely when Tom or Angel Eyes decide it’s time to be heard, at which point I’ll go off on another squirrely tangent to get all that down in the middle of trying to finish something else….
Like I do!

I’ll let everyone know on FB and tack it up on my website when I head out of town and update when and where I’m able.
And that’s it. That’s all the news I have for you today.
Back to you in the studio, Bob. ;)

End transmission.....

6/5/20

Greetings and salutations, beloved readers!

Time for a shameful confession….

I am nowhere NEAR finished with Sarazen’s Pride OR Dillon’s Universe.

Not because I don’t want to be, I REALLY REALLY want to be finished with both, but… I heard a song on the radio (no joke) and with all the enthusiasm of a rabid monkey, my muse grabbed me by the throat and hauled me down a new rabbit hole the likes of which has happened before, when I sat down to write Portrait of Death: Unforgotten.

Look how that turned out, huh?

Seriously, y’all, this is a problem for me. As I’m still working my muggle job as an “essential” employee during what continues to be the Epic Saga of Corona (which we all know isn’t as fun as it sounds) I only have so much time and mental energy to sit down and write, and considering the daily verbal abuse I’ve been getting from arsecakes who ought to be at home, not out shopping for shit to quell their boredom… I haven’t been too hard on myself.

If I have the urge to write, I don’t fight it. If I fight it, I won’t get anything done at all, so I’ve just been going along with Monkey Musella.

I will say, Musella has some kick-ass ideas to impart which thus far haven’t led me astray.

Anyway, there I was, plugging away at another chapter of Pride, when THIS song comes on my running youtube stream.

Didn’t think anything of it until I heard the lyrics and the throaty sounds of a human making like a didgeridoo. Musella jumped up shrieking with glee, I sat there absorbing the sounds of the music, not having realized Mongolian Metal was a thing, and… I don’t know what came over me, but what Musella poured through my mind with the power of a roaring river was like being plugged into a movie projector.

Lives flashed across my eyes…. and THEN just as I was jotting down the ideas I had for LATER…. THIS song comes on.

I couldn’t stop myself. Still haven’t been able to stop, and the first book is nearly completed.

I CAN tell you there will be multiples.

I CAN tell you each one will be a complete Stand-Alone/Happy Ever After. Like, a for real stand-alone HEA. Not Bulls of Minos style, but a legit, wrapped up all nice and pretty with a bow on top, complete story.

(#sidenote…. I jotted down the outline for another Minos book that I’m loosely calling Phantom’s Ransom.

Yeah. Cause I don’t have enough on my plate.

Seriously, if y’all only knew how many ACTIVE Pinterest boards I have for all the stories I want to write…

Forty-three. 4-3 open/active boards.

I have an obvious problem, eh? Too many ideas, not enough hands/time/energy to write them all down. I need a pocket universe stocked with all the snacks, Dr. Pepper, and hot guys to assist me when I get stuck, where one day in the real world means a year in the pocket universe. I’d have it all done in no time…. someone tell Musella to get on that.)

I CAN tell you I’ve got three in a row lined up.

I CAN tell you it’ll be in the PNR/Contemporary Fantasy range, and in my own little world it seems pretty unique and different than stuff I’ve read in the genre, but y’all might go, ‘naw, seen it before.’

My hope is that’s not the case, but we’ll see, won’t we?

I can also tell you I’m equal parts pissed off and excited because this whole “plan” thing of mine never goes the way I think it will.

I want to be done with Pride and DU, but to balance out Musella’s complete ADHD and my inability to stick to one project at a time, there’s another far more steady and calm muse. She’s a large, loud beautiful lady in my mind cooking over a stove and waving a humongous wooden spoon over a bubbling pot of sparkly, shimmering creative foodstuffs, who shouts at the top of her lungs when I start stressing out and says,

“I SAID, IT’LL BE FINISHED WHEN IT’S FINISHED!”

I call her Large Marge, and she scares me a little, so I don’t argue with her.

Physically, I’m tired, folks. It’s balls-out hot in Texas, and the summer (aka our journey into the 7th circle of Hell) is just beginning. I’m not a summer person. The heat combined with the humidity saps the life out of me so bad, it’s a wonder I can even function. Oh yeah, and my muggle job as me working OUTSIDE! Fun times, fun times.

Before corona blew up, I’d had all my ducks in a row to be in New Hampshire until the end of September, enjoying far more temperate weather while wandering through lush forests and meandering around little rivers. The trip is off until next summer.

The disappointment is real but we gotta do what we gotta do to try and keep safe and healthy.

All this to say, I’m doing my best, and I hope to have a book out for you very soon.

4/2/20

Salutations, readers!

For those of you who don’t do Facebook (and seriously, who could blame you?) I just wanted to announce that I’ll be recording a little video of me reading an excerpt from the next in the Sarazen Saga series, Sarazen’s Pride.

Pride is STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS! Just to clarify. I haven’t decided if the section/chapter I’ll be reading will remain in the book, so you might be getting a sneak peak at a PRE-deleted scene.

I’ll be posting the video on the FB groups. I might even send a clip via email if I’m feeling fancy. If it goes well, who knows, I might read a few more excerpts from a few more books I’m working on. ;)

I have half a mind to read and record a chapter a week of a book I’ve already published while we’re all struggling to keep an even keel through this quarantine process.

Any suggestions/requests?

During the upcoming video I will be answering questions. So, if anyone has something OTHER THAN “when is it coming out?” send me a message and I’ll answer them before and after the reading.

I’ve completed my exit from the apartment and have moved all my stuff, but now it’s the other end of moving IN and finding places for the crazy amount of crap I have in the RV, and deciding if I really need that item or five of them to survive.

Likely, I don’t need five of them. But in these strange times, one never can tell.

I will send out an alert when the video is posted. One if by sea, two if by land… so keep a weather eye out me hearties!

This is your Captain signing off.

PS: Wash your hands.

2/3/20

Howdy, howdy, how-DEE!

Couldn’t resist. I’m in a FANTASTIC mood this morning!

OkokokokOK! So! I’ve got some news on the homestead!

Firstly, I’m behind in some of my writing and it irks me, but unfortunately, it can’t be helped. Whenever I’ve got a spare minute, rest assured I’m working on putting out for you guys.

Putting out a book… just in case that was unclear, cause… I know some of y’all are just like me and dwell constantly in the gutter. It’s a thing in a place we’ll never forget.

Sarazen’s Pride and Dillon’s Universe are neck-in-neck, and I’m not sure which one will be finished first, but my goal is to have both books published within the next six months. As in, I’ll finish one of them in the next 60 days, edit, and publish, then finish the second and repeat the process.

Once those two beauties are sitting pretty on my Amazonian Shelf (that sounds way cooler than I thought it would) I have another book unrelated to anything I’ve put out yet that I’ve been sitting on for AGES that I’d love to publish. I’ll also be working to finish up Sarazen’s Treasure (Commander Dax and Warship 5’s adventure) which will answer the question I know you Saga fans have of, “Was that a typo, or are there actually 10k couples out there somewhere popping out babies?’

#spoiler, it’s not a typo.

As that’s happening, we may see another Portrait of Death novel, and I’ll be outlining (OUTLINING, people) another book in the Minoan Universe. As in, a second Queen’s Ransom, but it won’t be called Queen’s Ransom, it’ll be Something/Someone Else’s Ransom.

Yes, I’m pretty sure I already have the title, but I’m withholding on the slight chance of changing it later.

I have a TON of ideas for that Ransom novel, and chiefly they revolve around Mythology. Jalia’s world and her journey was based on the Greek legend of the Minotaur, and I’d like whatever comes next to also be based on a myth.

I could wax poetic on how much I LOVE mythology, but ain’t nobody got time for that right now! Suffice it to say, I have a list of my favorites, but I’m having a hard time choosing just one.

Therefore, as I’ve done before, I’ll be asking y’all for some audience participation. I know not everyone visits Facebook (I sometimes wish I was among you rare unicorns) so if you’re reading this here bloggo and would like to weigh in, you can email me your thoughts directly at isabelwroththewriter@gmail.com, or hit the CONTACT button and it’ll take you to the “contact me directly” form.

Zee Questions!

What is your favorite mythological pantheon?

In that pantheon, what is your favorite myth and why?

I have a few goodies to giveaway, some signed paperbacks, so there will most likely be a prize at the end of this game. I’m not really looking for a winner or a majority vote on this one, so much as a, “Hot damn, that’s the one I wanted to write about too, and I’m inspired!” kinda game.

If you aren’t on FB, that’s okay! You can still play, just let me know in the email/contact form that you’re interested and include the password phrase (the first three words of this blog post) so I know you’re not a scammer.

In conclusion, please now sing the following-

I’M SO EXCITED, AND I JUST CAN’T HIDE IT!

That is all.

Moonbase One, over and out.

10/15/19

For reasons vastly unknown, there have been some drastic lows seen across the Indie Author realms.
It's a given when a self-published author goes into business for his or herself, that the market is going to fluctuate.

Some months are better than others, some seasons are better than others, and we go into the publishing business knowing this, and have strategies in place to make it work for us.

However, for the last few months, several authors in many different genres have seen record-breaking lows, including yours truly.

Even with two brand spankin new books on the shelf, even with rave reviews and positive feedback all around, my personal sales and page reads have been depressingly scarce.

I'm not alone in this, peeps. With increasing uncertainty, us authors are watching the graph lines in our monthly reports get smaller, and smaller, and smaller.

We don't know why, and though the speculation is rampant, there aren't any definitive answers.
Too many books on the market? Too many pirated copies available? Is Zon sticking us in the wrong categories despite our settings? Is Zon making it more difficult for "smut" to be seen?
We just don't know, but the fact remains something is going on, and it ain't pretty.

Some of us, myself included, are looking at having to get part-time jobs to make ends meet until whatever is causing this massive disturbance in the force can be put back in balance.

I can't speak for everyone, but I know I'm a single mom with bills to pay and we do what we gotta do. Winter is coming, people and the long night approaches.

The downside is, this means production and output of books will slow down, which is bad for so many reasons.

I've chatted with several other authors, even with a few readers, and the first question that always comes up is, "How can we help each other?"
It's truly heartwarming to know the community remains strong despite our struggles.

So, how do we help each other out?
Every time I put out a newsletter, I try to include all the newest releases or pre-ordered books of my author buddies, and they do the same for me. We share on social media when a new release goes live, we attend FB parties and do what we can to support one another.

But, aside from being awesome and buying our books, there is a way for our readers to help us, and it's pretty darn simple.

Did you know, when a book on Amazon gets 50 reviews, they start including it in their email advertising?
That's right. Those emails you get from Zon, the, "Hey girl, we saw you bought that new Ruby Dixon book, here are a few more from different authors you might enjoy while you're waiting on the next blue hottie and the adventures of the Spur."
Those other books Zon recommends based on your reading habits only get put on the email list if they've gotten a minimum of 50 reviews, and those recommendation emails reach thousands of potential new readers.
That is the best way for a reader to help out their favorite author.

When you review a book, even if it's just to give a star rating and a small note as simple as, "I liked this!" YOU ARE HELPING US!!

Now, I'm not ashamed to try and bribe y'all for those reviews. Every time I put out a new book, I host a little random drawing for a gift card.
For every 25 reviews (good, bad, or ugly until the book hits 100 reviews) you'll see me posting a giveaway in my FB group for 5$

I want to keep writing full time. I want to get the books out that y'all are dying for ASAP. I'm already not the speediest of producers, but if the market keeps dropping the way it has been, things will slow down even more.

I am NOT giving up, I am NOT quitting, I will NOT stop writing.
I AM altering my lifestyle and making some really positive changes going into next year because this is the career I want to have for the rest of my life.

So, thank you to those people who reached out and asked how they could help.
Thank you to you guys who review and kind of have a friendly competition to see who can read the fastest and review first!
And a big, BIG thank you to all the indie authors who've come together and said, "Girl, you're not alone, how can I help?"

For all the strife and struggles, I've never had such a great community to lean on and I'm thankful every day I found my little niche.

9/26/19

The hardest thing for me as an independent, self-employed author, is to STAY ON TASK!

I get distracted so easily, it’s not even funny.

I have a cool dream and spend hours trying to figure out how I can turn it into a kick-ass story.

Which leads me to Pinterest for several more hours building a story board, which means I’m neglecting the projects waiting to be completed. Then I surf FB for a while, find chores to do, recipes to test-drive, stuff I need for the horses…

So! I decided the best way to combat my squirrely habit was to put some pressure on myself. I scheduled my editor and signed a contract. I also just set up the pre-order for Blood and Venom, which will be available as soon as Zon approves it.

In effect, this is my promise to you, dear readers, that on 12/23/19, you will have in your hands the story that will slowly begin to tie several other stories together.

Obviously, I can’t give you spoilers, and I’m working on how best to keep my secrets a litttttttttle bit longer with the blurb, but I’m pretty confident it’ll be a satisfying read for y’all.

The pressure is on, folks!

8/17/19

Apparently, I’m in need of more creative outlets, so today, I’m getting back to making a blog. Y’all know I have trouble keeping up with my social media, but maybe making one entry here and sharing it all over everywhere will help me be better about keeping everything up to snuff!

Today, I’m revealing the cover of my next book, coming soon!

And by soon, I mean within the next 60 days. I’m at round two of the editing process, things are going well, and I can’t wait to finish hashing out all the little details!

Portrait of Death: Uncovered, is book 2 in the POD series, and this time it’s all about Jo’s childhood. When the autumn wind blows cold, and the leaves begin to change, the deadly secrets and lies that shaped her into the woman she is, now come to light.

I’m working hard to finish up Blood and Venom (One of the Sarazen Saga Anthologies) and get it to the editor. I’m hoping that I’ll have it (and maybe something else) published following the release of Uncovered.

I had a list at the beginning of the year of the books I’d planned on releasing, and naturally that list got lost, crumpled, and finally trampled on as the characters of the new Portrait of Death series came STAMPEDING to the front of the line and demanded fleshing out.

I’m still reeling at how quickly it came together, and delighted that so far everyone seems to be enjoying Unforgotten as much as I hoped! Fingers crossed Uncovered delivers an equally epic thrill!