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This is a blog post I've put off writing for a while. Probably for much longer than I should have. But, the time has come for me to finally put things into perspective and into words not only for myself, but also for my readers and book friends.
After much reflection and thought, I have decided to take an indefinite hiatus from writing romance.
It's with a tired and somewhat sad heart I make this announcement. I’ve taken breaks before but I have been struggling with things in the writing department for more than a year now and they're not getting any better. To make a long story short, I'm not okay. I don't know if it's burnout or some form of depression but trying to function as a writer isn't happening. Some days, I feel I am doing well to function, period. And trying to push forward and put on a brave, happy face and trying to force the stories feels like it is slowly killing my soul.
This is not what I had in mind when I made the decision five years ago to actively pursue the dream of writing books. And it’s not how I feel it should be. Yes, there is struggle and hard work with any worthwhile endeavor, but if doing something doesn’t make you happy, if it doesn’t fuel your spirit and your soul, then is there even a reason to do it?
With this in mind, I’ll be pursuing another area of the book world while I give myself a break from the romance industry. It’s a project I’ve been considering for some time and one I look forward to working on. I won’t go into details here, but I’ll be sharing that info some time in the (hopefully) near future.
I'm sure I'll be back to writing romance at some point, though I can't say when. I don’t want to put the stress on myself to meet a certain timeline when I may not be mentally ready when the time rolls around. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping my FB profile, page and group running (though I may delete/pull back on some other social media). I’ll continue my plan of not joining any more groups (and have already started the process of leaving the ones I don’t take part in) or actively promoting in groups. I just want to take the time to try to get myself back to the point where I find the passion and love for writing again.
To my author friends, and you know who you are, thank you. I’ve learned so much from you all over the years and have come to consider several of you friends outside of the book world. I’ll still be around if anyone needs an ear to vent to or shoulder to lean on, or just somebody to bat ideas around with. I love my fellow authors and wish them all the success and happiness!
To my readers, I hope you understand where this post is coming from, which is a need to take those steps back for my mental health and general well-being. I’m so thankful to those who have taken the chance on reading books from this crazy, red-headed Kentucky girl...you are the reason a dream became a reality. And for that, I can’t thank you enough.
Love to you all,
H.C.