With it being the start of a new quarter April almost feels like a reset month. At the same time, it still feels like the year overall just started and is going way too fast. Is there a way to slow things down here? I have so much I need to get done and it feels like the time I have to do it in is slipping away from me. There are 2 books I want to get published in the second quarter. In all honesty, The Weight of HER was supposed to be published in the beginning of this year, but you know life just kept lifing. So, while the timeline for that release was pushed back, I’m not sure that it’s the worst thing that could have happened. After all, I want to put out the best possible product and I want to market it in the best way possible. Now that WOH has been sent off to the editor and Beta Readers it’s becoming a bit more real now that I’m about to publish my second novel. To say I’m nervous about it would be an understatement. However, being nervous can be a good thing. It can keep you grounded in a way.
The second book that I want to publish in quarter 2 is a collection of poems and essays but in full disclosure, I may have to push that back because it’s making me tap into certain emotions that I’m not really prepared to handle at this current state of my life and I don’t know that it would be best for my mental health to push through and write it anyway. The jury is still out on that book at the moment. That just goes to show how even the best laid out plans sometimes have to be altered and moved around a bit to suit whatever stage of life you are currently in. While my world around me has stopped crumbling per say (as in the walls finally stopped their continued crumble and now are just waiting to be rebuilt) I still have a long way to go before I feel like I’m okay again. I’m trying to stay creative and maintain a strong amount of creative output, not going to lie, it’s hard.
Some days I feel like I can see the light at the end of this particular tunnel, and I feel like barreling towards it with reckless abandon. Other days I’m just trying to survive and keep my head above water. I’m not sure what kind of day it is as I’m writing this, but here I am, trying to put forth the best I can give you guys. I just have to keep hoping that my best is enough. I hope that this second book that I’m getting ready to release into the world is enough. I am always hoping that what I am doing is enough.
There is so much I want to do creatively. So much that I want to do for others with my creativity and I’m just hoping that I’m strong enough to keep pushing through all of the obstacles that keep trying to weigh me down.
I think we all have things that weigh us down and we’re all just powering through and with any luck we not only have the willpower to keep going (at whatever pace allows us to get there with our sanity intact) but also that we have the right people around us to keep us motivated and remind us that we are not in this alone. I hope that you all are treating yourselves well and that you remember that if you are doing the best you can, that is good enough. Happy Writing everyone!
Link to my GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/55b817f1
Link to my Ko-fi with the updated goal: https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter
Link to my Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FHOYNA8LFMHG?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_4
A Little from the Write 2 Be Blog
Sometimes There’s Beauty in Being Broken
“There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen
I saw this trailer for a television show that mentioned this Japanese phrase “Kintsugi” which translates to the belief that something broken is stronger and more beautiful because of its imperfections, the history attached to it, and its altered state. It was mentioned initially in the context of talking about the Japanese art form of using liquid gold to join broken pieces of pottery together. It was also used in talking about people and how they see imperfections, both in others and in themselves.
It got me to thinking about all the things we think of as our breaking points. Things that we see as the worst moments in our lives. That leave us feeling shattered into a million tiny pieces. We spend a lot of time trying to fix the things that are broken. To put back together the pieces of all the things that keep falling apart around us. Trying to make them as close to ‘perfect’ as they once were. We never seem to take stock in the beauty that presents itself after the breaking has been done.
You can read the rest of the blog post by clicking on this link:
https://write-2-be.com/2024/03/25/sometimes-theres-beauty-in-being-broken/
What’s Happening on My YouTube Channel?
Previously, on JC’s YouTube channel…
Cutting down to one solid video a week has taken a lot of pressure off of me but it’s doing nothing for the growth of my channel or the fact that I actually miss doing the two videos a week (told you guys I love doing this lol) so I am trying my best to find a way to comfortably film in this uncomfortable environment. That said I did manage to film my Quarter 2 and April goals video recently so check that out in addition to the latest vlog linked above. I’m looking forward to filming and subsequently compiling the film from my process with the editing and Beta Reader feedback for ‘The Weight of HER’ so stay tuned for that.
I’ve created playlists for my videos so that you can easily find any type of video from me that you’re looking for. Also, you may want to follow along on Patreon as well where you can have more of a say in what challenges and experiments I do and get sneak peaks at some of my work and even some never to be seen by anyone else work. I will be posting on Patreon once a week now so you never know what may be over there so join me over there to find out!
As always, there are the weekly Write 2 Be Wednesday live streams at 7:00 pm Eastern so hopefully you’ll put me down in your weekly schedule and join me and my friends for some chatty productivity!
Bookish News!!!
So, I’m patiently waiting to get my edits back for ‘The Weight of HER’ along with all of the Beta Reader feedback but I’m not sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I have started work on my collection of poetry and essays (which may be put on hold for personal reasons) and I’m also working on my third novel, also set to release this year, ‘When Love Calls’, which has already had one Beta reader and will soon also be sent to an editor and another Beta. For now, that’s all of the bookish news I have. When I know the exact release date, I will let you know with a special update but until then just follow me on all of my socials or over on Patreon.
You can check out the books I already have available, ‘The Diary: Succession of Lies’, ‘The Art of Love’, ‘To Love, With Sorrow’, and ‘If I Knew Then...’ on Amazon by clicking here https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter. Oh, and one more thing. ‘The Diary: Succession of Lies’ is now available in Kindle Unlimited (KU) so if you have a subscription, it’s free for you to read. I hope that you will give it a try and hopefully you will love it because I just may not be finished telling Karlee’s story just yet!
Book Recommendations!!!
Here are some books for you to check out either in Paperback or Ebook:
***Because your trust in me is important, a quick disclosure:
Some of the links here are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.
What I Just Finished reading since last time:
Blood Like Fate by Liselle Sambury: https://amzn.to/3OLJ5kz
Criss Cross (Alex Cross) by James Patterson: https://amzn.to/3VQBHrO
The Art of Wish Craft by NV James: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Wish-Craft-Bennett-Brothers-ebook/dp/B0CXHKFWY7/ref=sr_1_1
Heart Lies: A Jewel Agency Book by TL Russ: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Lies-Agency-Proximity-Romance-ebook/dp/B0D15NGRLF/ref=sr_1_1
Haunted by James Patterson: https://amzn.to/3Uczept
What I am currently reading:
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager: https://amzn.to/3JaiNVk
Inner Demons by Sarra Cannon: https://amzn.to/3TvSyPl
101 Essays that will Change the way You Think by Brianna Wiest: https://amzn.to/3RM9G0Y
A couple of books I’m excited about reading soon:
We Are the Origin by C.M. Lockhart: https://amzn.to/3PTLV6U
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Samburry: https://amzn.to/3v4B42U
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: https://amzn.to/3uVAUuR
Write 2 Be Matters Store and Red Bubble Shop
Check out my writing related products at my online store, Write 2 Be Matters by clicking here:
https://www.write2bematters.com/
There are NEW items in Store (the Do Not Disturb Collection)
Also check out my Red Bubble shop for some cool and fun stickers https://www.redbubble.com/people/Write2BeMatters/shop
How You Can Help Me Get More Creative Things Out to You!
I’ve got some exciting projects in the works, some dealing with the magazine, some dealing with the podcast, and some things dealing with future publishing projects, so if any of my fellow creatives would like to help support my endeavors or buy me a cup of coffee it would be greatly appreciated! https://ko-fi.com/authorjccarpenter There are now membership tiers available, and the details of those tiers are listed below. I hope that you will support me and come be a member of my corner of the writing universe.
If Ko-fi isn’t your thing, I am also on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74026650 with tier benefits that are exclusive perks so become a Patron and find out what benefits await you. There will be more content over on Patreon this year and exclusive excerpts of my work that only Patreon members will be able to have access to so make sure you sign up to be a Patreon member this coming year!
What Corners of Social Media You Can Find Me On
http://write-2-be.com/
http://write2bemagazine.com/
https://www.amazon.com/author/jccarpenter
https://www.facebook.com/jimmetta.carpenter
https://www.facebook.com/Write2BeMagazine
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJCCarpenter
https://twitter.com/write2bemag
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPU35EkFSbuxgekCp4LfI5g
https://www.pinterest.com/jcladyluv/_saved/
https://www.write2bematters.com/