So, I got fired

I don't post much about my day job but as you can tell from the title of this post, this is kind of a big thing. After almost 15 years at the same job, I was fired just the other week. My brain cannot really decide how to feel about all of this. 

Over the last few years, my ability to live the creative life I wanted to had been drowned out by the exhaustion and the burnout my day job was causing me. The mental stress induced from a non-supportive environment and excessive hours did a real number on both my physical and mental health. 

So, in some ways, it's not bad thing that I am not working there anymore, but not working in general is very anxiety inducing. I have a positive attitude about it all, but I am not sure if that attitude stems from true belief that I will land on my feet or if it is a habit stemming for a lifetime of not wanting to let others worry about me or something else entirely. 

I can honestly say that I do tend to land on my feet, but I really want to find a way to not return to the day job life. However, I am not a prolific or popular enough writer to make my living that way. I am no great social media guru to find my way as an influencer. My freelance work is entirely sporadic.

I honestly am not sure what I am going to do next. I am still applying for regular jobs and hoping that it all works out.

I am sure that somehow, it will work out. Maybe not the way I would necessarily want it to, but the way it has to. 

Staying positive isn't a terrible thing when it doesn't fall into the realm of toxic positivity, but I cannot ignore the anxiety that resides with me as I look forward to the unknown. 

I am staring into the void of the future and, so far, it has stared back in unknowing silence.

Omg, I forgot one of my WIPs

 Okay, first off, go read the previous post first and now I will add that I forgot to include one of the works in progress that is actually high on my list of things I want to get finished!

Several years ago I published a short story as a part of an anthology. The story was titled "A Peccadillo
Problem" and the shared world was a series of stories based on Alice in Wonderland. The anthology did not sell that well and went out of print at the end of 2023.

I was just fine with this anthology going out of print because I was already in the process of taking this story and making it something much more. I was never really happy with the story I had written. I knew there was more potential than what was published.

If you're a writer, you probably know exactly what I mean by that.

Now, when I say I was making it something more, I mean I was entirely revamping everything from the characters to the plot line. If you did read the original story from this anthology, you may find yourself recognizing certain events and scenes. I salvaged a lot of what I had including some of the characters, but then I made it something so much more. 

 This story is a few chapters away from being a finished first draft of a novella with a brand new title. It will also be moving a bit more towards the darker writing that fans of my work expect from me. I will hint a bit about what to expect in this novella with the title and tagline. As an added bonus, you're going to get a sneak peak of the new cover.

Title: Not Alice

Tagline: Alice is perfect. Smart, athletic, kind—everyone loved her. Then, one day, Alice disappeared without a trace. This isn’t her story.