It’s 2025!

Happy New Year, my friends and readers. I do believe that 2024 just breezed past us, and 2025 sneaked up on us rather too quickly.

As we’re entering this new year (yes, I realize it’s already the sixteenth of January), I wanted to give just a few updates on my projects, what I have coming for this year, and where I see this website/blog going. I have a lot planned, but in reality, these plans will be taking a lot of stress off of my shoulders, giving me more time to write and spend time with my family (plus clean and all that other not-so-fun stuff).

The Cursed Six

If you’ve haven’t seen on my social media page yet, The Cursed Six has new covers! I did design these new covers myself, and I love them just as much as the first covers. Let me explain….

Book covers are the first points of sale when it comes to writing. The story inside could be the best story ever written, but if the cover isn’t pretty and isn’t within the genre market, your book will be overlooked nine times out of ten. Of course, I loved the covers that I hand drew for my very first series ever written. They were just what I wanted at the time. What I didn’t know was that my covers were not in the fantasy market, and no one knew which genre my books belonged to just at a glance. Because of this, I made the decision to design new covers that better represented my books’ contents and better fit within the bounds of the fantasy market. These new covers are dynamic, and I had such a fun time making them that I’ll be making my own covers for a new project I’m working on.

My Works in Progress

The cover reveal for The Patriot’s Curse is happening here on January 22, and I will be posting the cover on my social media platforms on January 31! I’m excited to show you this cover. A friend of mine designed it, and I think she did a fabulous job grasping the overall vibe of the book.

While I’m working on this stand-alone novel, I’m also brainstorming a trilogy that I’m getting really excited to start talking about. I’m going to keep my mouth closed for now, but just know this one is going to be different than my other stuff. I’ve already been writing down a lot of ideas and getting some mood boards ready to help set the tone for the story. I will leave you with two things about the new trilogy just as a teaser (sorry about it): one, it’s a retelling of a famous story, and two, it’s going to be written with similar vibes to The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings. That’s all I’m going to say for now.

Coming Soon for the Blog

Part of my 2025 goals is to really focus in on my blog and my website. I pay for these items, and I want to utilize this space as much as possible in this new year. I also want to provide some bonus content for those who want it, and because of that, I opened up a subscription option. It is really cheap. I’m not even exaggerating. It’s $1 per month or $12 per year just to receive access to my bonus blogs and eventually bonus chapters or short stories that go along with my books.

I’m working hard to get everything set up and ready for this, but I’m really excited to offer some new material for everyone that’s not something you might find anywhere else. Writing is my God-given gift, and I want to use it as much as I can. One of those ways is through my blog, here.

Some Final Thoughts

I had a really good discussion with my husband a few days ago about my priorities and how I’ve been spending my time. I’ve recently gone through a bit of a hobby rotation where I’ve gone back and forth between five or six hobbies every single day (including writing and reading), and I always end up stressed out and angry when I’m supposed to be resting and relaxing. I try to give myself time to rest every single day because I’m under the conviction that an unrested Danielle is not the best Danielle. Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling to find a way to rest, and instead, I end up going from one hobby to the next within a matter of hours. I’m almost positive I have some ADHD or some neurospiciness in my brain, but that’s never been confirmed. I’m putting a stop to it though.

I’ve cleaned up my random hobby items throughout the house, putting them away in an organized manner. I’m allowing myself two hobbies: coloring and reading. Writing is officially becoming my career instead of just a fun hobby.

But, Danielle, won’t that make you stressed?

This shift will probably come with some challenges. Treating writing like a job is going to make it feel like work, but that’s okay. I want writing to be a career for me, but it will never be a career if I don’t start prioritizing it like one. As for cutting down my hobbies, I’m hoping this will eliminate my decision paralysis and help me focus more on the three things I love doing the most in my free time (writing, reading, and coloring). I’m also hoping that this change will help me get The Patriot’s Curse written and this new trilogy outlined and ready for writing.