Winter break amid a noisy world

I’m going to start with a minor confession; this is my third attempt at writing this post. My confidence shakes and my words seem so dumb that I just write and delete. Write and delete. There’s no real reason for that either.

I wanted to post an update just to say ‘thank you’, to everyone who’s joined my Substack, popped in, read my book, said hi online or in person.

I’m going to state it plainly. I am not good at recognizing my own accomplishments. It’s a genuine curse on my soul. I am not kind to myself. The best I can do is to be quiet. That’s the way I’m kind to myself.

This year my first book was released. I didn’t know if I’d ever have a real book published. It’s always been my dream, and my goal, but my brain has always told me that I’m not good enough. But it came out, and you know what, it sold a bunch of copies. And then my second book came out a few months later. It still doesn’t feel real, but here we are. I’m incredibly proud of myself for having made it to this point, and I’m so grateful for the people I’ve been able to work with at the Publisher too - they’ve done everything to support and embrace my odd little world.

I’ve seen my books reviewed by many people, and seen some of the kindest, most supportive and glowing words written about my work. I’ve also seen some crazy mean comments too, but that’s part of the process. Haru has been listed on a number of Best of 2024 lists, which is another thing I never thought would happen.

I’ve also worked on developing multiple new pitches, which I hope to share at some point over the next year or so too. My brain overflows with emotions, man it hits me so hard, and I can’t process them, so they come out through stories.

I’m excited to share the third Haru book with you soon too.

So… Thank you, it means a lot to me that you’re here. Social Media sites exist to exploit our free time, they always have an always will. We find communities there, but we need to remember that the location itself is not the community, the people are.

And remember, it’s important to recognize our small victories as much as our big ones. Progress comes from taking lots of small steps.

Here’s a picture of my face, I need a haircut and some more sleep, but this is me, right now, today.kick