I’ve been putting off writing this email for close to a couple of weeks now, but like circling vultures squawking overhead, the realities of my plight are clear.
In case you’re wondering, no, I am not culling yet another day of these emails.
Nor am I hinting at any wholesale changes.
Rather, I have something of a guilty admission that needs airing.
You see, a number of weeks ago, I foolishly broke one of my tenets, which was to NEVER promise hard deadlines as, for some uncanny reason, it’s like the universe suddenly takes note and decides to throw every imaginable curveball it can muster your way.
Well, would you know, it has.
I promised that, not only would I have had The Great Betrayal audiobook complete before the end of November, but like the toothless donkey I was…
I also announced that Book #6 of The Divided Region might also be done before the year’s out.
I don’t know whether I had a good night's sleep the day before or one too many whiskeys, but neither is happening.
And that’s despite burning the midnight oil multiple nights in a row (sometimes until 4AM with bloodshot eyes)…
Drinking more coffee than an adult should consume…
Eating poorly as I haven’t had the time to prep home-cooked dinners…
And reducing my emails from seven days a week to five (another “little-known” reason why I made the move).
To say it has been crippling is an understatement.
And as some of you will know, creativity requires focus, energy, and a buoyant spirit — which is the exact opposite of what I have been.
Just ask Lady Laura.
She’ll tell you just how tense I’ve been.
My closest confidants often remind me that I’ve got a newborn baby, an 18-month-old toddler, and a slew of other responsibilities beyond writing that require my attention.
True, but when I say I’m going to do something, I keep my word.
And when I don’t?
Well, let’s just say it stings, or else this email will be flagged as “harmful.”
If you’re a longstanding Legionnaire, and your nose detected a lack in my irreverent, witty ways, then it wasn’t misguiding you.
Anyway, I’m rambling now, and I can hear Master Liam giving Laura hell downstairs. Before I sign off, I’d just like to apologise and highlight an important lesson for us all:
NEVER overpromise, or else risk underdelivering.
Sadly, on this occasion, I have undelivered, and that’s on me to make good.
This starts by ensuring TGB audiobook and Book #6 will be the best they can possibly be for their release.
The other?
If you respond to this email with your first name and email address, I will gift you a $10 gift card to use at my Storehouse, which will automatically convert to your local currency at checkout.
The gift card will have no expiration date and can be used on any of my wares.
So, if you’d rather sit on it until the audiobook or sequel comes out, then that’s fine.
DJJW