"We all need somebody to lean on." ~Bill Withers, Lean on Me (1972)

Dear ,

My computer monitor is framed by 22 post-it notes, taped like a border around it. Some are reminders about which email address to use to log in to different author accounts. One has hex codes so when I need that turquoise or purple for a design, it's right there. A couple are quotes that I love.

One simply says 'BREATHE' in capital letters.

But the one that draws my eye and taunts me every day is taped to the top right corner of the monitor and has an old—like 1960s old—amethyst bead necklace hanging from it.

It's my publishing schedule.

Or was my publishing plan back in March 2020. I say it "taunts me" because as of this week, I've missed a publishing date and there's no way in this land of green giants (I live in a temperate rainforest!) that I'll be able to get back on track.

I've fretted as days, weeks, and then months have passed without enough progress. I've stared at the date—March 1—willing the words of this story to flow. No amount of berating myself or self-acceptance have made the characters more talkative. And so, I have to finally accept that my plan must be replanned; that my next book will likely not be ready to publish until June—a full three months behind schedule.

As if reading my despairing mind, yesterday a dear friend who's suffering from significant challenges with her health, sent me an email with a simple quote:

“We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. Some of us are on super-yachts. Some have just the one oar." ~Damian Barr

(Illustration by Barbara Kelly)

And of course, some of us are in canoes, row boats, motorboats... and everything in between a super-yacht and a hanging on for life to one oar. But we are all in a storm and it's hard to not grow weary, facing wave and after wave after wave of uncertainty.

Creativity suffers. Patience suffers. Energy levels suffer. Mental, emotional and physical health suffer.

I've written Damian Barr's wise words on a new Post-it and taped it to one of the last remaining spaces on my monitor's frame so, as I stare into the void, trying to imagine the next scene for my work-in-progress, I will be reminded that I am both, in a storm and, lucky enough to have an enclosed boat keeping me safe, dry and warm. It may not be moving very fast, but it's still afloat and one day it will catch the current to carry me back to shore.

I'm curious, , do you have a favorite quote you think of, when things aren't going as planned?

I'd love to know. I don't need context, just the wise words that you reflect on to remind you of whatever it is you need to be reminded of when you're feeling lost at sea.

Do you read more or less when your focus fails?

A mentor of mine who writes both fiction and non-fiction books was saying this week that in the last year he hasn't had the focus to either read or write fiction. But he has been able to read and write non-fiction. The different genres fill different needs and draw from different areas of his creativity.

If you're in the camp that is still reading fiction—maybe reading more than normal—the change of the month brings a whole new batch of book fairs with whole new collections of books. I run one of these fairs and can tell you that at least 20% of the authors are ones I've not seen before.

Have a peak and see if you can find a new-to-you author.

These collections are the only way many writers find new readers since advertising on Amazon and Facebook can be very expensive. Support indie authors and have a peak!

Even if you don't subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, many of these books are very affordable, at $0.99 for novellas to $3.99 for full-length novels.

If you love series, this is the collection to have a look at. It's series starters and these are all free—sometimes samples, sometimes full books.

Although there are some overlaps in this and the March Romance, there are plenty of different books. Worth a scroll to see what tickles your fancy!

Did you know that you can quickly and easily scroll all the books by clicking the first one and then using your arrows to jump to the next one? That's how I do it since you can see the blurb and sometimes a blurb will entice me even if a cover didn't.

I know... it's not February anymore and this is the only collection I've already shared with you. But the books are still looking for homes so I'm hoping you'll give them one last look!

Well, here's to one more week behind us and the promise of another ahead... my goal is to write 5,000 words on the book I'm tentatively calling Dad Genes. It's a single dad, fake relationship story starring the eldest Rhodes brother, Adam (from Third Party) and Lizzy (from Second Breath). It's the fourth book in the Mixed Six-Pack series but I'm tired of the title pattern that would force this one to be Fourth 'Something'. Breaking rules in the name of freedom!

love & floatationstuff,

Danika

xo

PS—Truly, I'd love to know what your favorite quote is when you need a boost. Hit reply and tell me. If I'm feeling creative but not writerly, I may make a collage with them all... we'll see what tomorrow brings. xo

Song playing while I wrote this email: Lean on Me by Bill Withers