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Insights into the writing life of an exhausted mom of four 8 and under. |
Hey! You! Yeah, you! Could you bring this momma some coffee?  I'll be sharing my struggles and triumphs as I try to pin down inspiration while juggling an 8 year old, 6 year old, 5 year old, and 5 month old (oh, and also navigating my chronic illness). There'll be lots of humor, probably more than a little complaining, and just all around good times. I hope you'll come along for the journey! (Don't forget the coffee; I'm serious about that!  ) AlyCatAuthor A Proud Member of 
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| Prompt: How can you find relief when you're feeling overwhelmed? Write about this in your Blog entry today. I like to try and get outside when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Just standing outside on my deck and listening to the birds singing, someone mowing the lawn a few yards over, and feeling the wind and sunshine immediately calms my emotions. If it's raining, sometimes that's even better. I'll open my back door kitchen window and listen to the rain. Sometimes the cause of my overwhelm is my curious children and their loud, repetitive questions. I get sensory overwhelmed very easily, so sometimes I ask them to whisper their questions, or raise hands and speak one at a time. If I'm extremely overwhelmed and on the verge of snapping (usually because my children are arguing or fighting with each other), I will often send them outside to play. It resets their nervous system as well as mine. Usually turning down the volume on external stimuli and doing my best to create a calm environment around me helps me recreate calm within myself. AlyCatAuthor |
| Prompt: "Cats are distant, direct, impeccably clean and able to stay silent. What more could be needed to be good company?" Write about this in your Blog entry today. I chuckled when I read this prompt. Many cats I've known in my life had their "distant" moments, but my current kitty is no such thing. Anytime I'm at my desk, sitting in my rocking chair (or sitting anywhere, for that matter), he is there, looking up with his big eyes to see if he can jump up in my lap. The other three adjectives describe him nicely, though. At this very moment, while I'm writing, he's giving himself a thorough bath, and has been for the past ten minutes.  Impeccably clean. He meows when it's time to feed him, when he wants pets or treats. Direct. He doesn't meow at any other time, not even the way some cats do at night when they're roaming the house and can't find you (despite you being in the same bedroom for years). Ability to stay silent.And I would agree that makes for very good company. AlyCatAuthor |
| Prompt: Empathy "The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy." Meryl Streep What are your thoughts on empathy? Empathy is the ability to feel what others are feeling. To walk a mile with them, in other words. It's an incredibly vulnerable thing to do, but often rewarding. Sometimes suffering alongside others is necessary-what I mean is, when we love people, we naturally suffer with them whether or not we consciously "want" to. That is a gift we can offer our fellow man, a superpower we possess as humans. When we have empathy for the ones we love, and even extend that empathy out to those outside our immediate circle of loved ones and friends, it can go a long way toward fostering a better world. As a person with chronic illness, but also a person who's deeply sensitive, it can be difficult to juggle my own energy needs with the needs of those around me, especially my children and my husband, so I must be very careful in how I expend my emotional energy. For that reason, I don't watch a lot of news or current events. Instead, I offer prayers for the needs of the world while taking care to save my energy for those that need it most--my "neighbor", my family members, and often, myself. Some might say that makes me selfish. As I've grown older, I find myself caring less about what people say and more about how I treat people. When I have no energy left, I retreat into myself. I have nothing to give. I must first take care of myself if I am to be of service to my neighbor and to the world. AlyCatAuthor |
This is my first time joining the "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompts!Prompt: Learning Wisdom "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." Confucius What do you think of this quote and what is your method of learning wisdom? My usual method of learning wisdom is the third: experience. I am someone who has to learn things the hard way most of the time. On a few instances I've imitated (followed the advice of others) and gotten good results, but most often I have to experience the pros and cons for myself for it to stick. Lately, as I've gotten older, I've reflected more on my life, what I want from it, and what actually makes me happy. I think that's a great way to learn what works for you. I think the quote is spot on.  AlyCatAuthor |
| Hey guys! Aly here. Just a little bit of an update here as spring begins to bloom all around. :) PERSONAL LIFE Things are slowly settling down. As many of you may know already, our family suffered a tremendous loss at the end of 2022. It's been a slow process to try and regain a sense of normalcy, especially as probate drags on and estate decisions are put into our hands. However, we are trying to look ahead to the future with hope, for our own sake as well as for our young kids. We were able to pay off all of our debt due to the legacy of our dear loved one who left us too soon. While we'd rather have her here, we know we can't change reality, and we're choosing to make the most of what's in front of us for the betterment of ours and our children's future--just like their Gammie would want. We've decided to sell the home which will be inherited by my husband and save the proceeds for a home closer to our church. This has been a dream of ours for a long time--to move closer to our church family and enroll our kids in the school there. The home desperately needs some updates before it can be sold, however, so those logistics are the brunt of what we're dealing with now on the practical side of things. On the grief side, some days are better than others, and some moments find you buried under a mountain of sadness you had no idea was lurking around the corner. The oddest things trigger memories and little tearful moments, but in a strange way, I'm glad for them. It reminds me that love lives on even when the person we long to share it with is no longer here with us. And it's a sad, strange, and beautiful thing. WRITING I've been really digging into my writing as a creative way to cope with my intense emotions lately, so I've gotten more done, not less. A brand new idea has come to the forefront of my mind, one that's well under way and may start trickling out either alongside the third and final installment of the "Kingdoms of Saelyn" series in June, or perhaps after. I haven't quite decided yet. I'm still steadily ghostwriting and have almost finished my first series. It's been a really fun ride so far, and I'm thinking ahead to the future about what I want to do moving forward. Do I want to leave more time for my own books and series, or do I want to keep making a steady income until we're settled closer to church? I'm not sure at the moment, and I'll be sure to update you guys when I come to a decision on this. NEW IDEA The new idea I mentioned above is a young adult urban fantasy romance series I'm tentatively titling "Hanna Skye and the Sons of Thunder." The premise is that a 16-year-old girl finds out she has ice manipulation powers and is enrolled as a trainee with a mysterious organization called "The Sons of Thunder." She then falls in love with the youngest of four brothers who train weather magicians like herself. This premise came to me in a dream and was so full of potential I immediately started jotting down ideas for how to expand it. It's since taken off, and I've almost got the entire first book written. Did I mention I had this dream only a few months ago? It's crazy how this idea has simply latched onto my subconscious and DEMANDED to be written. The two main characters and their stories came to me so readily, along with names, descriptions, and their relational dynamic. All I've had to do is let my fingers fly over the keyboard. I love it when that happens. All that to say, you'll want to keep an eye out for this series if any of the following tropes or concepts are your cup of tea: enemies to lovers romance, high school marching band shenanigans, I-would-die-for-you friendships, found family, secret identities/disguises, weather magic, forced proximity, touch-her-and-I'll-unalive-you, hidden powers, corrupt organizations, and love squares with alter egos. Also keep in mind that though this particular story is a little more heavy on the relational subplot, there's TONS of high-stakes adventure, fun high school drama, mystery, and an overarching redemption vibe that I think elevates this beyond your basic fantasy romance. FANFICTION I'm taking a hiatus on fanfiction right now while my original stories take over the pilot's seat. Expect lots of new story news in the next few months!! KINGDOMS OF SAELYN The third book is in the drafting stage, and the second book is going to final edits and formatting. My tentative release date for the Amazon Kindle edition is June 14 (my birthday!) so keep an eye out for official announcements on my social media and through email (if you're on my newsletter list). I'm getting so close to the end of this series, and I can't wait to finally have it finished and in your hands/on your e-readers! I think that's about all I have for updates. I know it's been a while--February and March were hard months as far as getting back on the horse with all the admin work of being a writer. Hopefully I can stick with it from here on out and be more consistent with my updates. Thanks for reading and for putting faith in me and my stories. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.  Until next time, Aly |
| Aly here with another monthly author update! LIFE NEWS It's been an eventful start to the new year, to say the least. We lost my beloved mother-in-law at the tail end of December, and this month has been a whirlwind of grieving and estate logistics. My husband will be inheriting his mother's house, and we intend to move in during the probate process to do upkeep and reap the benefits of her paid-off mortgage (which means no rent or house payment, and more savings!). I'm sure the moving and estate process will mess with my creative flow, but I'm also determined to live this season in a state of giving myself, my kids and my husband tons of grace. We need it more than we need to be productive. I refuse to pile my plate high with responsibilities when I know I can't reasonably expect myself to perform them in this season. One thing I am working on doing is getting myself healthy. Being strung out on sugar or constantly in pain because of eating inflammatory foods is no way to go through something this life-changing. The healthier I can be, the better I'll come out on the other side of this, and the more creativity I'll have when I'm ready to get back on the horse more completely. BOOK/SERIES NEWS SERIALS I still plan on releasing new chapters each week of my two main projects, "Rattle The Stars" (Disney Fanfiction) and "Kingdom of Destruction" (second in my Kingdoms of Saelyn series). The books are already done, for the most part, minus some minor edits and incorporating beta feedback. My hope is to have Kingdom of Destruction available for purchase on Amazon in either Q2 or 3 of this year. Look for another update when it's live on Amazon!NEW PUBLISHING STRATEGY? I'm also thinking of moving my books to Kindle Unlimited, since I don't publish anywhere but Amazon (and my website) currently. Still puzzling out the terms to make sure I can keep up my current model of publishing to my website and other places around the web for free. Whatever I find out, I'll let you guys know for sure. KINGDOMS OF SAELYN Kingdom of Revelation, the third book of the series, is currently in the drafting process and is coming along painfully slowly, but I'm allowing it to. There are other priorities on my time and energy right now, and that's okay. Not every season is one for insane productivity, like 2022 was for me. DAY JOB WRITING I'm almost finished with my ghostwritten series, and I'm invested in giving it the epic ending it deserves. Hopefully, I'll be able to start a new project with the same company. They've been wonderful to me thus far, and the process of writing quickly has actually made me realize I've prepared for this role my whole life haha. I CAN write on a deadline, and produce something mostly readable, which is an encouraging thought as someone who's been an author and has studied stories for 15 years. GOALS FOR 2023 I've had to rethink some of my goals for this year. My word of the year is "healthy", and that can incorporate a lot of things. Most obviously, healthy means taking care of myself. I have a chronic illness that controls what, when, and how I eat most days, and I ignore it to my own peril. In the past, I've been stubborn about eating what I want, when I want, but always paid the price. Now, I'm trying to lean into grace more, trying to get outside and breathe fresh air more, and keep myself hydrated. I think much more clearly when I do all three of these things, and inflammation isn't making my brain hurt. Healthy also means putting boundaries around my time. I've accomplished a lot in 2022, but it came at a price. I overstepped time I should have given to my family in order to move forward on my goals, and that's not something I want to do moving forward. It may mean scaling back goals and allowing a lot more breathing room in my schedule. As an overachiever, I don't like the thought of not accomplishing more, but I know it will benefit me and my family in the long run. As far as publishing books and advancing my career, I still want to take some steps forward. I'll be doing lots of research, revamping my author strategy, and evaluating what I can reasonably expect myself to keep up with. For the time being, though, my ghostwriting "day job" takes top priority. It brings in income our family needs to reach our financial goals, is training me to trust my story instincts, treat my writing time as a discipline, and helping me produce stories I never thought I was capable of producing. I'm certainly NOT giving up on my stories. They just may grow and come into existence at a slower pace, and I'm okay with that. It's consistent effort that makes the most difference. I'll be glad I kept going 2, 5, and 10 years from now. I've already seen a huge difference in my own consistency over the last several quarters, thanks in no small part to Sarra Cannon's wonderful HB90 goal setting system. FREE E-BOOK! If you sign up for my author newsletter, you can claim your very own FREE copy of Kingdom of Illusion, just for being a subscriber. It's my welcome gift to you for hopping on board.  Just visit this link: http://subscribepage.io/aXHkk5 If you'd rather just read the series here on WDC, that's totally cool, too! Here's the link: "The Kingdoms of Saelyn Series" .Not in the mood for fantasy? How about fanfiction? Come check out "God Help The Outcasts: COMPLETE" , a Disney crossover fic featuring Cinderella, Pocahontas, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, or "Rattle The Stars" , another crossover featuring Alice in Wonderland and Treasure Planet!Thanks for coming along for the ride, dear readers. May God bless you and your brand new year!  |
| Hey guys! Aly here with your regularly scheduled monthly update. The medical crisis with my mother in law has calmed down signficantly. She is now being cared for in a long-term nursing facility and seems much happier there than she had been in the hospital. Her mind is slowly slipping away due to the aggressive brain tumor she has, but the kids and I were blessed to be able to come love on her in a calmer moment, where she was able to at least recognize the kids and let them kiss her. We got photos and all of us really treasured that visit. Hoping to have another one around Christmastime, though it truly does depend on the day and even the moment that we visit. Her mood and energy levels can turn on a dime. We're prepping for the holidays besides trying to visit all of our family, as I'm sure many of you are. Gifts must be wrapped, the house must be decorated, and since my husband's now on break from school for Christmas and New Year's, we're also squeezing in appointments we couldn't otherwise go to and catching up on maintenance for the cars and house. Busy time of year. Filled with joy, and more than a hint of bittersweetness as we prepare to lose my mother in law, but we are taking it day by day and enjoying the little moments as they come. It's important to let yourself feel joy, especially when it comes to you unexpectedly like a gift. Progress on my writing projects is going well. I've turned in Book 6 of my ghostwritten series and I'm not due to turn in anything else until well into January. A well-deserved break is in order, and I'm filling my well by diving deep into my own stories, getting in some drawing and winter stargazing, and generally just enjoying the sights and sounds of the season. "Flower of Faith" , the first book in my unreleased young adult epic fantasy series "The Mending Series" , has been tugging at my heartstrings lately. I reoutlined it, then reoutlined it again, and now I'm piecing together the ideas I like from both stories, which are quite different in detail but similar in the character arc. Sometimes I overwork a story to the point I just confuse myself, and this is certainly one of those times. This story was the first one I ever drafted to completion, was my first original novel idea, and has been in the works for the last 15 years, and the perfectionist in me just wants to do it justice. Still, if I focus too much on perfection of story structure and don't write the story that I want to read, it won't really have been worth it. I've had my practice books to work on carefully fitting together the puzzle pieces of character arc, plot points, and story structure. Writing these ghostwritten books has also revealed to me just how deeply imbedded in my writing "muscle memory" these concepts are, so I feel it's probably best for me to just let go of those skeletal details and let the story that I want to write make itself known. Then, if there are points that need to be made stronger (and there usually are), I can go back and tweak rather than completely overhaul the entire thing. The third book in my "The Kingdoms of Saelyn Series" has also been outlined and is ready for drafting, though I haven't felt as strong a pull to start writing it yet. I have got a start on it--about 4K words or so--but the narrative isn't flowing very well. I find that with my own stories, it feels very patchwork-y the first go round. Then when I come back for revisions, I usually have to add (which is worlds better than having to take away in my opinion). Trying to trust my own process on that story as well, and since I have no definitive release date in mind for it yet, I'm going to try and just make sure my well is filled and work on it as I have the inspiration to do so.In other news, fans of my Disney Fanfiction will be glad to know I've had an idea for a sequel to "Rattle The Stars" , my crossover fanfiction involving Alice Kingsley from Alice in Wonderland and Jim Hawkins from Treasure Planet. I can't reveal many details without spoiling the ending of the first, but just know that idea is simmering in the background. :) I think that's it for this update. Things are calm at the moment as we take things day by day and seize little moments of joy. My hope for you, dear reader, is that you can also snatch moments of joy out of your days, whether they are busy or quiet or somewhere in between. I wish you all the best during this season of light and grace, and Merry Christmas. AlyCatAuthor |
| Hey guys! Aly here with your monthly update. :) So far, this month has been less stressful than last month. It's also gotten a lot colder, a lot faster than I expected haha. We've had to break out all the winter gear pretty suddenly after enjoying temps in the 60s the past few weeks. It actually feels like the seasons are behaving for once here in the Midwest, in some ways. The reason why things have been less stressful is quite bittersweet. We are moving toward hospice care for my mother in law, who is now suffering seizures and has limited cognitive abilities. She can no longer feed herself, and her daily radiation treatments are not seeing any progress made towards fighting back against the tumor--and she's over halfway through them. After my husband spoke with his family, we all feel it would be best to move toward hospice in the very near future and to stop treatments. Her cancer was very advanced to begin with, and the surgery to remove the tumor bought her about a month before the tumor regrew and started to cause issues. She spent that month battling the after effects of a massive internal hemorrhage caused by too high a dose of blood thinning medication, followed by a mysterious liver infection that came and went seemingly out of nowhere. Needless to say, she has been through hell and back multiple times and at this point, it seems rather ridiculous to continue treatment despite no improvement and worsening cognition/seizures. This has been a horrendous decision on my husband's part to have to shoulder, and although we know it's the right one, it's still extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact that we have to stop fighting and let her go. That being said, the logistics of everything have calmed down, and all that is left is to move her into a private nursing home closer to us and spend as much quality time as we can with her while she is still here. On the topic of writing, I'm steadily making progress on "Rattle the Stars," my Disney crossover fanfiction featuring Treasure Planet and Alice in Wonderland. I've also sent "Kingdom of Destruction," Book Two in the Kingdoms of Saelyn series, out to beta readers and I'm eagerly awaiting their feedback. Meanwhile, you can check out a new chapter each week of BOTH stories over on my website, Wattpad, Royal Road, or Writing.com. I've been drawing up a storm lately, in hobby-related news. They're mostly character drawings and I'm having LOADS of fun designing characters and playing with colors, expressions, outfits, and all the rest. Winter stargazing is going well, too. While the nights have grown cold, that means I won't have to fight bugs whilst I'm standing out with my binoculars or just staring at the Winter Hexagon from my porch. It's been fun seeing Orion rise in the East shortly after sunset, and seeing the beautiful Pleiades rise as well. If you happen to look up after sunset, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all together for the moment, stretching across the ecliptic overhead from East to West. Go have a look, if you never have. It's quite relaxing. :) I think that's all the news I have for the month of November, other than to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate. Despite the storms in our life, there is much to be grateful for. AlyCatAuthor |
| Hey guys! Aly here with your regularly-scheduled monthly update. October has come and gone so fast, but to its credit, it's at least FELT like October here. Fall, well, FELL quite abruptly on us here in the Midwest this year. We've been enjoying the rusty foliage, pumpkins, and apple cider with the kids. Our yearly trip to the orchard was a success as well. The kids loved the petting zoo and the hay stacks for climbing. My youngest fell in love with the toddler swing and did NOT want to be taken out of it. As far as updates on the medical situation with my mother-in-law, she's been on a steady downward trajectory since the initial diagnosis. The surgery to remove the tumor went well, and she had recovered quite a bit of motor function in the immediate aftermath. Once we'd had her home for three days, though, she went in to the ICU for internal hemorrhage, which could have been MUCH more consequential than it was, considering it was an artery. One complication led to another, and now she is on antibiotics for a systemic infection until the beginning of November. Our hope is that we can have the logistical and legal preparations done by the time she's released from the hospital, so we can adequately care for her or make sure she is cared for once she's no longer in the hospital. Hopefully things will calm down with her condition, though we do know from the last MRI that her tumor is recurring, meaning it's growing back just in the six weeks since the surgery. She has also been losing cognitive function and has been refusing radiation treatments while in the hospital, so it's unclear whether we will continue to pursue that treatment for her or simply move to palliative. It's a hard decision--the doctors have made it clear that radiation and chemo for this type of cancer is pretty much only palliative. It will not cure it, and if it's causing her more pain than help, it may very well help her quality of life to simply discontinue the treatment and let her live the remainder of her prognosis without it. So many hard decisions to think about, but our family is handling it about as well as we could hope, I think. As far as writing goes, I'm continuing to make excellent progress with both my ghostwriting stories and my own books. Kingdom of Destruction's draft is officially done with initial revisions, and I've started posting the chapters here on my website, as well as around the interwebs on Royal Road and Writing.com. My hope is that I can get some feedback for the chapters while it's in the semi-revised stage, and by the time it comes to releasing it on Amazon, I'll be able to incorporate that feedback and really give it a last, good once-over. If you're interested, the first chapter is here, and the first book is also here if you haven't caught up yet ;) I do have some other good news to share! I've recently upgraded some things in my office, not least of which is a new mechanical keyboard to replace the basic Apple keyboard I've been using. Not knocking the Apple board AT ALL. I've had no fatigue or pain while using it, and I've written like six books using it, so…it's a dang good keyboard. Simple, minimal, etc. And with the touch ID, it's great! I was just feeling something different to switch between, so I ended up getting a Keychron C1 with the Mac layout. All my function keys work as they should, meaning I don't have to take my hands off the keyboard to change the song while I'm writing (VERY KEY to my process lol). And the switches are Gateron Browns, which are sufficiently clicky and tactile without being obnoxiously loud like the other keyboard I have, which is a Blue switch. I'm also delving into the world of fountain pens with the TWSBI Eco. I currently have a Cross Bailey that my dad bought me, and I've liked that one okay. Once again, just felt it was time to try something new. This one has a clear barrel with the piston ink system already built in (had to buy that accessory separately for my Bailey). I'm looking forward to jotting down notes and ideas with my new pen when it arrives. Aside from the obvious medical issues, and the logistics that come with it, I feel that personally, I'm doing okay. I've been on a routine with the kids, and while it's been hard to be without my husband for several nights or days in a row, or only see him at bedtime before he rushes off to work the next day, I know I have it way easier than he does right now. I sometimes have a guilt complex surrounding that, like perhaps I should be doing more, or feeing more sad. I have to remember, though--my kids need me to be strong, and they need to see me smiling throughout this storm. It's okay, and even necessary, for me to find joy and experience it fully. And I think my husband benefits from it as well. If he came home to a miserable wife, I feel it would just make his situation even harder than it needs to be. So I'm trying hard to remind myself to take time to appreciate the little things, take things one day at a time, and fully be in the present, joyfully taking time with the people I love most in this world. If anything is going to get us through this storm, it's going to be that. I think that's all the update I have for now, and I thank you for taking the time to walk through it with me. I'll be back in November with more updates (hopefully good ones). Remember to hold your loved ones close and take nothing for granted. Until next time, AlyCatAuthor |
| Hey guys! Aly here with a (belated) monthly update for September. A lot has happened this month. We really got to share in Our Lady's Sorrows for the month of September, which has kind of a poetic resonance. My beloved mother in law was taken to the hospital with what we thought was a stroke. But her diagnosis was much worse. In the span of two weeks, we learned she has a rare form of brain cancer that has given her about one year to live. As if that weren't enough, she returned to the hospital only a few days after her discharge with life-threatening internal bleeding, likely from the high doses of blood thinner she was taking after her surgery to remove the cancerous tumor. As of today (October 3rd), she is still in the ICU being monitored for low blood counts. This is the reason for the banner on my website and for the posts on my social media accounts. Each day brings some new challenge for our family to work through, and so my posts will be inconsistent at best and non-existent at worst. Still, my writing has been a blessing during this trying time. It's comforting to know I can still access my creativity even through immense amounts of pressure. And that creativity has been a balm for my soul and has kept me sane, along with lots and lots of prayer. This diagnosis has pretty much taken over all of our lives, although I'm trying my best to maintain a familiar routine for myself and the kids. And it's helping a lot. I mostly worry about my husband, his mother's only child, who has had to take on the full burden of making decisions about her care, finances, health, etc. mostly alone. He has help from other family members, but the bulk of everything is on his shoulders. We're hoping we can get back to some sense of normalcy in the coming weeks, as she hopefully comes home from the hospital to be taken care of at home, by a combination of hired caregivers, my husband and her sister. With that in mind, I end my updates for September. Remember to hold your loved ones close and never take anything for granted, friends. Until next time, AlyCatAuthor |
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