You know how it is as you get older, where your mind still thinks you’re much younger than you are, and then you try to do things at the age level your mind believes you can and your body says nope and then hopefully doesn’t kill you for trying?

That’s basically my brain before the big break vs. my brain now.

I’m still convinced I’m fully capable of, and genuinely expect to be able to sit down and churn out a thousand plus words a session. Instead, I sit down and fail to deliver day after day after day. But the point is, I kept coming back. And eventually failure accumulated into enough words to string into solid sentences, and then sentences became paragraphs, and paragraphs became chapters and the good days began to outnumber the bad.

And, well, I have half a book now. Almost. I think.

In what is very much a don’t-count-your-chickens-before-they-hatch thing, followed by a fear of saying too much and then falling on my face again: Assuming I do manage to finish this book, and assuming the final half can hold up to the strength of the first, when I read what I’ve got here and I look ahead at what still needs to be written, I start to feel—even as my very own worst critic—that this one has the potential to be the best I’ve ever done.

You can’t even know what kind of hope that brings to someone who is still struggling so hard to convert thoughts and ideas into words.

So yes, I’ve been writing, and no, I don’t have any idea when this book will be finished.

What I do know is that the fact there’s been any progress on THE FULCRUM at all—that there’s a very real possibility we’ll have another finished Munroe story before toooooooo long—is truly, genuinely, absolutely, and wholly due to the generosity of the Patrons who’ve chosen to be my benefactors and have been providing the financial support that’s allowed me to keep writing in the first place.

At this point, having gone so long without finishing a book (ie: this long without selling a book and no longer having book-income headed my way) I would have already long since had to set writing aside to focus on some other way of paying the bills if not for the generosity that’s allowed me the breathing room to keep whittling away at the words.

So when I say thank you for gifting me the time, and when I credit you for making it possible to have gotten as far as I have, and when I tell you how much your continued belief in me means, especially when I have so very little to show for that belief, I really, really, really mean it.

[Side note: If you’ve wanted to contribute financially but just don’t want to be bound by the monthly Patreon pledge model, or maybe you have issues with the Patreon platform itself, or are trying to minimize your online footprint—maybe you’ve even emailed asking for some other way to send financial support and never heard back on that part (for which I apologize; it wasn’t that I didn’t want, need, and appreciate the help, I just didn’t know how to accept it)—please let me know and I can get you that information privately.]

Anyway, all that to say, yes I have been writing and if you’d like to see how progress on THE FULCRUM is fairing, you can find the most recent sneak peek here.

As far as non-writing life goes, well, that’s a whole different story.

Last year was madness, what with selling my house, moving twice, getting my kids moved, and finishing prior contract obligations all amidst the pandemic upheaval. But this year? This year has been like the calm after the storm.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like life just decided to go easy or anything.

2021 started out with a bang, first with the baby goat that almost wasn’t, and then the whole of Texas freezing over, and then the tree falling on my roof, and the internet cables getting cut twice in two months. And then there was the broken leg saga, and the fishhook that got caught in my arm which requiring an ER visit to remove, and finding a tiny kitten up inside a truck engine, and that doesn’t even count the self-inflicted wounds like deciding to hatch goose eggs or that time the back of my thumb got between the turkey and a very sharp knife and I became the de facto Thanksgiving entertainment while my nurse-friend who happened to have a med kit in the car shot my hand up with Lidocaine, cauterized a vein, and stitched the wound closed.

No, it’s been a very full year.

But if I had to rank years by stress level, this year has honestly been one of the least stressful of my life. For the first time since—well, maybe forever—I’ve had a chance to slow down and find some kind of work-life balance. The move to a more rural area not only cut living expenses way down but also allowed me to spend time outdoors (something I rarely did in the last ten years) and discover the joys of nature and getting my hands in the dirt. There’ve been gardens and animals and power tools and things built and repaired and a chance to do more than spend nearly every waking hour in front of a computer screen.

Patron generosity and support has given me that too. So, again, when I say I’m grateful, I really, really, really mean it.

I do write and talk about these every day-type experiences. As a natural-born storyteller I just can’t help myself. But they’re not the types of things that belong in writing/ publishing emails or even NEWSIE emails, so they don’t show up here. If you think you’d enjoy reading those types of stories, or if you think you can tolerate listening to me tell you those types of stories via audio, these are the best ways to get them:

• The Taylor Stevens Show Podcast: Nearly every show starts with chit chat, usually stories from the farm or other stupid little things going on that are fun to talk about but aren’t worth making whole posts about. So even if writing advice isn’t your thing, the first few minutes of each show do usually make for some good fun.

• Patreon Posts: You don’t have to contribute financially to be able to benefit from Patreon. The pledge page also has a “follow” link and if you’re signed up as a follower on my account, any post that goes up outside the paywall will head straight to your inbox just like these do. The only thing you need to set that up is email address and a password.

• Facebook fan group: These days, my online interaction is virtually nil. But when I do have something to share, be it a stupid thought or photos of animals, or requests for help finding the right words, that all goes into the facebook group the same way most people post on their profiles. That group is my online safe space. We try very hard to keep animosity and political opinions out of there. Granted, people are people and any time you get enough of them together in one place someone’s bound to be insensitive or say something offensive, but we do put the kibosh on that quick if ever it happens. (Sorry I don't have a direct link to the group, but if you search for Taylor Stevens Fan Club, Author from within the groups option, it should turn right up).You’re welcome to just lurk if that’s your thing. My only request is PLEASE ANSWER THE SCREENING QUESTIONS. For the most part, no answers = no entry.

Like I said, I really don’t have much that’s newsworthy and so I guess we’re setting a record here with the shortest newsie ever. Now for the fun stuff that you’ve most certainly been waiting for…

GOODIES: This month there are ten books in the giveaway pile. If you’d like to be entered to win, simply respond to this email with the subject “GOODIE GIVEAWAY.” If your email program likes to be difficult and won’t let you change the subject, just put GOODIE GIVEAWAY in the reply and I will make sure it gets to the right place.

The 8th, 16th, 27th, 34th, 45th, 52nd, 60th, 73rd, 81st, and 99th readers to respond will be prize winners this month. I read every single email that comes in but due to the volume, I’m ONLY able to respond to the 8th, 16th, 27th, 34th, 45th, 52nd, 60th, 73rd, 81st, and 99th respondents. If you email and don’t hear back, it’s not because I’m ignoring you, it’s because, due to time and volume, I just can’t.

[Standard buzzkill disclaimer for all giveaways and offers of free books: Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Limited to U.S. addresses. I am not responsible for lost or misrouted emails, interrupted or unavailable network or server connections, other computer or technical failures, or post office mishandling.]

Wishing a wonderful New Year full of promise to everyone except the idiot who dug up whatever ancient relic brought this curse of plagues down upon us. You, whoever you are, can just sit the year out at home this time, mmmkay?

:D

With love,

Taylor