Batteries Not Included

I haven’t written anything in months.

There, I said it out loud. It’s out there. I have dozens of pieces of stories all stored, waiting for—what, I’m not sure. Several things in my life have hit recently with gale force starting with the break-up from a man I believed in. I’ve been on the work project from Hell since October that has me stressed and takes up more time than I’d have. Then, there’s the move, which has me pretty fucking terrified. I’ve lived in the same small town on the outskirts of Chicago my entire life, and now I’m packing up and moving halfway across the country—away from my support base, away from my family, and away from my office.

I guess it’s no wonder I look at Word right now and say, “I’m sorry, you want what?”.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve considered more than a few alternatives to see if I can break myself from the cycle. I’ve written some het. I’ve started a few short stories. Hell, I’ve even considered going back to my Fanfiction roots and writing some Mackey (from Beneath the Stain by Amy Lane) or Lane (from the Boy series by Lisa Henry & JA Rock), or Paul and Danny (from Kele Moon’s Eden series). The scenes pop into my head – God, I’d love to play with little Michael from Tiffany Reisz’s Original Sinners series—but when I open Word or grab a notebook, meh.

It happens to everyone, I know—but that doesn’t make it any easier. Some of it may stem from the fact that I don’t need JP anymore. Being friends with guys like Ryan Rose, Jake Driver, and Big Joey D help me to see my inner strength. I’ve lived through hell in my life, and it made me strong. I can walk into a room, overflowing with people there to hear James Buchanan, Lisa Henry, and I talk about our experiences in BDSM, and I can rock that bitch. It’s a far cry from that little girl Damon Suede had to pull out of the corner in New Orleans.

By the time this loads, I’ll be on my way to the Dreamspinner Author Workshop in Orlando with William Cooper by my side. Not because I need an assistant, but because I want to experience the Harry Potter theme parks with my best friend. I’ll go to the workshops, I’ll talk with my fellow authors—people I love like Rhys Ford, Amy Lane, Andrew Grey, Andrew Gordon, I’ll talk with Elizabeth North—and I’ll see where I want my path to take me. Whether it’s staying in this genre, writing in another genre, or reviewing from the sidelines—I’ll work on my own terms, as I have from the beginning.

My next post for Love Bytes will be from my new home in Atlanta!

XOXO,

JP