First off, thank you so much to the latest paid subscriber to Overthinking It, Nancy C! Hey Nancy, may you always get your Box of Rain! Thanks so much for your support!
I know it’s been a few weeks, and I’m sorry about that. I keep sitting down to write something, but just end up deleting it all because it sounds all wrong. But these days, most everything sounds wrong. So it’s not just me. But I’ll try anyway.
First off, my attempt at 100 stories in 100 days will take much longer than 100 days. Some days I am so demoralized I can’t even write about being demoralized. What a sad state of affairs!
In any case, you’ll find some new stories over in the Short Story section, which I hope you’ll enjoy. They’ll still pop up from time to time.
I did release my 11th book last week – The Last Resort. Thank you to those who read an advance copy and left a review for me, I really appreciate it. I think it’s a fun read, with hopefully a few lols. I’d consider it an antidote to the news, at the very least.
For the first quarter of this year, I worked with my author coach again. And while I’m pretty much in spending lockdown these days, I’ve decided to work with her for Q2 as well. I just get so much out of it. It’s helped me in many areas of my life.
Her name is Camille Pagán, and if you’re an author, I highly recommend checking out her work. She has a podcast, an evergreen course, and offers various levels of coaching. She’s a very grounded, sensible person, and has, on multiple occasions, successfully brought me down from the ceiling, which is usually where I usually end up if I overthink stuff too much. Which happens basically all the time.
Even better, Camille challenges me. She challenges my beliefs about myself and what is possible but is never judgmental or pushy. How many people do that for you in life? Yes, it is a paid service, but both she and I are genuine about what’s going on and I couldn’t ask for any more than that. Whatever she coaches me on, it’s still up to me whether I do it or not.
And so far, when we come up with a plan together or she gives me homework or whatever, I tell myself hey, I am paying for this person’s expert advice, so I owe it to myself to take the advice and act on it. If I don’t at least try it, what am I paying for?
I’ve had yoga students like this—they asked for advice but only because they wanted the attention, not because they were interested in what I was offering, not because they had any intention of trying the suggestion. They wanted attention. Which I gave to them, but I stopped being invested in the outcome.
Don’t stop being invested in my outcome, Camille!
She reads this newsletter too, so hey Camille—thank you a million times over.
So last week, after discussing it and thinking things over, I’ve decided to put my cozy mystery series aside and write a standalone mystery novel. Well, there might be room for a series at some point, but I’m writing it to be read on its own.
It’s time to up my author game. Time to move past some old milestones and try for new ones. Maybe it’s just the tone of 2025 so far, which is, dare I say, rather dismal, but I feel like writing something a little darker. Still funny, just funny with more of a bite. The first stages of note-taking are in progress—character sketches, trope selection, basic outline.
Time to do things a little different.
If 2025 has taught me one thing, it’s that moving along in the same old way isn’t going to cut it anymore. I see where that’s gotten me and while I’m grateful for where I am, more of the same isn’t the answer. If I don’t adapt, I will fail.
If this sounds like a veiled discussion about our political climate, it is. A very thinly-veiled one.
Take good care of yourself out there. We are the most help to others when we are compassionate and caring toward ourselves first.
And as always, thanks for reading.
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Hey, that's exciting news, a stand alone! Good for you - Delphine, Kenji and Marge may appreciate the vacation (especially Delphine... 😂)
Andrea, this means the world to me! Thank you. It's a delight to work with you.