We, as human beings, are often quite hard on ourselves. We always feel like we should do more. We should be more—more successful, more productive, more _____. Just more. We take on more than we can bear and we’re critical of ourselves when we can’t meet that standard—a standard we set for ourselves.
I’ve realized that I’ve expected an unfair amount of myself when it comes to my publishing deadlines, so this year things will be shifting a bit. I am an author, yes, but I do that because I love it. Ambergrove is a world I created out of love. I build it and share it because I want it to be enjoyed by others as well. While it brings me immeasurable joy, it is not a job. When it comes to jobs, I do still have a full-time job and a freelance job. Bringing Ember on the Anvil from start to finish in six months while also working these jobs was a big ask from the beginning. Now, I believe that pushing myself so hard to meet this deadline will cause the story to suffer. Overextending myself isn’t good for it, and I love Ambergrove too much to do it the disservice of pushing out a subpar book just for the sake of meeting a deadline. So I’m changing directions. I’m still on this adventure of mine, but I’m completing a sidequest instead.
I have things I need to focus on that are closer to home. Once those things are taken care of, I will have something from Tales of Ambergrove for your shelves this summer. It just won’t be Ember on the Anvil. I’ll provide more details as I have them. Ember on the Anvil has been pushed. I hope to still have it completed before the end of this year, but again, I will provide updates as I have them.
I have a few event updates for this year as well. There are currently four on the schedule, and I am hoping for two more. I have had to withdraw from the Ashville Viking Festival (April 27–28) due to personal commitments, but here are the confirmed events for the year:
- April 20: Lawrenceburg, Indiana—Lawrenceburg Public Library Author Fair
- August 31–September 2: Harveysburg, Ohio—Ohio Renaissance Festival’s Opening Weekend
- September 7–September 8: Harveysburg, Ohio—Ohio Renaissance Festival’s Fantasy Weekend
- September 28–September 29: Bowling Green, Indiana—Clayshire Castle’s Medieval Faire
I also hope to attend the Monrovia Public Library Author Fair again this year (Monrovia, Indiana; not yet confirmed; not yet scheduled) and another Viking festival (Kentucky; applications open tomorrow; November 1–3).
You can only do what you can do. Exceeding your limits indefinitely isn’t healthy. As it’s said, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” but also, even with a full cup, you can only pour so much. I know these books matter to more people than just me, and I owe it to all of us to give the stories the time they deserve instead of pushing myself to unrealistic standards and watching as something inevitably falls through the cracks.
I am still going to work on Ember on the Anvil periodically while working on this other project, but I’m giving it a more lax deadline, for the betterment of Ember’s journey and my own.
Please also do something for yourselves as well. The greatest of adventures still benefits from sidequests. Take a break from your own adventure, if you can, and go on a self-care sidequest. Lighten your load, go somewhere that brings you joy (in real life or in a story), take a moment to breathe, and enjoy the people and things that are around you. Fill your cup. Complete your sidequest. Continue your journey when you’re ready. Ambergrove will be waiting.
Until next time, adventurers!
Tales of Ambergrove 