My Busy Life

I can't believe it's been so long since I wrote a blog post, but my life has been busier than ever.  I'm sorry I haven't been more considerate of my online readers and fans, but it has been one hell of a year for me.  Some days hellish, others oddly ordinary, and still altogether fulfilling.  That's how I'd describe it.

So, anyone who knows me (or paid attention to previous blog posts) knows that my marriage ended this year.  The divorce was finalized in June, leaving me with full custody of 4 children.  Raising them is taking up a lot of my time, and I am not sorry in the least.  They are the largest reason for my being, and if taking care of them means sacrificing that's the way it goes.  So, time I used to spend writing or editing is currently being redirected elsewhere.

The other reason I haven't been online blogging is because of work.  Not only have I had to still work and make money, but I have major home renovations underway.  Below are a few pictures of where I'm currently at with regard to my latest project.

Entering the addition.

The unfinished shell of what will be the room for my youngest daughter, Lois.

Stairs I built myself, from scratch.

"The Loft," which will be occupied by my oldest daughter, Sylvia.

This antique push-button switch panel will control the lights for Sylvia's loft room.

Going down...

My father started this one last year.  A section of old roof needed to be replaced, and with 4 kids there was a growing need for more space, so my father decided to build this new section onto this end of the house.  He built most of the shell 2 years ago, and I helped him put the roof on it.  After that, it sat, unfinished with a tarp for one wall, until I finally got off my ass and decided to finish it.  It's a major undertaking, and I expect I'll be most of the winter finishing the interior, but the end result will be separate rooms for 2 of my daughters and a full bathroom.  There are plenty of projects beyond this, so I'm not sure which will take up my time after that.

So, between working on the house and raising 4 children, I'm finding it difficult to keep up with my writing and editing.  Martinus Publishing is still alive, but I'm afraid I don't have the time to do it justice.  I'm not giving up.  I'm not shutting down, but it may be some time before I can really get back to it.  I'm way behind with the last 3 anthologies I have in the pipeline, and unless some miracle happens I may have to cancel one or two of them.  I am committed to getting We Were Heroes out, though it's looking like a early 2016 release.  I haven't even started editing on The Secret Life of Ghosts, and I've had several authors pull out because of the time delay.

When it comes to Martinus Publishing, I can't afford to hire help.  The last few anthologies haven't made back their publication expenses, so there's no financial incentive behind it.  I do it for the love of writing, the love of writers, for the love of fiction.  It's a hard and lonely road at times, and being the sole proprietor means that it's all on me.  I don't have a staff to cover my ass when I'm too busy with life to deal with editing.  So I have to just muddle through.

What does 2016 have in store for me?  Who knows?  I'm praying for better days, and I'm optimistic that the worst is currently behind me... at least, one can certainly hope.

Merry Christmas!