Uh-oh. I don’t do these very often, and when I do, it’s often bad news.
Which is the case here.
It’s nothing significant, but it’s disruptive enough that it’s worth mentioning. Basically, I’ve been running from burnout this entire year and it seems like it finally caught up to me now that I’m in the SAD swamps. I was hoping being medicated for ADHD would help, and while it has, it wasn’t quite enough. But the burnout isn’t the only issue.
Our Own Way has been swirling around in my head since mid-2021. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it and I’ve been pretty unsure of how long it’s going to be. I’ve finally settled on something: the next novel, Our Own Way 7, will be the final novel. And, more than that, I am delaying Primal Love II to instead get Our Own Way 7 written first. The reasons for these decisions are many, because it’s often a lot of little things that add up to a decision, but I like to try and explain myself if I can whenever I have to make a choice that cuts against what I originally decided or intended. If you don’t care, you can skip this next paragraph and look over the bullet points.
Being Our Own Way is slice of life, it’s a lot more meandering than most anything else I’ve written in recent years. While it’s based off a series I already wrote, it’s definitely gone onto its own tangent by now, so the endpoint became even more unclear. Now that part six is finished and I’ve had a couple of days to look over what’s left on my list, I’ve come to realize that the next book is going to be a potential endpoint. That is to say, I could end it there, and in a satisfying way (I hope), or I could keep it going with basically a second collection of books exploring a new broader overall arc in the story. I’m choosing not to do this, mostly because…after four and a half years, I think I’m good and satisfied with this series. I have other series I want to write, and I’ve come to learn that splitting my attention is bad. So on the creative side, I’m kind of burned out on Our Own Way. On the financial side of things, Our Own Way has done well, but it’s definitely reached the point of diminishing returns. While I’m comfortable financially, I’m also growing increasingly anxious about my financial future, and I’ve also come to realize that 2025 was kind of a mess, in terms of the business side of my creative career. I’ve only released three successful novels this year, and one isn’t even out yet, so I’m guessing OOW6 will be successful, but that’s kind of insane. So I…need to get my shit together basically, for 2026. And wrapping up Our Own Way is a big part of how I do that. Sorry if you were hoping for more, but I’ve come to learn that there’s always going to be someone who hopes for more, which I understand. I’m the same way for some series that I love.
Okay, now the quick bullet point list.
PRIMAL LOVE II is being delayed. I’m going to write OUR OWN WAY 7 first, so that I can finish off the series. Then I’ll write Primal Love II & III back-to-back. I likely won’t begin making real progress on Our Own Way 7 until January, as, like I said, I’m kinda burned out.
I’ve got a lot of little things I’ll be trying to get finished before the year is out, which I’ll talk about on my big beginning of the year newsletter, but one of the things I’ll try to get done and out is the second Lakeside Cougars After Dark short, and, if I can find time, the one idea I have for A Warm Place.
That’s it. Sorry if this is disappointing. I hope all your holidays go well.