I'm Alive, I Promise

For anyone who's been wondering what the heck happened to my book and where I've been since February, fear not! I'm alive and well. My book is open on my desktop, happy and free, if not slightly traumatized by the the hacking and stitching its endured as of late. Yes, that's right. I'm still working on it. Spring came and went, and now with less than two months left of summer, Intertwined will likely be released mid-December. 

I would have been done sooner, but ... I sort of jinxed myself. 

How you might ask?

Well, it's complicated. And very difficult for me to share with the world. But I'm going to try. Two years ago, my father suffered a severe stroke. It was horrible and traumatizing and we never saw it coming. He survived, but not as the same man that he was. He lost his speech, his ability to walk, and use of his right hand all within the blink of an eye. Slowly, he regained some of it through therapy, but still, even now, he has trouble speaking, walks with a cane and insists his right hand is broken. That it simply doesn't work. 

I cannot begin to describe how difficult it was--and still is--to see him this way. It's been a trying couple of years, the hardest I've ever been through. But just when I thought the worst of it was over, that things were finally settling down ... it got worse. Earlier this year, after taking my father to see his cardiologist for a routine checkup (he had open heart surgery seven years prior), it was discovered that my father's heart had sustained a great deal of damage. How? We don't know. They believe it may have been caused by a silent heart attack (had no idea those existed). As you can imagine, this came as a huge shock. And even more so when the doctor proceeded to tell us that his heart is only pumping at ten percent. Ten percent! How's that even possible? 

Stranger still, my father looks and seems perfectly fine. No outward symptoms. No difficulty breathing. No chest pain. Extremely odd. 

So now what? 

Well, because of the severity of his condition, there's really no corrective action they can take. The damage is too extensive. Which means ... 

You guessed it.

He needs a new heart. 

I couldn't believe it. After everything my father's already been through, he now needs a heart transplant. The stroke was bad enough, but now this? Needless to say, since February, its been nothing but hospital visits and doctor appointments. At the moment, he's doing fine, no change in his condition, but the gravity of whats to come is like a constant weight on my shoulders. Because of this, I haven't been feeling very inspired. And when I'm not inspired, I can't focus. Or create. 

In the midst of all this, my grandmother, who I loved and adored, passed away last month. She was an incredible woman. An angel here on earth. And I'll miss her forever. 

With all these life changes, the rewrite is taking longer than anticipated. 

But here's the good news. As hard as it is, I've adjusted to the new situation. I have an incredibly supportive family, especially my husband, who shoulders the load no matter how heavy it gets, and my brother, who, without his strength and fortitude, I could not do this. Together, we're moving forward, and I'm happy to report that Intertwined is back on track. I'm working on it daily, and will hopefully publish it by the end of the year.