2022 Recap...That's All She Wrote

Four releases. That's it. Only four book published when my goal starting out in 2022, believe it or not, was supposed to be seven. And out of those four, NONE were in the second half of the year. WOW.

One solo Sierra book (The Wife Win), one solo K.C. Kassidy release (Pretty Boy), and the final two books in my joint co-written series with SE Rose (Ignited and Scorched).

This year I produced less than any other year since my debut year in 2014.

I missed my goal but I had REASONS.

Am I disappointed in this? Yes. But I'm also amazed that even with the challenges I faced (and still deal with today), that I was even able to accomplish that much.

The truth in all of this is I was forced to slow down and step back. Even though I wanted to do all the THINGS, I was physically and mentally unable to do it. And that's life. We can only do what only we can do. And that's okay.

The question I face now is what am I going to be able to achieve in 2023? Will I have to continue at this slower pace? Probably. But now that I know what my limitations are, I'm able to confront them, implement tools to enable me to write, and establish more realistic expectations of myself and my readers.

Because after all, life is a journey, not a race. Some days/weeks/months/years it will feel like a slog and you're barely squeaking by. But then others will be so amazing you'll be counting all the stars within your reach.

Here's hoping that 2023 is YOUR YEAR and you're the recipient of all the great joys life can offer.

As for me and my writing projects, I have two dates already locked down for the first quarter 2023.

The Rival Romeo (Book #3 Puget Sound Pilots) releases January 23rd and the first book in the new college football romance series with my co-writing partner will be coming at the end of March.

And then get ready for some HOCKEY with the Vancouver Vikings hockey team.

Wishing you Peace, Love, and Joy this holiday season and throughout the new year.

xx, Sierra

With a Thankful Heart

I’ll be honest, and I've mentioned this before in a previous post, but 2022 has been a very difficult year for me. I’d even go so far as to say it was the worst year I’ve experienced in my life. YIKES!

Most of the difficulty was derived from my physical health and the loss of my vision in my left eye. That lead to a demise of my mental health due to the chronic pain and inflammation. All of which effected my writing career.

It was the perfect storm of imperfect conditions.

Last month, it became so bad that I was about to give up writing entirely. I’d attended an out-of-state book signing and felt absolutely defeated. It felt like I was invisible in a sea of up-and-coming authors who were adored by readers who clamored for their books.

I came home after that event and sobbed and thought, “well, maybe this is it.” Maybe my books just aren’t good anymore. Maybe readers aren’t interested in my stories.

Fast forward to the first weekend of November. I attended a romance author conference in Houston. The only reason I decided to go was because I'd already paid for (it was a huge investment) and I’d given my word to my author roommate that I’d be there. I went with a heavy heart and no desire to be there.

And guess what?

I. WAS. INSPIRED.

My spirits were lifted with the community of authors that were there together. We hugged. We laughed. We cried. We shared our mutual anxieties. We celebrated one another’s successes.

The biggest theme and takeaway I got from every presentation and every discussion was learning to be okay with where you’re at in your career. To find joy in what you’ve accomplished and achieved. And to remember that there is NO time limit on your success.

I’ve been publishing for over 8 years now. I’ve never been a #1 Amazon Best Seller or on the USA Today Best Sellers list. I’ve never made a million dollars like some of these other newer authors. I don’t have thousands of TikTok followers who promote my books.

I don’t, I don’t, I don’t.

But something clicked in my head during this conference with the notion that “I DO HAVE SUCCESS…” It just looks different than what I imagined it would.

• I do write good books (and have several award winners).

• I do have wonderful readers all over the world.

• I do have a solid number of followers.

• I do have amazing author friends who support me.

• I do have the amazing privilege to write fulltime.

• I do have the control over my business and publishing career.

The change of perspective from I DON’T to I DO was game changing for me.

Reframing how I look at success has flipped my attitude around and it’s all about being thankful and grateful for what I DO have the opportunity to do.

So, as we celebrate the month of Thanksgiving (in the U.S.), I encourage everyone to give this a try.

Focus on all the things that you DO HAVE, not the things YOU DON’T.

Be content with where you’re at now. Look back with appreciation at how far you’ve come. And plan ahead with a positive outlook on all the things you want to achieve in your future.

Be positive. Be intentional. Be thankful.

Wishing you all love and HEAs,

Xx, Sierra

Tell me what you're thankful for?

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  My health
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  My family
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  My career
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  Books! Always books

Writing with a Disability

2022 has been by far the toughest year of my career. I don't say that lightly or with an objective of gaining me your sympathy. I'm just stating a fact based on the medical circumstances I've endured these past eight months.

Last year, I began losing my eyesight in my left eye. I'd previously been diagnosed with a pre-glaucoma condition (I thought that condition was for the elderly?) but things had been stable. Until sometime last spring when I noticed my vision becoming fuzzy. I'd wake in the morning ready to start my writing day and it was like looking through a foggy window. And it kept getting foggier.

My ophthalmologist (that's a difficult word to spell - I had to look it up) recommended that I see a cornea specialist because the cells in my cornea had basically died and disappeared. Say what? I had no idea that could happen. And no one really knows why.

Fast forward to the appointment where the surgeon said I needed to have a procedure called a DSAEK - an acronym for a partial cornea transplant where they refill my endothelium cells with donor cells.

As with any surgery, there are complications that can occur. And the success rate of these transplants isn't very high. But what else could I do? I'm a writer. I write. I need to have my vision. So I went ahead and proceeded with the surgery.

I won't go into the nitty gritty details, but basically, the 1-day post surgical update indicated the graft attached successfully but it "shifted" ever-so-slightly so that the cells left a little area at the bottom of my cornea where it wasn't covered. The surgeon said, "it should be fine! The cells will naturally migrate down."

Guess what? They didn't.

I waited 7 months for something to occur. I spent days and weeks in pain (because that area of my eye had no protection). I developed blisters. It hurt like hell. Stabbing, burning, debilitating pain.And all the while, my eye pressures were dangerously high due to my "steroid reaction" to the required steroid drops I had to use post-surgery to keep the graft from failing.

Okay...six months in and it's now early summer. Things had settled down enough where I still couldn't see clearly but they'd taken me off the steroids and my pressures were good. YAY! Some good news. But nope...that didn't last long because soon my eye began to reject the transplant without the steroids.

Countless office visits, specialists, eye drops, oral meds...here we are in August and it appears I'll be having more surgery scheduled later this fall. Okay, I can deal. But this time, it's not just another transplant, it will also likely include an initial surgery to have a drainage stent put into my eye tear ducts to help my eye remove the moisture. My eye doesn't do that and it needs to in order for a new graft to heal.

If you've gotten this far in this post, I bet you're wondering why I've decided to share all this with you? It's a little TMI, I suppose, especially if you only want to hear about my books.

But the post is really about how to face challenges and find ways to count your blessings in the midst of chaos and catastrophe. Because I know I'm not alone in dealing with the shit life hands us.

I'm lucky in so many ways. Yes, my eyesight is extremely hindered by this condition. I have had to make pretty big changes to my writing routines and schedule. I can't write as much as I used to on a daily or weekly basis. Sometimes, I can't even sit down to write anything for a week. But...I CAN still write. I do still have good vision in my right eye. So there's that.

I also have health insurance through my husband's employer benefits. There's been a lot of doctor visits and tests and procedures that have been covered. For that, I'm so very grateful.

I have a great support system. My family and friends to rely on. Who listen to me gripe and complain when I'm down or in pain or frustrated because I can't do something I used to do. People in my corner who will lovingly joke with me when I have to wear my sexy eye patch and big ol' glaucoma sunglasses to shield my eye against the bright light and wind.

The moral of this story: life can sometimes suck. But we don't have to allow it to suck the joy or fun out of it. And in the words of the late Olivia Newton-John, "You never know what the future holds, so I am just enjoying being happy..."