Recent Releases & Finding What Works

It being halfway through the year (and some change), I figure it’s as good a time as any to look back on what January-Marissa’s lofty goals were and how those are going. So let’s see what January-Marissa had in store:

• Apply to Five Anthologies this year: 3.5/5
• Read 25 books: 6/25
• Repairing House or Clothing Items: 2.5 (one of those was the same thing repaired twice)
• Finish my 2025 Reading Tracker Blanket by 7/31: 40/54 blocks done
• Query Letters Drafted and Sent for Packs: …we’re not gonna talk about this one

So…not terrible, but not great.

Of those anthologies I’ve submitted to, two are already out! Fireworks & Flirtation and Fantastical Foes are both available on the ‘Zon in paperback and e-book. My Fireworks story, “Bonds and Settlements,” is another installation in my West Coast Wyrd series, following the lead from my short story “Trials and Traditions” as he navigates the supernatural world and dating dhampir Angela.

For Foes, I went back to my fantasy roots with “Coldfire Vows.” The call was for enemies-to-lovers, romantasy in 7k words. I really had fun with it. So much, that I submitted TWO stories for the call, one of which became a different story coming out this fall. “Coldfire Vows” pits enemy, fae combatants—fiery Signy and the mysterious Frostritter—from opposing sides of a war into close proximity. They learn more about each other and the reasons for their drastically different views on humanity as they travel together. I recently had someone tell me they’d love to see that story set in a novel, to which I say, “Sir, don’t give me ideas” as I add it to my ideas pile.

As for the second romantasy story? Check it out this fall in Starlit and Spellbound! “Chilltouch Thrall” follows the winter fae, changeling Nyx as she is stuck in servitude to a flighty Summer Lord. It’s got cozy fall vibes, some Beauty-and-the-Beast tones, and a very obnoxiously delightful sidekick Puck.

So while one of my writing goals is on track…what happened to everything else?

Straight up? Burnout.

My amazing spouse was diagnosed with a herniated disc the same month as Anime Los Angeles. The only thing that didn’t cause pain was laying down; as you can imagine, this makes work impossible and most housework borderline impossible. Being a caretaker while working a full time job and writing and being the only one to take care of the house was…too much. And everything else was suffering for it. January-Marissa could not have anticipated this, so some of those goals took a hit.

I love reading and I have a TBR I’m excited by, along with two novels to beta-read for friends, but when I’m living in a near-constant state of exhaustion, it’s no easy feat to get reading done when I just want to melt into a puddle on my couch. Repairs frustrate me when I’m the only one in the house able to do them or make them happen, and having to repair the same thing twice? Ugh.

At the beginning of the year, my friend and fellow author Miranda Tamrakar and I sat down and plotted out the grand plan for finishing our novel drafts, query letters, etc. Between my burnout, her medical triple whammy, and submission deadlines for short stories, that just didn’t happen. It looks great on paper, but life, uh, found a way.

I’ve since gotten to take a week long staycation, which helped immensely, and the spouse is much more mobile than before. We’ve also had a lot of productive conversations about what is and isn’t working. Including me looking back at the last six months.

Staycation included a trip to the aquarium, some aerials, lots of sewing, and TTRPGs.

There is only so much a set of planners can do to keep one on track when just existing is taking all your energy. While I do have my lovely bullet journal, and have done a better job this year of checking in daily than previous years, I’m always looking for ways to simplify it while still get joy out of seeing it. Repeated themes, templates, etc.

The craft journal helped because I could bring just that one along with me when I might have time to crochet. However, the writing journal—with its beautifully laid out calendar pages for marketing—went largely ignored. Adding on events like Author April and Friday Sparks, or the addition of MOTEs from my Substack, meant that I wasn’t necessarily hurting for content to plan. The less reading I did, the less I looked at that portion too.

That being said, having the journals at all helps me find what works for me. Changing pages and layouts as needed, getting rid of spreads because I never use them, adding new ones that spark joy, etc. Rewarding myself for using it daily with little checkboxes I get to fill in hits me with that dopamine like no other. I even found a spreadsheet version of a habit tracker + to-do list + calendar that, in combination with my physical journal, hits redundancies that encourage my kinetic-learning tendencies, and the desire to see things checked off.

I ask you, could a person who doesn’t have their life together make these?
Yes, absolutely, you know how much time I spent on this? So much googling, so many YouTube tutorials…

All the above being said, I could not have found the strength to do anything this year so far without some of the amazing people that make up my village. My parents, my spouse, Miranda, my writing group, my fellow author T.A. Leederman (who has a book coming out soon!), and all my friends who brought levity and support to my life (shoutout to my therapist for reminding me asking for help is not a crime and saying No is valid).

January-Marissa could not have foreseen the speedbumps on her goals, but July-Marissa can give herself grace to learn from it, keep trying, set new ones, and celebrate what she has gotten done so far.

And if you’ve made it this far in my ramblings, thank you! What’s your favorite marine animal and are you allowed to pet it at an aquarium?

• Reading: an ARC of a friend’s second book in her trilogy. It comes out this fall and I’m SO EXCITED to dive in and scream about it.
• Drinking: I have discovered probiotic sodas that don’t suck. Still having them sparingly, because yikes they’re expensive, but my nutritionist didn’t glare at me when I brought them up, so I’ll call them a win.
• Watching: I showed my spouse Escape From New York and Tango and Cash recently. I grew up on a lot of these kinds of movies and cackled with delight at their reactions.
• Listening The Spider-Verse soundtracks. I’m a sucker for clever themes across musical pieces and these soundtracks are just *chef’s kiss* I’m particularly partial to “Hummingbird,” “Start a Riot,” and “Scared of the Dark.”
• Crafting: I sketched out my Labyrinth Masquerade costume during my staycation and am learning new beading and jewelry skills for it, while also being buried in projects for the costume department as a volunteer. I’ll definitely have loads of pictures, so stay tuned!