Why did I take such a long hiatus?
I recently went on an unscheduled social media and writing hiatus because of health issues and loss in the family. Other things cropped up as well along the way. I was present for most of 2023 as an author, but along my writing journey I came into contact with someone I thought was a great editor who eventually ghosted me, leaving me high and dry with money for service not rendered. That action alone took a toll on me and in October 2023, I began experiencing carpel tunnel, the likes of which I had never experienced in my life. The pain impeded my ability to continue writing for the rest of the year.
Writing is something I can’t live without, so I started trying different ways to resolve the problems with my hand, wrist, and arm pain. I had to wear wrist splints while working my full-time job and attempt voice-to-text to write. That went as well as one would expect with my heavy southern accent. Eventually, I purchased an ergonomic keyboard and mouse and those two things were absolute lifesavers for me! Getting used to them, I was pain-free after typing for a full work shift. (This isn’t an advertisement, I promise.) Soon enough I could write again outside of work, but chronic pain reared its head once more in 2024 with my back and the inability to sit at my desk longer than my working hours to type. I have yet to find a hack for that.
Between being scammed, the chronic pain, several family health scares, and deaths in the family, 2023 and 2024 have been rough, but I’m clawing my way out of the place that 2023 and 2024 left me in with a renewed sense of purpose and a publishing plan for 2025.
Who am I? (Reintroduction)
If this is your first introduction to me, my name is Drea C. I’m a part-time indie author with a full-time job. I write black and interracial romance across romance genres. Currently, I have written and published four books available on Kindle Unlimited. My main characters are always bi, black women who are loved out loud in every book. Now, they may have a bumpy road, but they get their happily ever afters.
What’s next for December and beyond?
The bulk of my releases are in 2025, but I won’t let December pass us by without releasing something. I have a free short story available when you sign up for my newsletter. In the month of December, I am releasing 4 short, spicy, romance stories that will be a part of my subscription service, or you can purchase them outright. The first story, Nothing on My Wishlist, will be available on December 15th.
In January 2025, I am releasing the serial novella Our Little Secret: Sophomore Year formerly on Kindle Vella, but now it will be available in my bookshop.
February will bring the release of the last book in the Truly Faeted Series called The Alpha’s Enemy.
There will be more serials, more short stories, and novellas to come.
I will also be starting a Youtube channel (DreaCWrites) in addition to this blog and my newsletter where you can also find me. I will be taking you all on the journey, hoping to hold myself accountable and maybe also inspire someone to just keep going along the way. For the month of December, outside of writing, I’ll also be doing a few book reviews, and recaps of Christmas Rom-Coms I have enjoyed each week. This week, look out for book reviews on This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings and Portal to Pleasure: An MMMF Erotic Monster Novella by Viano Oniomah, and a recap of the Netflix Christmas Movie Meet Me Next Christmas.