Hey loves,
I have a few things to share with you today — some practical, some exciting, and one that’s just a little slice of where my head and heart are at right now. Grab a drink and settle in.
Regarding Instagram and where to actually find me
So, my Instagram page is officially going into maintenance mode for me. What does that mean? It means I’ll pop on when I have a new release or something important to share, but the days of me trying to show up consistently on that platform are done. Honestly? It just isn’t a healthy space for me, as an author or as a person, and I’m done pretending otherwise.
I’ve wrestled with this for a while. It’s why I hired a team to run it last year, and then thought I’d give it another go. Then my stepdad passed in March (one month ago today to be exact), and that makes two parents in less than 12 months. I just… have nothing left, and what I do have, I am pouring into getting words on the page. I literally can’t handle more than that, and Instagram is the low-hanging fruit I can do without. I’m a writer, not an influencer. You guys want my books, and the only way to keep my mental health stable enough at the moment is to stay the fuck off social media.
The good news is I’m not disappearing into the void. If you want to actually chat with me, you can find me in two places I genuinely love:
Right here on this blog (subscribe, and the blogs will be a newsletter straight to your inbox). I am going to be posting updates and plans here more often, so everyone knows this is the main place to come. You can also leave a comment that I will see and respond to (provided that it’s not bullying. Bullying isn’t welcome here).
On Ream — which has both a free and a paid tier, so there’s an option for everyone. That’s where I hang out the most these days, and I’d love to see you there. It’s a great little community. You can check it out here. ‘Hardest Fall’ is going to be up in full this weekend so if you want to get Rodrigo earlier than the rest of the world, make sure you sign up!
✨ Big Giveaway Alert ✨
I’m part of a massive giveaway with 25 other authors — and the prize is a Kindle plus all of our books. Yes, all of them.
Go on. You deserve free books.
Writing Update 🖊️
For those who like to know what I’m actually doing at my desk, here’s where things are at.
I’m currently deep in edits on Fastest Kill, Dario’s book, and the final book in the Mercenaries and Magic series. I have a lot of feelings about writing the last book in a series I love, but mostly I just want to make sure Dario gets the ending he deserves. (He does. Don’t worry.)
I’ve also started drafting something a little different. It’s a fun crossover short story between the Fae Universe and the Gods’ Universe. It’s my way of warming up my brain before I dive into writing The Fanged One, the first book in the brand new Fae Universe series about Ragnarok, and I’m having loads of fun with it. Like with ‘Firestruck’ last year, it’s really helping me get my feet back into the chaos of the Fae Universe.
When the short story is finished, it’ll be posted here on the blog and over on Ream as a free thank you present, because you have all been so incredibly patient and kind while I’ve been navigating the loss of my parents, and figuring out what a sustainable, joyful writing life actually looks like from here. That means more to me than I can really put into words.
So: edits on Dario, chaos crossover short story, and a new series on the horizon. It’s a lot, but it’s the good kind of a lot.
Thank you for being here,
Alessa x
alessathornauthor.com 