This writer, teacher, mother, and beach lover has been busy.
I did a guest spot on a podcast! Tune in to 99.1 WDJY FM on Friday, February 10th. Dr. Denise and I discuss romance and religious (Christian) education.
I partnered with Criterion Connection. For a limited time, a signed copy of my debut novel, Love, Rebooted, is available for purchase, exclusively from their website.
I also caught a severe case of "the winter blues." Grey days and cold weather don't sit well with my spirit and definitely don't spark creativity. I started a new job in September. Leaving a school is never easy. I also live in the community where I work so I see students frequently at the mall, at the McDonald's drive-through, and every place in between. I am met with the same question, "why did you abandon us?"
Guilt over my decision and having to explain how a "bad situation" not "bad students" led to my
resignation has been draining. Add on, motherhood while also trying to establish a rapport with
new students and co-workers. I quickly burnt out. My go-to coping strategy didn't work either. No
amount of retail therapy soothed my stress. Thankfully, I have good friends and a supportive
family. A couple of trips to the Sunshine State didn't hurt either. In fact, they worked wonders for
my spirit. Self-care is soul-care, y'all.
With renewed energy, I've begun writing again. And dancing.... oh there's been a lot of
dancing. Although most of the United States settled in for an arctic blast, I trekked out
in the cold on December 31, 2022 to catch a performance by one of my favorite east coast cover
bands, 3 AM Tokyo. I decided long ago that I'd rather party solo with strangers than spend time
with fake people, masquerading as potential love matches or friends. I'm so glad I went; the
playlist featured late-1990s and early-2000s hip-hop and pop. I crooned along to the Backstreet
Boys and Montell Jordan. So much fun!