Greetings friends, readers, and passers-by,

I thought it was high time for an update and maybe time for a little unadulterated honesty to paint the page. Let you guys, gals, and otherworldly all-sexed lovelies know how I'm doing.

I started 2013 with the idea that I was, (among many other projects and things) submitting a fantasy novel to agents with my, at the time, dear friend and writing partner, H.J. Raine. Those plans did not pan out. There was an epic falling out which ended with me regaining control over my world, New Amsterdam, (blessedly) and all the characters therein, but also with us killing the fantasy novel, as it would be impossible for us to work together any longer for a myriad of reasons.

It hurt. It still hurts. The nature of what happened means it is likely to continue hurting for some time to come. The end was not amicable, but I've made what peace I can out of the aftermath. It's all right, or it will be. I'm better now than I've ever been, and have every plan on getting even more square in the head, heart, and mind. And so it goes.

However, in the recuperation process, I've still been busy. Real. Damned. Busy. And, as that saying goes about closing doors but opening windows, I have been hopping through every available fire escape and emergency exit I can find, like the good little cat burglar who could. It's led me to some amazing people and has, I believe, put me back on track in life and the pursuit of art.

Or at least in the pursuit of coffee. And chocolate. And late-night giggle fests. Oh, and peace of mind, heart, and body. It's not just been the emotional kick in the head; I've had physical this-and-that, too, but it, too, is better than it's ever been.

I wrote a book called Fight that I hope will see the published light of day sooner rather than later. I rewrote a short story called, "Choose" that will be coming out in May of 2014, thanks to Storm Moon Press. It took me a while to get back to the streets of New Amsterdam, but when I arrived, I was delighted to see that the characters were not only talkative, they had martinis to mix me, ideas to share, and comfort to offer. I have every plan to start the next New Amsterdam novel soon. I apologize for the delay, but I had to take some time to rebuild from the nuclear explosion.

I admit that in the wake of the hurt, I moved away from m/m romance and found refuge in my old haunts. To that end, I've been working on a couple of books that have nothing to do with romance, anything. One of them has reached 65,000+ words and is a labor of love and magic. That's MY love and ITS magic. *laughs* Another one is just a baby at around 8,000, but it was the surprise joy, the unplanned little guy, and I think I'm going to like it a lot.

As I reached the level of recovery that was allowing me to work on many, many things at once, I ran into A.F. Henley. Well, maybe less "ran into" and more "changed the subject of our frequent conversations from random daily occurrences to the work we both do and love." I got hopped up on coffee one morning, wrote an extension of one of his short stories, and POOF... we had new fiction in the works. That story is Vision Quest, and I think a few of you are following it. We have every plan in the world to finish it -- this is where we tell you the authors might be cheating a bit in their tag-team game and cluing the other in on plot lines -- and when we're done, I'm fairly sure there are plans to get it to places where people can download it for free. There may even be opportunities to do it again with different boys who need a happy ending, (or several of them, if we're writing them right).

...I can tell you that it was scary as hell to make the move to work with another writer. I can tell you that Henley was and continues to be immeasurably patient and kind. I believe Vision Quest is more aptly named than any of you might even know.

Because, as we all know... It's never... just a story.

I've also got a contest entry in the works for a contest a friend of mine is running. I can't say too much about THAT one, as it's all hush-hush and currently top-secret. But it, too, is coming soon to a site near you.

*counting on fingers* So that's... one massive novel, one blooming side-novel, one New Amsterdam book, (and an assortment of side stories/novellas/other books) in the planning stages, an ongoing tag-team m/m romance read, a contest story entry...

Oh yeah, and I still write fanfiction.

And I still write about a boy named West. This entry's getting cross-posted to a few different places, so some of you will know less about West than others, but I spent yesterday writing a story that I do believe has opened up a range of possibilities for my favorite Southern man. I don't know if these will be more free reads, a donation story where all proceeds go to keep the author in coffee and ebooks, or if this will be something that will eventually make the publishing rounds, but one way or the other, the man will have his say. And it will continue to be a joy to listen to him.

There's been a lot of friendship and support in 2013. There's been a lot of finding equilibrium and balance. Tears, laughs, hugs, and unexpected gifts... On some days, I don't like that I've been "silent" on the published front. On other days, I don't mind so much. Sometimes, you just need time to heal, grow, gather, and renew.

Don't be afraid to take time, friends. We get so good at making it, slowing it down, speeding it up, playing tricks with it... But taking it is fine, too. As a good friend told me in the middle of my chaos, we feel bad about taking time because we're afraid that if we get out of the running, we'll miss so much and be so far behind.

In truth, when we step back onto the road, we discover it’s a different path altogether, and what we once worried about, we've let go, and what we once thought was important has changed or grown or kept pace with us.

So if you're struggling or worried or stressed or just need some random comfort, I'm here to tell you...

You're going to be just fine, sweetness.

Keep eyes on the horizon.

Have faith in yourself.

Hang in there.

Keep dreaming.

Breathe...

...and dive, dive, dive.

Much love,
♥Kelly

Questions, comments, love notes, or other bits of communication always welcome here, or drop me a line over on my site, Kellywyre.com