The end of March brings another newsletter. There's much to discuss, so let's tuck in!

Professionally

Slow and steady wins the race. But sometimes fast and steady actually wins the race. Slow and steady will just get you to the finish line. That's what I tell myself as I continue to chip away at this first draft of The Untitled Nova Martin Project. I teased at a potential title in my last newsletter, and I'm still not confident enough to share it as it may change, but it's still sitting in my mind, getting settled and taking shape. It's particularly hard to finish writing a book when you're also trying to focus on other pursuits, like making enough money to pay the bills, a voice over career, and an on camera career. In fact, I realized that I finished The White Mask Society when we were shut down for Covid. When I finished The Guardians I had just had surgery and wasn't working. Which means I had nothing else to claim my time.

Maybe I need to take a week (or five) off and hole myself up in a cabin in the mountains to get to the finish line. That sounds appealing for more reasons than one.

Tomorrow as this email goes out, I'll be flying off to Kansas City to attend my first event as an author. Well, my first big event. I've done some smaller markets before, but this feels different. The April newsletter will contain some information about how that went. But in the meantime, I was also accepted as an attending author for EnchantiCon which will be in St Louis this August, as well as the ATL Comic Convention much closer to home here in Atlanta this July!

I've also been working on a few audiobooks for some new clients. It's giving me a great opportunity to work on new interfaces and DAWs that I'm switching over to as I upgrade my equipment. I've also been auditioning more for on camera work in the last month which has been great, since it's been pretty dry recently. Something I attributed to my blonde hair? But now I'm not so sure... In any case, I'm enjoying it. That includes a booking for a small project which will be filming in early April. It looks like it will be a fun little shoot.

I was also interviewed by Shout Out Atlanta Magazine, and you can read it for free online by clicking the button below.

Personally

Right after I sent last month's newsletter, I ran the half marathon I had been training for. WHAT an incredible experience. I cannot really wrap my head around it. I have rarely ever enjoyed running. I run because I know things are better when I do. My mental health and physical health both benefit, and likewise they both suffer when I don't run. That is my reward for running. So I did not think I would enjoy running a half marathon, but I was confident that I would love being done with it. Well, friends, I certainly did love being done with it. But I also loved... doing it!

This was an unreal experience. I was having a genuinely great time the entire race. Thousands of runners had gotten up before the sun, and so many more people had done the same just to line the streets of the route and cheer us on. They brought bananas (and jello shots) to hand out, made signs that said "You're running better than our government" or "I hope you had a great pre-race poop!" (Thank you, kind stranger. I had three.) But it made me appreciate humanity when we're at our best. All of us running were there to do something hard, and our accomplishments were not diminished by the accomplishments of others. There weren't losers among us. And all these people were showing up in the 38º weather to support a bunch of strangers.

My dream goal was a 9:09 pace which would have me finishing the 13.1 mile race in 2 hours. I tried not to think about that goal as I simply enjoyed the run. Until maybe 3 miles from the end. That's when I realized I could make it if I didn't let myself slow down.

Here I am gauging how far I am from the finish line and how hard I'd have to run in order to meet my goal.

Well dear reader, I made it. In fact, I crushed it. I crossed the finish line at 1:58:38 which comes out to a 9:03 pace.

Here I am, mere paces from the finish line, realizing I made it.

There are many pictures from the race in which my dad describes the look of ecstasy on my face as "giving new impact to the phrase 'runner's high'." 😆 He's not wrong. I was... embarrassingly happy. I cried tears of joy, and was so thankful that my husband and mother-in-law were both there at the finish line to support me. I almost can't wait to do it again.

I started running close to exactly 3 years ago as this newsletter comes out. My first run took place in April 2022 and was less than 1 full mile at a pace of over 13 minutes per mile. Let this be your reminder or your sign that you can do hard things, even if it seems impossible. I am not naturally built for running. It's hard work. But I put in the work, and I have accomplished something I never thought I could.

OK, enough about running.

A couple weeks ago, one of my coworker's passed away unexpectedly. He was only 44 and one of the kindest people I was fortunate enough to know. He would greet me at work with a very staunch, "Hello, ma'am." And when I would scold him for calling me "ma'am," he would adjust to a slightly teasing, "Hello, young lady." When I told him his last name was the word for a Martian day, his whole face lit up with delight. He was a fan of Edgar Allan Poe and wrote poetry and was a photographer. For the holidays, he got every person he worked with a gift. His death impacted all of us, such was his kind and generous presence.

Then, almost exactly one week later, a former coworker from another job passed away as well. He, too, had been an incredibly kind person. One day, he took us all out to Ponce City Market and bought us lunch on his dime, just to be nice.

All that can be said is life can be cruel and unpredictable and short. Be sure to tell those you love that you love them, and if you're ever in doubt, eat the donut. Life's too short to rob yourself of small and simple pleasures.

My donut lately has been working from my hammock in our backyard, enjoying the temperate climate before the mosquitos, humidity, and heat ruin it. The animals have been enjoying this donut as well.

Musings

I mentioned above that I booked an audiobook. When they first sent the offer, it was at a very low rate. I replied saying I was grateful for the opportunity, and happy they liked my work, but I'd be unable to work at that rate, so I gave them a counter offer. They declined, stating it wasn't going to be possible to raise their rate. I thanked them and wished them luck on finding someone who'd be able to work within their budget.

I spent 36 hours or so fretting that I had made a mistake in turning down work. Work is work, money is money, especially when it's for a job I actively want to do. But what's done is done, so I did my best to put it out of my mind.

But then something cool happened.

They came back and offered me more money. All this to say, do not undervalue yourself. Artists especially have a tendency to love our work so much that we'll do it for next to nothing (if not nothing), but this all aids in setting a dangerous precedent in which people then start to treat our work as being worth less. It perpetuates a harmful and incorrect narrative that being an artist isn't really working. That what we do is more of a hobby, and should be treated as such, as opposed to other "traditional" professions.

Art is not only valuable, but it is indistinguishable from the human experience. In times of war, hardship, poverty, extreme difficulty, art has always been there. It is a necessary part of our lives, and we have to treat the work that we put in to make it with the value it deserves. If we start to accept less for the work we do and for our training and expertise, then it will become the norm for others to adjust their beliefs of our worth as well.

It's easy to use being an artist as an example in this case, but whatever it is that you have to offer, do not underestimate its value, because it is worth more than you think.

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