Yikes...

Henlo my dudes... So Thursday came and went a few days ago. I really must apologize for letting y'all fall off the radar. We've had some hard hard days at home recently and it's been a struggle to get anything at all done.

Slurpin' Saturday Speculations

Maybe this'll be a new segment where I talk about what I think is going to happen in my life! No just kidding. I'm drinking coffee though because of course I am. It's how I'm surviving right now.

Monster Haven

We've got interesting things happening here! I still can't talk about it, but the things are interesting and cool.

Book 2 is.... 75% done? I will start posting it for you come Monday, I promise. Mind some of my more interesting placeholders...

Bastion Academy

Had a breakthrough last week with the series that made it a book longer, but definitely better. Book 4 will really enrich the story in exciting ways. The outline is coming along but I don't expect I'll start writing it for another few months.

That's it in terms of writing my dudes. Stay tuned below if you want to know why my life is the struggle bus.

~ J.D. Astra

The Personal Life Update

Sometimes things happen that challenge our core values. I had one of those things happen two weeks ago. My sweet old dog was injured, and it looked like maybe the end was upon us. The Shadow Alley Press Retreat (something I haven't missed since it started) is happening this weekend. My career is very important to me, but this challenge taught me that at the core of my core values is family. Loyalty to do whatever it takes to protect and ensure the wellbeing of my family.

Sure, you might say, "He's just a dog, is it really worth setting your career back and missing out on vacation time?" Yes. The answer is yes because he's part of my family. I have another 50 years to work on my career. I have maybe another 6-12 months with my boy.

It was sad and difficult to make this choice, but it would've been sadder and harder if I'd gone against my core value and sacrificed his chance of recovery to advance my career. Anytime you're up against a hard choice and you don't know why it feels so bad, stop and think about which core values the choice is challenging, then decide who you really want to be. There's no wrong answer. I could've chosen to prioritize my career, to advance my life so that I can better provide for my family, and that would've been acceptable to me as my career is high on my priorities.

After it all, he's doing better. It's not the end. I stayed with him and I pressed my vets to give me options. I stayed up with him all night holding him and comforting him through the pain, making sure he was well medicated, changing his ice packs, doing what I had to do to ensure his wellbeing. And he's on the mend! My sacrifice gave him another chance, and it was worth it. *dontcrydontcrydontcry*

Anyway y'all... hope you're having a great weekend. <3