My dear readers have been waiting quite a while for book 4 of my Tranquil Shores Sweet Christian Romance series. An entire year, in fact. That’s what happens when life gets in the way and fiction hits just a little too close to reality.
When I originally planned out my series, I knew that this book would be the story of Zach, the oldest Morgan sibling. I also knew that his heroine, who was as yet unnamed, was going to have a child with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. You see, in my writing, I try to bring awareness to various social issues that I feel strongly about. I care about FASD because three of my children have it.
Unfortunately, my life became even more chaotic than fiction due to the reality that my kids face. When you combine prenatal exposure with trauma, sometimes it’s a recipe for a hard time. Since my highest calling is to my children, writing has taken a back seat to motherhood.
Recently, my very wise Christian counselor reminded me that I’m not any good to anyone if I’m not taking care of myself. Like the pre-flight announcements that warn you to put your own oxygen mask on before you help your children, self-care is important for all of us—especially us special needs mamas who never seem to have the time or the energy for it.
Writing is a HUGE part of my self-care, and I’m ecstatic to report that I’ve been writing up a storm on Zach and Norah’s story. I’m hoping to release it later this year. Since you’ve all been waiting for so long, I wanted to give you a bit of a teaser, so I’ve invited Zach Morgan here to tell you a bit about it.
Me: Welcome to InspyRomance, Zach.
Zach: I’m not sure why you wanted to interview me for a romance blog, but thank you for having me.
Me: Well, the Morgan family saga is a romance series. *shrugs*
Zach: Just because I’m the last Morgan sibling standing doesn’t mean you’re going to write me into a relationship.
Me: So if a blast from your past just happened to end up as your executive assistant…
Zach: Who, Norah? *scoffs* Like that would ever happen. That ship has sailed. No, thank you. I’m just fine on my own.
Me: Okaaaaayyy moving on. You have a milestone birthday coming up.
Zach: Yeah, 30.
Me: Congratulations. Usually, when we hit those milestones, it gets us thinking about what’s important. What’s important to you?
Zach: Easy. My family. I spent a lot of years being a workaholic, but now, I want to be there for them. Especially for the important things.
Me: What would you think if a certain assistant, who had a better reason for breaking up with you than you realized, ended up helping your mom plan and organize your surprise birthday party?
Zach: *crosses arms* You aren’t going to let this go, are you?
Me: I am a romance writer.
Zach: Fine. I guess she’s not all bad, and I have to admit, she’s grown even more beautiful with age. That kid of hers, though…
Me: You mean Kaidyn?
Zach: Yeah, him. It’s obvious that Norah is doing the best that she can, but I don’t know if I could handle that much chaos in my life.
Me: I guess we’ll see. *winks*
Zach: Are we finished here? I need to go blow off some steam in my gym.
Me: Yeah, I’m finished…for now.
So, there you have it friends. Your exclusive sneak peek at Zach and Norah’s story. I’m going to miss you, InspyRomance readers! If you want to keep in touch, I’d love to have you follow me on my socials. I hang out on Instagram the most, but I’m also fairly active on Facebook. Life has gotten in the way of me regularly publishing a newsletter, but you can also sign up for that to get a free short story and when I do have updates, I’ll be sure to send you an email to let you know.
For my final reader question, let me know below what you like to see in author newsletters or just leave me a message to say “see you later.” *sniffles*
Bye!
Judith McNees lives in Michigan, where she enjoys spending time hiking with her kids and breaking out into random songs to annoy them. She loves to travel, and visiting all 50 states with her husband is at the top of her bucket list. She has a B.A. in English from Western Michigan University and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
I subscribe to several author newsletters but life gets in the way and I can’t read them sometimes!
I have a younger brother with a disability and my mother is his caregiver so I understand the lack of time. Only my mom paints instead of writing🥰.
It’s wonderful that your mom has found a way to take care of herself! Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Thanks for the interview with Zach and being part of this blog! I’ve signed up for your newsletter (I’m not on Instagram) and look forward to keeping in touch with you there.
May He grant you wisdom, grace, and strength as you care for those precious ones He has placed in your care. Blessings on your writing, too!
“See you later” and thanks
Thank you for your prayers Betty! I appreciate it so much. ❤️
Thanks for stopping by Lori. Thankful to have met you! 🙂
Thanks for being a part of the blog! I like to see a combination of writing and life updates in an author’s newsletter.
Thanks for your input Jessica! 😊
Oh, I’m already stalking you on FB!! And, I get your newsletter when you send it! I like have real-life issues in books, as it helps me to know how others deal with problems, whether they have the same ones I have or not. Plus, if I meet someone with those issues, it gives me a better idea of how to relate to them. This series sounds really good!! I may (or not) already have some of them in my TBR stack.
Haha. Glad to have you stalking me Trudy! 😂😉 Be sure to say hi from time to time!
Hi, I will miss Inspy and all you wonderful authors! Thank you so much for all the great books you all write , God Bless you all. I will see you all on Social media. I enjoyed reading this interview Judith, great job! Have a great day and a great week.
Thank you for your kind words Alicia! I’ll see you around! 😁
Thank you for all your posts here, I will miss reading the blog here. Have signed up for your newsletter as I don’t do facebook/Instagram.
I enjoy author newsletters, especially ones that give updates on what you’re working on and anything else you like to share.
Thanks for the input Ruthie! Feel free to say hi over email anytime
My newsletter goes out directly from my email. Thanks for subscribing!
Thank you so much for sharing. I enjoy knowing what is happening in a writer’s life. Thank you for all your posts on Inspy. God bless you.
It’s been nice getting to know you over the past year.
I am on quite a few newsletters but the one thing is really dislike is the welcome sequence. often I dont get past the 3rd email. (especially if there is a free download which I often don’t download and the second one the next day says now you have had time to read the freebie I would appreciate a review, I am a slow reader so the chances I have read the freebie are slim I may plan to when I finish the current book but now I probably wont.)
But I do like a little personal info like what is happening in your life. Narelle Atkins will say how her writing is going but often when her mother is having health issues wont go into details but ask for prayer. Autumn McCarther always has a small corner with a cat update. Tina Radcliffe often does this also. Penny Zeller often gives a gem from here research. I like all these things. Meghann Whitiker has a readers poll which I love to do. these are all things I enjoy. While they still will have their books its not a newsletter of Just sell sell sell. Jenny Glazebrook started with a blooper this time. She was changing a name and the King James Bible became something else by accident. (she forgot James was in this reference when changing James to another word) Thankfully a betta reader caught it. I also like a few graphics or something rather than straight typing even Headings will break up the text. (One author only does text and no bold or headings and its hard to read).
Thanks for the info Debra! Blessings! 🤗
This is super helpful. Thank you! I do try to have a balance of personal and professional, but I don’t have a welcome sequence. I know all the “experts” say you should have one, but they feel impersonal to me!
I tend to avoid newsletter subscriptions as they pile up unread when life is busy and I dread deleting them. It was one of the reasons I enjoyed this blog so much, there was a variety of authors and interesting topics plus Valerie’s beautiful photos to inspire me and send me off to bed at night with a smile on my face. Seeya around :)
I do the same thing when life gets busy Dianne. I just can’t bear to unsubsidized to those authors I really love, even if I don’t always read them though! Thanks for the comment and see ya!
Unsubscribe. 🤦♀️ Forgot to check for autocorrect. 😂
Its interesting the marketing gurus say do the welcome sequence. I talk with readers and the ones I know 90% say they don’t like it. I actually wonder if the marketing gurus have ever done a survey or market research on what readers think. Or if they are working on the welcome sequence for businesses (which are annoying but more useful) and applying it to books as well. The worst I got was one author sent them all on the same day after the 3rd one I had unsubbed but not before the next ones came. I know some do it over a couple of weeks which means you don’t get one every day and its spread out better.