On Heart Palpitations and Coming Home

Home. I’m not really sure where that is anymore.

But my residency is finished. I’m sitting in departures at London Heathrow awaiting my flight home to America. While I’m still on this side of the Atlantic, I’m penning a residency wrap-up.

What I got from this residency:

• A finished novel. I Am Number 13 will debut 13 November 2018. Look for opportunities to advance read in the coming week.
• A draft of a memoir. My upcoming memoir, tentatively titled Blind Spots, is in draft mode. I’m bringing a message of hope to numerous struggling souls, of which I am one.
• Yoga every day. For two solid months, I practiced yoga every day. I’m stronger, leaner, and clear-headed, determined to take my practice back to my daily life.
• A clearer sense of what ails me at home. I have a ton ton ton of stress at home. It centers in four areas: keeping my books alive; immediate family; my health; and my aging aunt.

On the book front, I believe I’ve taken my work as far as I can. I’ve hit a plateau that seems impossible to climb over. No matter how hard I work, how many times I ask, or what I do, nothing moves me to the next level. I’m unsure where to go from here.

With family, I’m no closer to resolving how to handle a situation I cannot change, but I’m done getting into boxes defined by others. Whatever that means for the future, I’m being true to myself above all else, and everyone can accept that or cease to be part of my life.

Talking to my aunt for two minutes on the telephone gave me heart palpitations, but I’m all she has. Clear boundaries and more yoga are my prescription for her.

As I’ve stated repeatedly, I can’t do anything about my health other than take care of myself as best I can. Hence, I’ve made a decision to step away from stress wherever possible. If a situation causes me upset, I’m reengineering how I approach it. If stress comes from a person, I’m stepping away from them.

I’m hitting appearances hard when I get home.

I’ve got loads of appearances lined up in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Georgia, and greater St. Louis during August. September sees me in Cincinnati and greater Dallas. A library in West Irving, Texas just booked me for an appearance there!

This fall, I’m also returning to the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve got loads of appearances in the DC area.

My life at home may not be different, but I’m determined to be.

I AM NUMBER 13! COMING 13 NOVEMBER 2018! READ ABOUT IT HERE!