It’s long overdue that I dust off this site and add a fresh post. I didn’t mean to take a hiatus from writing fantasy romance books to focus on growing and raising a family, but that’s how the past few years played out. Now, my family’s routines are well established and I’ve carved out consistent time to write again.
A lot has changed since launching my author career with Dante five years ago. I’ve grown as a person and in my profession. I’ve learned many lessons. Since publishing Exchanged in 2017, Dante has slowly become more invested in other career paths, so while he is still a part of the creation process, I do all the writing and editing for our books. My writing has developed so much since taking on the task myself, but since Dante is no longer involved in the writing, my goals have shifted.
Dante and I wrote a number of books very quickly when establishing our author brand, but as I said, I have different goals now that I’m working mostly on my own. I’m so happy to have written and finished both the Exchanged series and the Sons of Fesassi series. It was amazing working with other authors to create the anthology Silver Linings. The Druid’s Gift was and is so dear to me. I meant to put out the sequel in 2018, and I even got around 22,000 words into writing it. I still plan to finish it.
Looking back, I see how my passion for writing allowed me to pour out story after story. I also see how both my excitement and anxiety led me to make story choices that required adapting to a broader audience. I see which relationships flourished in my personal life and made me stronger, and which relationships were one sided. I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing, running a business, and what kinds of investments that requires from myself.
More than all that, I’ve missed being here. I’ve missed creating and engaging. I’ve missed having fun and seeing all the good things. I may keep writing as Vanessa Mozes, or I may take on a new pen name and challenge myself to go for traditional publishing. Either way, it feels good to be back.