Have you ever tried jumping rope?

(What about following a Kickstarter prelaunch page?)

Jump-roping? Jumping the rope? Roping the jump? Unclear. But my New Year’s resolution involves me, a bit of flimsy plastic, and the intention to be more active.

As many of you know, my books explore mental health, chronic illness, and other real-world problems through the lens of fantasy. And Maybe They Fall In Love, my debut novel, follows a character with pretty extreme anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

When I wrote the book, that was me.

I’ve never been an incredibly active person. I prefer to curl up in a chair and read Sanderson or daydream about new worlds to write. But normalizing an accelerated heart rate has been incredibly helpful in delaying my fight-or-flight anxiety response. So I decided, this year, I’ll set a movement goal.

I’ll jump rope for one minute a day.

Ha! You’re thinking. Simple!

I thought so, too. Until, at the end of a minute of tripping over my own feet and failing to find a rhythm, I found myself unable to breathe.

Panic. Terror. What if I’m different than everyone else? What if my husband, an athlete, is wrong when he tells me it’ll go away once I catch my breath?

What if I NEVER catch my breath?

With copious amounts of panic-pacing, water, and ice, I made it through that particular panic attack. The next day, I faced the jump rope with trepidation, but also with determination.

I needed to do this. To care for myself, yes, but also to take that next step toward being able to be present with the people around me. A battle against anxiety is a battle against isolation.

And that day, I didn’t panic. I still gasped (horribly out of shape, remember) and paced, but it didn’t trigger my fight-or-flight.

The next day, I only tripped twice.

The next, I didn’t trip at all.

What’s my point?

Facing your fears really does make all the difference.

Currently, I’m juggling several fears.

With the All for Mage and Melody Kickstarter campaign coming up in March (which you can presave today!), all the old fears about success and audience are resurfacing.

• Will I find people who want my contemporary fantasy stories? They’re not as flashy as many of the romantasy or epic fantasy counterparts Kickstarter is known for.

• Will the algorithms change and isolate me from my largely-virtual audience?

• What if this Kickstarter flops, and I’m not able to do everything I hope with this series?

• Is it stupid to launch a new campaign with each book?

• Will I have enough time to market the way I want?

While I’m preparing the campaign, I’m writing M&M Book 2 AND outlining M&M Book 3. I’ve never written a series before, so this is it’s own source of anxiety. Additionally, my characters are tugging the books in a darker direction. I worry about my audience, as a lower YA series, being scared off by complex concepts like grief, chronic illness, and abuse.

All this juggling stops when I face my fears, one by one.

All for Mage and Melody has found an audience of excited, encouraging readers already, and it’s not even out yet! Some of those readers include my very own students. How special is it that I showed them my beta reader draft at the beginning of the school year, and now they get to see the final cover! Kickstarter will always be a gamble, but at the time I’m sending this email, I have over 100 prelaunch followers, which is already better than the last Kickstarter…and we have a month and a half to go! I’ll have time to market responsibly because I’ve done this before, and I can do it again.

I just have to pick up the jump rope and face the fear.

As far as the next few books, my fears about content are completely ignoring my experience as a middle school teacher. Even in my short three years in a sixth grade classroom, I’ve sat down with eleven-year-old kids who have experienced horrible grief, loss, illness, and pain. These concepts aren’t new to them. And reading books about characters who learn to live with the brokenness of the world around them might be more healing than a book that ignores the darkness.

All that to say, I’m facing my fears, day by day, to make these books happen. And here are the stats for the new year.

The Stats…

I stole this format from Addison Horner. Y’all go follow him on Instagram!

Quotes To Enjoy

I…I have no excuse for the abundance of quotes. Consider them an apology for the late email!

Next Up

• ‘Twas the Month before Kickstarter…

• AMTFIL’s Second Birthday!!

• Art reveal??

Thanks, as always, for your support!

OTHER KICKSTARTERS TO CHECK OUT