Welcome to 2026

Hi lovelies,

I can't say we had a great 2025, and 2026 is off to a rough start. Things are grim. I know we're all feeling it, and I have to be so honest, it's difficult to write while the world feels like it's falling apart.

Some of you may know that in 2024, the week before Christmas, I lost a close friend to suicide. Then, only a few months after his passing, another of my very close friends attempted. My life hasn't been the same since. I've struggled to get into the mindset of writing because writing joy and love when my heart aches is like trying to climb a mountain with weights tied to my ankles.

I've suffered through a lot of loss and grief, but this one, this one is different in a way that shatters your soul into so many pieces it will never look the same. It will never be back to the way it was. Pieces of me died in 2025, and I'm struggling to mend the gaping holes left behind.

But I'm still here, and I still have a passion for telling stories that mean something to someone. It's just that this time, I don't know if I'll have anything finished in time to release this year. I started and stopped at least four different stories throughout 2025. I rewrote one of them up to the halfway point, then all inspiration vanished. I've stopped logging into my social media accounts because everything I see fills me with rage, disappointment, grief, and frustration. It's rare I ever see anything that can fill me with any semblance of joy. I'm tired. I know many of us are tired.

On top of everything going on, I've been dealing with mysterious health issues since I was in my early 20s, and our medical care here in the US is legitimately soul-crushing. My list of specialists is long, and the list of diagnoses is tiny, while my symptoms continue to progress with no real answers. I've been poked and prodded, then they pass me to someone else after giving up on me. More recently, after a ton of tests and comparing symptoms and previous tests, one specialist thinks I could have "ME/CFS," commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and while this would explain many of my issues, it doesn't explain all of them, which leaves me back on the hunt for more answers.

All of this to say, I'm beaten down.

This week, I've set aside all my other works in progress and pulled one of my shelved ideas to the front. It's a fun and very "slice of life" romance. I'm hoping it can help me climb out of this slump. Just in case I shelve it again, I won't bother talking about it. I don't want to disappoint you all by teasing something that might not make it to light.

I truly hope this year gets better. I hope we can find joy. I'm clinging to the belief that we are better than this as a people.

Please be safe out there.

Love always,

Jamie