I posted this in my Facebook group, Blackwood Babes, a couple days ago, but now it's time to share publicly.
First, I want to apologize to you for going quiet on you. I've send newsletters consistently to my email subscribers, but I haven't had much to say lately and I've been quiet on social media.
Since last summer, my life has been a mess. Things keep happening that are completely out of my control and as much as I try to get things back on track and minimize the damage, it’s not always possible. I've been struggling to keep my head above the water, but it's not been easy. I also try to be as transparent as possible with y’all.
With that said, a big thing is happening in my personal life that I’m not ready to talk about yet. Not now, maybe not ever. All I will say is that it was completely unexpected, something I never saw coming.
This change in my personal life, unfortunately, means changes in my professional one as well. That’s what this is about. I apologize in advance because it’s probably going to be lengthy.
I've been a stay-at-home mom for thirteen years, but in the coming weeks, I’ll be going back to work full time.
On top of that…
I’m still working as a publicist for The Indie Pen PR.
I’m still helping one of my closest friends get her business up and running, and I’m still going to be her marketing manager going forward.
I’m still going to write and publish books.
And most importantly… I will always be a mother.
Over the coming months, a lot will be happening behind the scenes.
I will be completely rebranding, including changing to a new pen name. Kate Stacy is linked closely with things I'd rather let go of completely. I haven’t decided what the new one will be, but I’ll likely keep the first name Kate since I’m pretty fond of it.
My plans for now are to finish publishing the Love & Liquor series under my current pen name since the first book is already published. Once the series is complete, I’ll make the official change and publish any new books moving forward under the new name. Eventually, I’ll pull the books I’ve already published and republish them under the new name. I feel this is the best way to make the transition because it’s going to be a long and slow process with the time constraints I’m dealing with. I’m basically starting over completely, and though I have an amazing support system—I’m only one person and there are some things they can't help me with.
On another note:
Several people pre-ordered a copy of the paperback of Bourbon Truths last year for BRAE. Unfortunately, things happened and I couldn’t deliver as promised. I’ve been in contact with them since the event and they’ve been so understanding about the delays with the book, but I will be emailing those individuals personally to once again offer a refund if they’d rather not wait. I feel awful that it’s been drawn out this long and though I’ve been attempting to get everything wrapped up for it this weekend, I cannot make any promises because everything is up in the air and I’m still trying to get my feet back on solid ground.
Last, but not definitely not least…
I want to thank you for your never-ending support. It means more to me than I can ever put into words (and I’d like to think I’m pretty good with those). I hope you’ll all continue to bear with me while my heathens and I adjust to a new normal. One where I have zero free time because I refuse to give up on the things that bring me joy. Thankfully, I survive and thrive on caffeine and chaos.
❥ Kate