Dear Reader,
As many of you probably know, I generally write a book, select a release date for that book in the far-off future, and then, in that far-off future, the book goes on pre-order and comes out after that. I did this with my newest release, Timeless, of course.
Timeless is my stand-alone reincarnation novel that's unlike any reincarnation story I've ever read before. My wife can tell you that I've been excited for this book since I started writing it and I couldn't wait for it to get into the hands of readers. I spent hours doing research on the different time periods I feature in the book, what women could and couldn't do at the time, pouring over every detail as the two most current women, Abby and Quinn, begin to understand and explore their past lives together.
I am so excited that Timeless is out today, but at the same time, there are things that I wanted to address in this message to you.
Timeless is a book that I've been struggling to promote recently because of what's happened in America, so I've taken the art that I'd already created months ago, and I posted it, but not with the same excitement and zeal that I'd had prior to the election here.
There are two reasons for this. One is that I am completely devastated and haven't been able to move much since the Election Day in this country. I am terrified for so many reasons. Too many to list, in fact, but I'll give you a couple here. I met my wife when she was living in another country. We had a long-distance relationship until she moved here. I am married to a woman who came here from Ukraine to marry me, another woman. Things like people being here legally will likely no longer apply in the near future, and she comes from a country that's the enemy of his favorite dictator. Her family is also still in Ukraine, and we already worry about them daily. If things get repealed here, or he decides to deport Ukrainian-American citizens one day on a whim, he can do that now. The 3 branches of our government meant to control people who desire absolute power are now all controlled by him and will continue to be. This is the everyday fear that so many of us are facing because so many other Americans are filled with lies, hatred, and fear of things they don't understand (and often, don't want to understand, either).
I am terrified for so many people among us here as well as for the rest of the world, which often has to deal with the consequences of American politics, but to be selfish for a moment, I am terrified that my wife and I will no longer have an income. Even if we don't have to flee this country by some miracle, there's a good chance the words I write will be considered p*rn and obscene and banned, along with so many other works written by people in our community. Earlier this year, for the first time ever, I became a full-time author. I was scared because being a full-time self-published author comes with risks, but I needed to leave a bad day job situation as quickly as I could, and my wife and I decided that my mental health was more important than that paycheck. I celebrated being brave enough to make that call, trying to recover from years and years of never "clocking out" at companies that often didn't value me as an employee (and sometimes, as a person). Now, I am worried because my wife and I both run this publishing business, so even assuming women aren't declared property, with our financial rights taken away, which is a real possibility, we still might not be able to make money because millions of Americans fell for lies and were fueled by hatred.
The second reason I'm terrified is because of Timeless itself. It's a book about one couple being reincarnated and finding love over time. That means that for most of that time, women had no rights to very few of them, until the past 40 years or so, and I had to put some of that in the book. I will stress that nothing terrible is depicted in the book. You'll hear mention of things like a woman having to marry a man because her father tells her to, or women not being able to buy a house on their own here, but that's about as far as it goes.
I wanted to show some of the struggles throughout time and then, to be able to show that now, two women who met in America today could fall in love and get married; that after hundreds of years of finding each other and falling in love, they were finally able to be open with that love and stand in front of their friends and family to declare it should they want that. I wanted people to read and be filled with so much happiness and love and hope. Now, though, I worry that the book I've been so excited about might one day be banned because it's about women finding themselves and finding love. I can only hope that people will find this book and that it won't make them turn away thinking about the struggles we've been through already to get here, only to have to go through them again with even more hate in the world.
I'm telling you all this because I want you to understand why, even in these dark times, I will still be promoting my books. You might not see me posting anything politics-related on social media, but that doesn't mean that I'm not hurting or dealing with it like so many others who are getting their paperwork together, making sure they have power-of-attorney docs ready in case their marriages are deemed invalid, preparing to move to a blue state in the hopes that it will protect them at least a little more than where they live, and so many other things that none of us should have to be worried about.
I will continue to post and promote my books for as long as I am able, and I hope other authors in our genre do the same. If you can help me by sharing Timeless with others, if you read and enjoy it, I would be eternally grateful.
As for the future, I have a big 2025 planned. My wife and I have every intention to keep publishing and hope that we will be able to do so. If something happens and we're not able to proceed, please know that it won't be by our choice.
I hope you enjoy a book I put so much of my heart into. Timeless is available now in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
Be well, everyone. Know that, if you, too, are struggling with this, you are not alone. It can be hard in dark times to remember that there are people on your side. As someone who has spent decades studying history – in particular, another dark time that I'd never thought we'd return to – I am and continue to be inspired by the stories where people were the light for others, like the story of Miep Gies, one of the brave people who hid the Frank family during World War II.
"But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room."
"Timeless"
Stand-alone
Genre: Contemporary Romance with Historical Elements and Reincarnation
Release Date: November 29th, 2024
Formats: Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover
Length: 124,800 words
Wow. You wrote pretty much exactly what I have thought ever since he decided to run. I am fortunate I live in another democratic country. I feel yours will become as democratic as Russia.
Thank you for the update on your wife's family (I am not on any social media platforms and follow no-one) and am glad they are safe at the moment and hope they continue to be. I have often wondered what was going on but went with the old adage no news is good news. Hope what you think could happen with your wife never eventuates.
I am very excited to read Timeless and your upcoming books. You are one of my all time favourite authors. Keep…