I had really hoped to have some amazing news for you guys today–that the third installment in my Getting Back to Oz trilogy, Almira’s Heart was on track and ready to release today–but that isn’t going to happen. It’s not for a lack of trying, but I am one of those (un)lucky people with a slew of chronic illnesses, and try as I might, sometimes my body just says STOP. REST. RECOVER.

And so I must.

The hard part, for someone like me, is that I love my readers so much, that it physically hurts not to be able to meet a deadline on time. It feels like a monumental failure. It feels like I am letting everyone down, and it’s doubly frustrating that there is nothing I can really do about it.

So, I decided to share this “behind the scenes” part of my life today because I know some of you are facing something similar. Maybe you have fibromyalgia, or arthritis, or Crohn’s disease, or any of a thousand debilitating conditions. No matter health issue impacts you, it can lead to varying degrees of guilt, sadness, and isolation. Well-meaning friends and family offer support, advice, or in some cases, “tough love.” 

But we can’t tough love our way to health. We have to learn to respect our boundaries, to honor what our bodies are capable of (they are, after all, trying so very hard to just do the thing they are supposed to do), and accept (some of) the limitations our health imposes.

Today, I am working hard on the final steps to get Almira’s Heart into your hands. Will it be delayed? Yes. Will I give up? NEVER.