Today, the day I am writing this, I sent my resignation to the job I have been working the last five years. While I loved my position teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at a quirky little alternative school, it is a huge relief to finally walk into the next phase of my career as a writer/bookseller.
After my undergrad, I found myself uncertain of where I could apply my talents as a “creative writer.” I became a substitute teacher, enjoyed the hours, and determined that teaching should be my path, as it would allow me the most time reading literature, talking about literature, and writing literature, comparatively to every other career field.
I was wrong.
While there were parts of teaching I loved (the kids, the projects, curriculum development), I found it a sore bruise on that thing in my gut that could be called intuition.
When I began teaching at the public schools in 2019, I realized quickly that teaching did not equate writing. Teaching could be fulfilling. I could make decisions that would lead me down a long path as an educator, knowing I had invested in the world and added some good to it. Yet all the good would leave me desolate, living a life I wasn’t meant for.
Unfortunately, I would never have left, had it not been for the book store, handed to us on a silver platter by our dear friends in our time of need. When we opened the book store, I wasn’t sure how I would juggle entrepreneurship, teaching, grad school, parenting, and all the other maintenance of life in a family. I needed the security of a pay check. So for the next two years, I did both. Half the week I taught, the other half I spent between the shelves of my book store.
A really funny thing happened in that time. In spite of being busier than I had ever been in my entire life, I was also more fulfilled than I had ever been in my entire life. On bad days at the book store I would walk home beaming with joy. I felt exuberant! Alive!
After opening the book store and getting to share space with local authors, I became confident that I could, in fact, write a book. So I did. A bad book, but a book!
I started this newsletter. I launched my Poetry Post Cards. I set reasonable goals.
And then I discovered that there was a flaw in my brilliant plan of living all the lives to the fullest, and that flaw was that I truly only have one life to live. I can live it in every which way, but I can’t live it fully in every which way.
I started to notice that on my teaching days I felt dull, mindless, and depressed. Store days revived me, and then the cycle would repeat again the next time Monday came around.
So, back in December, I determined that I needed to give myself a shot. Instead of being practical, I would be audacious (the word of the year is risk, is it not?). I put on my 2026 Bingo Card: Quit Teaching.
Today, I get to stamp that spot.
A Change in Direction
As I walk into this next chapter of my life, one of my primary goals is to build my email newsletter. If you’re subscribed, you probably know that in order to be attractive to publishers, an aspiring author must prove that they already have a following. This is dreadful work, but I have watched my friends get turned down by publishers on the basis of their (lack of) following. That’s not going to be me.
I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what this newsletter should be. At first, it was a platform for book reviews, but I found the work of that tedious and mundane. I was reviewing books everyone had read, so what was the point? Then, I altered the newsletter to focus on my journey as a writer. I enjoyed some of the posts, but felt I was running out of things to say. I was unsure what my readers would want to know. I have nothing exciting to show (yet).
So, I sat down and considered what mattered to me as a writer and bookseller. I landed on literary citizenship.
Literary citizenship is a fancy way of saying that “if you succeed, I do.” The purpose is to uplift other writers, because we’re not in competition. I don’t care if you read my book or Hickory Ham’s book, so long as you’re reading!
With that being said, this newsletter is about to get a facelift.
In the coming months, you will be receiving this newsletter every other Tuesday around 8am. You can expect some book reviews (specifically, Indie books & books I can’t stop talking about) interspersed with author interviews, discussions on the book industry, and occasionally updates on my own writing.
If you’re reading this thinking, “ugh. please dear god, no.” Don’t worry. I will not be offended if you unsubscribe. This is your chance to get out. Make a run for it. Hit the hills.
But if you’ll indulge me…. I hope to introduce you to books you’ve never seen on BookTok, offer you insight from authors making it work, and lead you deeper into that literary life of your daydreams.
Personally, I think you’ll want to stick around.
What’s up next week?
I’ve got an interview with local romance author, Cassie Truett, discussing how she created her brand & found authentic community in online spaces.
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