An April Fool’s Announcement – Not a Joke

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I have learned to avoid announcing my intentions.

The following through, the doing, the making good…they seem to hear my words and spiral away, in and out of me, up, down, or into some other dimension. Maybe my dad was right. I must have a rebellious nature. And sometimes, I rebel against myself. And then, all else aligns with that rebellion to incite Things I Didn’t Predict. Murphy invokes his Law. And then, it all goes to hell.

But I have decided to try again. So, like Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings, I have an Announcement.

Here goes.

(breathing out)

(holy moly, if you could see how long my fingers paused right here)

I am finishing The Oat Project. Right now. This minute. The entire thing. We will have a whole book, a book even Luddites will enjoy (printed), in the next few weeks…several weeks, that is. I’ve stopped working on installments and am focusing on crafting the story as a whole.

This journey: In the summer of 2007, at the age of 37, I “sowed” my wild oats, making a project out of trying a bunch of things I’d never done, like getting drunk, going clubbing, to a strip club, smoking a cigarette, and many more. I didn’t think it would change my life. But facing the fear of doing things my upbringing taught would send me straight to hell, then overcoming that fear transformed me and my life. I saw things for what they were, inside and outside my own self. Seven years later, that project has transformed as profoundly as I have. I’m still a mother of three beautiful children, and they are the hub of my life. The record of that summer, called The Oat Project, has changed, too.

I started publishing it serially in March 2012. Soon after, my mother started a long decline from cancer, and she died on December 4th of that year. My sister-in-law died a week later in a car crash, from which my youngest brother miraculously lived. The past two years have been filled with grief and trauma and depression, and my serialized plans derailed. But finally, I am coming through the darkness, ready to birth this book.

Some complex reasons have delayed my announcing this, including the aforementioned intentions going awry. The heaviest: I kept meaning to announce it first to my amazingwonderful subscribers, but putting and moving words on a page has overwhelmed, let alone finding the right words to the most-patient-in-the-world readers via MailChimp. Dear Subscribers, here, publicly, please accept my humble thanks for your everlasting patience and apologies for the delays since launching the book. You shall be showered in perks, including a very special edition of the book.

So, that’s it. It’s getting done by hoarding writing time from my single-mom life with astounding support from my ex-husband, family, and friends. And that will continue until it’s finished and in your hands. (If you could see my insides, they are literally churning, and I’m about to cry, because you have no. idea. how thankful, humbled, and amazed I am at the love and support. Please, please know that my life has depended on you all, and you have brilliantly, kindly helped me live. Please know how grateful I am, from the bottom of every cell thankful. I try every day to make some words or a photo that lifts you all up in return.)

Thank you, also, to the Blogging from A to Z community and Dani at Blogbooktours for the inspiration to write this and a post every day in this month of April. Cheers!

And now, back to the finishing. (Hear that, Murphy!? You can put your Law where the sun don’t shine!) May you all learn to woo and work with your intentions on this day. … Oh yeah, also, I’m pregnant, getting married, and moving to California. (April Fool’s wink to you!) 😉

Love and hugs, Jene’

p.s. Until I switch to the full book on the website and Amazon, the first three Adventures will still be up. They’re longer than they will be in the book, so grab those babies on your e-readers.

p.p.s. Photography keeps me sane–sane enough to keep writing. I’m about to launch a photography-only Etsy store from which anyone and everyone will be able to buy prints. Some will be for small prints, others–many of the Front Range–will support larger prints. Check out the Instagram feed to see many!

p.p.p.s. I really still love and believe in the serial/installment form! In the future, you’ll get to subscribe to some fiction that’s been percolating inside me for a very. long. time…and that is FUN and has nothing to do with memoir or projects.