Embarking on New Adventures – March 2024 Wrap
Wow, March was truly a month of embarking on new adventures. From launching Literary Blend and Amethyst Ink Editorial to landing a massive performance spot and recording new music, I’m excited to share my March highlights.
My First Studio Day of 2024
On March 2, I returned to my second home, the Vault Recording Studio, for a ten-hour session. I truly had the best time producing the intro for Literary Blend: A Publishing Podcast, recording vocals for a secret song, and bringing “Meet Me At Christmas Time” to life.
Since studio days are the most fun, I put together this blog post from my session. I’m so lucky I get to create my music in the most special place with the best producer ever. I’m hoping to go back during the summer for another session.
The Big ISSA Awards After Party Announcement
I’m so thrilled and honored to officially announce I’ll be performing at the 2024 ISSA Awards after party on August 24 in Atlanta. I’m still pinching myself over this. In January, I got the email I was selected but had to stay quiet until the International Singer Songwriters Association made the news public. For my performance, I get to play two songs acoustic. I can’t wait to pick the songs. I’m considering doing one from It Is What It Is and one from Hear Me Out.
Being chosen for a performance spot is a dream come true. This is going to be my biggest live music opportunity yet. I truly can’t thank the International Singer Songwriters Association enough for all the magic they have brought me. First, I won my first music award last year, and now, I’m going to be a performer during the wonderful weekend of events. This year, I also have six nominations, and voting for the finalists takes place next month. I’m keeping my fingers crossed to make the finals in my categories.
The “Kind Heart” Lyric Video
I’m beyond excited to share the official lyric video for “Kind Heart.” This is one of the most meaningful songs I have ever written, so having a lyric video to celebrate the start of my Hear Me Out chapter is so special. I hope you love watching this stunning video my graphic designer, Eddie Davis, created for me.
My Interview on Heart of Indie Radio
The weekend after “Kind Heart” was released, my interview for Heart of Indie Radio was featured on not one, but two, shows, Hearts of Nashville and Journey Studio.
During my interview, I talked about my inspiration for “Kind Heart,” what my Butterflies can expect on Hear Me Out, my 2024 music plans, updates on my author journey, and more. You can hear my interview on all the major podcast platforms, including Spotify. I can’t thank Eddie and the team enough for welcoming me back on the station.
The Launch of Amethyst Ink Editorial
This month, I took the leap into freelance editing. Since being a student in my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University, I’ve read so many manuscripts and developed a passion for critiquing other authors’ work. For this reason, I decided to become a freelance editor for fiction short stories, novellas, and full-length novels.
All the information for Amethyst Ink Editorial can be found on this page. So far, this new adventure has brought me so much joy. I’m so honored authors are trusting me to help make their stories sparkle as bright as precious amethysts.
The Launch of Literary Blend
The publishing adventures continue with Literary Blend: A Publishing Podcast. This show has been in the works for months, and I’m delighted I finally launched it in March. Through hosting Write on Track, I’ve discovered my passion for giving back and having meaningful conversations with others in the music industry. Now, I get to do the same on Literary Blend for publishing.
For more information about Literary Blend, how you can listen, and the show’s email, head over to this page. I’ve had the most fun hosting this show so far and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Author Land Updates
March was a busy month for me as an author. I’m still working very hard on my Little Red Riding Hood reimagining to get it ready for submission. Having an editorial agent is a dream come true. She has taught me so much in such a short period of time, and through doing edits, I have grown so much. Watching the evolution of this project has been such a magical experience. After giving this book my all, it’s exciting to know I’m getting closer to having it sent out to editors.
Along with working on edits, my agent also had me complete a proposal for submission. Since I’m new to this part of publishing, I have really enjoyed seeing how everything works. In the proposal, I included all the details about the book being pitched, along with blurbs for other projects and my author information. I’m so grateful my agent lets me be so involved with the whole process.
On top of this, I submitted a short story to an anthology. This one is a reimagining of Death’s Messengers, which is a more obscure Brothers Grimm fairy tale. It’s dark fantasy, which is a genre I don’t typically write, so I had the most fun working on the story. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an acceptance.
So, that’s a wrap on my magical March. Writing this blog post really put into perspective how much I’m doing in my various creative industries. Music, publishing, and podcasting bring me so much happiness and fulfillment. I’m blessed I get to do what I love every day. Here’s to more awesome adventures in April.