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Hello, everyone!
Life has been extremely hectic the past few years. I moved over a lot of my old blog posts from my Wordpress site, but a quick recap is:
May 2021 - finished a BS in Information Systems to make a career change from teaching
May 2021 - 7 days later started an MS in Instructional Design and Learning Technology
Fall 2021 - Went back into the classroom as a music teacher for the fall and then a math teacher in the spring
November 2021 - "Won" my first NaNoWriMo in years!!
Winter 2022 - While teaching math, started a full-time job hunt for an Instructional Design job
Spring 2022 - Full-time job, interviewing for multiple jobs
June 2022 - Got two amazing job offers and had to make a decision between less money and working from home or more money and driving an hour one-way to work every day. Chose the work from home option
August 2022 - Joined a community choir, and then got invited to the additional chamber choir, for the first time since I moved back to Tennessee. It's an hour drive, but my soul needed it.
October 2022 - Start my FINAL Master's class to graduate in December!
Whew! I'm tired just typing that up. But, if you're wondering where I've been and why I haven't been writing or playing music or streaming video games/writing/music, this is why. The master's degree and job hunt literally drained me of time and energy. Once I settled into this new job, I started seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I started to be able to breathe again and think about stories and think about music (hence joining the choir).
Our first concert for the chamber group is next Thursday, and I am both excited and terrified. It has been so long since I've been able to express myself in this way. When the chords lock when we're singing, I am literally overwhelmed with emotion.
I have a mission for 2023. I'm tired of putting off my writing and other creative dreams. I feel like I've finally found a heading that will allow me to follow my passions. As soon as I finish this degree in December, I want to replace the time I've spent doing academic reading and writing papers and completing other assignments, to focus on my writing.
I've said "I'm going to publish by the time I'm 30..."
Then, it was "I'm going to publish by the time I'm 35..."
Well, I'm 35 now and no closer to publishing. I thought the other day "I'm going to publish by the time I'm 40..." But no! That's almost five years of wasted time. Wasted potential. Time that I'm sure I'll spend agonizing over editing and never truly get anything done. I'm setting myself a goal now, to self-publish four books before the end of 2023.
Part of this plan has involved diversifying. I write under pen name(s). Many of you met me as Evelyn J. Haddock, which was my first pen name. Evelyn is shifting to be my alias in the erotic romance realm, which may be my focus for next year. I will probably create a separate website for Evelyn, but you can find Evelyn on Twitter! Link Evelyn on Twitter
The other part of this plan is stepping into the online presence I've been working on since I started streaming under RoseEvenstar21 in 2018 and started The Rose Garden Discord.
Rosie J. Potter is the outcome of this. It was a natural step. Most people online call me Rose or Rosie. My wonderful partner met me as Rose and affectionately calls me Rosie Rose. It eliminates the confusion. One day, I may go into the choice of the last name Potter, but that's a blog for another day. Or another year. Spoiler alert: It has nothing to do with a boy wizard.
With the name change, comes a new website! I'm still working on getting this place up and running, but I'm really excited about my plan for NaNoWriMo this year. I wanted to have the blog up and running for NaNoWriMo, so I can chat about my experience this year, my project, and talk to you all about what you're doing.
Part of the rebrand has to do with me wanting to get back to my roots as well. I didn't want just a space for writing. I wanted a space that felt like I could talk about writing, talk about music, talk about gaming. That's where Rosie's Reverie has come from. This is my dream, and I'm inviting you in!
I also don't want it to just be about me. I want this to be a place for us. Everyone is welcome here. (Except assholes/racists/bigots. You won't bring down our vibe.) I want there to be a conversation. My metaphorical door is always open for you.
This is getting a bit long, so I'll end it here. More information will come out as the website develops. I will say, it's exciting! At least, I'm excited.
Thank you all for being here. Thank you for bearing with me, especially those who have stuck around through these crazy few years.
Good things are going to happen next year. I just know it!
For now,
Rosie
