The only constant in life is its challenges. We can either spend all our energy avoiding them, trying to fix them, or staying on our path. It’s all hard, so we have to choose the right hard for us. Sometimes there are no fixes, so the best thing to do is stay the course.
Romance with a Body Count
Author Elizabeth Barone’s Reader Newsletter
July 2025
Archive: January 2025 | February 2025 | April 2025
When I wrote A Touch of Gold in 2020, we’d lost my Noni and our family home. I baked my grief into the book, and wrote a way for Goldie to save her family’s home.
Cut to 2025, I’m working on the last book in the series while staring down the barrel of being homeless.
I really don’t need any more writing inspiration! 😅
The only constant in life is its challenges. We can either spend all our energy avoiding them, trying to fix them, or staying on our path. It’s all hard, so we have to choose the right hard for us. Sometimes there are no fixes, so the best thing to do is stay the course.
For me, that means writing.
It’s really hard to focus when everything is crashing around you. Lately I’ve been practicing my original reason for writing: to stay sane. Over the years, my why evolved first to keeping my mind occupied while sick and unemployed, then to giving my readers more of the story they loved. I struggle with the fawn trauma response, so I’ve done a lot of people pleasing over the years, almost always to my detriment. Going back to basics and writing for myself has been so healing.
Whether you’re struggling with health issues, horrified by the evils of the world, or going through something else entirely, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on your why. You don’t have to be a writer to have a why; my best friend says her five children are hers. It can be that simple and wholesome. We all need a light that keeps us going.
What’s yours?
What I’m Working On
Summer is in full swing, and for me that means a renewed focus on my work in progress, Sleeve of Hearts. It’s slow going as ever, but a change in attitude has made things a bit easier. Instead of beating on myself for only being able to do one thing a day—often that one thing is making a meal—I’m shifting to focusing on one thing at a time. I’m practicing prioritizing my needs and keeping my expectations realistic. Much like anything else in life, it’s a work in progress; it’s a practice, never perfect. I’m practicing remembering that.
I’m so grateful for my publisher for being so understanding and supportive while I duke it out with this book and my own body and brain. Their publishing schedule is set for the next two years, so I’m hoping Sleeve of Hearts will see a 2028 release.
You don’t have to wait three years to go back to Stagwood Falls, though!
Get a (Fictional) Tattoo for Only $5
Inflation’s fucking crazy lately. I’m sure I don’t even want to know the going hourly rate for a tattoo these days. Let my apprentice Kinsley tattoo you fictionally!
I’ll turn you into a character in Sleeve of Hearts and your fictional self will receive a tattoo, microblading or permanent makeup, or haircut or braiding from apprentice Kinsley. All you have to do is upgrade to a paid sponsor of my newsletter for $5/month!
I’ll post a rough draft of your scene on my website, and you’ll see the edited version in the published book.
Don’t worry, if you don’t want to upgrade, you’ll still get my free reader newsletter and occasional goodies. But if you do upgrade, you’ll also get access to serialized editions of my books and exclusive goodies (like new stickers before they even hit my shop).
Become a sponsor now!
Thank you so much to my Sponsors Lauren, B., Dee, and Katy! Look out for your characters’ scenes soon.
Free River Reapers novella
As my email subscriber, you can now read Her Mercy for free! All 25 chapters are now live.
If you’ve already read Mercy and Bree’s story, leave a comment with your emoji reaction to the novella. Mine would be like 🦋🦅🖤!
What’s your biggest challenge this summer? Let’s cheer each other on—tell us yours by replying to this email, or you can leave a comment on my website.
I hope you and your loved ones are as well as can be, and that your summer’s giving all the good vibes. Or at least good AC. 😉
This summer, I’m having six MRIs and a tilt table study to assess what lupus is doing all up in my brain and nervous system. I could let the fear freeze me in place, or I can choose to see these scary tests as a scheduled nap and amusement park ride. I’m somewhere in between—like I said, I’m practicing.
May you always be in practice as a beautiful work in progress, too.
Happy reading!
