Oh, my good dear sweet baby Jesus, what a year we’ve had. First, the great news – Sales, sales, and more sales, thanks mostly to the ever-loving persistence of my dear Rya, who just loves to set up tents in the heat of southern Florida, pawning books and magnets and stickers and other cool swag to the uninitiated. They kept coming back, though – to pick up the next book, and then the next one! For the first time since 2015, we actually had to pay a good-sized TAX RETURN for the income we received! So major kudos to Rya for her determination on her sales acumen! Meanwhile, I, who still has to show up at a job (2 years to go until retirement, though), but also prefers to loiter in the back shadowy corners and let Rya have her sunny way with the public, have happily fiddled with the social media pages and the TeeSpring store (We’ve added a lot of stuff there, by the way, go check it out – https://farcrutch-productions-2.creator-spring.com/). Either way, folks have taken notice, we have accumulated several new fans, and we thank you all!
Okay, Book 7 news. We are heavy into Book 7, I promise. The cover is planned, the Ouroboros is already designed, and I’ve actually managed to contribute several chapters to the cause. We know we are way, way behind. But, dammit, LIFE! Life just keeps interfering in the worst way! In addition to work, most of my summer was taken up with requests from my family needing help in everything from driving to appointments (an adventure in itself, as I can’t find my way out of a paper bag) to paying bills to moving patio furniture (which was never used, but it made said family member happy). Thanksgiving was a major bust due to a family member being diagnosed with a brain tumor that needed removal at once, so I had to navigate to Baltimore for the surgery. (I do not recommend this, especially in the dark.) This left me a bigger wreck than the actual emergency. Several days of driving let me pick out landmarks that left my family members in stitches (“Sad Adult McDonalds,” “Hairy Armpit Cemetery,” etc.) and I actually managed to drive to Johns Hopkins Hospital one day without any issue – under supervision from the husband and mother, but I did it, and that has got to be my biggest accomplishment this year. Doesn’t sound that big to others, but like I said – I can’t find my way out of a paper bag! So our suggestion? Read Books 1-6 over…and leave us reviews online…and keep being patient!
At least my Christmas shopping is done. I’m an early shopper, I don’t like to wait until December 24 to scramble around. I loathe having to set foot in Walmart any time of the year, but Walmartians at Christmas are the very devil. I swear they’re waiting for me in my room in hell. Everything is wrapped (thank you, Amazon gift wrapping!), and my Christmas cards are sitting here on my desk, ready to go out. My biggest gift is my family member with the now-removed brain tumor, who gets to be here for Christmas and is doing well.
So here’s to 2024 – we hope to have a new book out for you, if we can find ways to avoid the road blocks of life! Happiest of holidays to everyone!
- Rebecca
