A Walk in the Rain

The rain is pouring, the weather is chilling, and the coffee is steaming. Days like these are the days I live for.

Yet again, I’ve failed to keep up this blog. Something about moving states twice, working hard, and what not. Truth be told, the last four months have passed by so quickly I haven’t had time to think about much other than the essentials. The essentials being more major life changes, family scares, and apple butter. I tried to make apple butter. In the end of everything? I have some news, but not much. I’m still trying to navigate this new chapter of life while also experiencing and enjoying it. The mountains outside definitely help. So does the rain. So let’s get into it!

First off, I’m married now. My long-term long-distance relationship is now a living-together marriage, and I am pleased to announce that it is forever. And yes, marriage life is no different from engaged life, even dating life. But my husband and I have wanted this for years and it’s a blessing to have finally happened. Moving halfway across the country has been a wonderful experience, but it’s not without cost. This is the first time in my entire life that I’m living away from my family, and very far away at that. I still don’t think I’ve completely adjusted. I miss my parents, my siblings. I miss my three dogs who couldn’t come with me. I wouldn’t change my circumstances for anything. Being married to my best friend and waking up every day beside him is more than I could ask for. It doesn’t make saying goodbye less difficult though. Moving has also forced me to realize how much of my time I spent with my family. Being away, I find my days emptier. Of course, this allows me more time to direct my attention on personal projects, but it leaves me with mixed feelings having to fill the free time.

All of this is to say, a lot is happening right now. And a lot will continue to happen. I’m still hoping to publish The Light of Evenfall this year, albeit things are going slow. Editing is costly, and the book is hefty. I’ve drafted out the cover art but haven’t decided on any details. To prepare those who follow me for the release though, I started a series on my Thoughts of a Goblin YouTube channel that goes chapter by chapter through my first book, A Journey Paved in Shadows. Learning to film, edit, create, and share myself has been quite the trying process for me. Speaking to a camera rather than writing a post took a few tries to get used to. However, I’m excited to learn the skills needed for this channel. Challenging myself to grow as an artist has always been worth the initial struggle. Widening my skill set in this new format has been nothing short of eventful. It leaves me with very little mental free time though. I always feel like I could be doing more, that the work is never done and can’t rest or else I’ll get behind. It’s a tragic fault of mine, but it’s something I’m learning to manage. Right now especially, I want to continue with the publishing process for The Light of Evenfall. I can’t wait to get this sequel into the hands of readers, but to do that, I need to make sure it’s in the best condition possible. Which means I need to wait and let it be revised and refined. Which means waiting. And I hate waiting. Which leads me to my next announcement!

I wrote another book. My third book. This one, however, is not tied to A Journey Paved in Shadows. This new novel is a stand-alone magical realism story, following a girl through the realm of spirits in her journey to find peace through the unknown of life. Very simply stated, of course. This is the first time I’m really telling anyone about it. The idea for this story came about two years ago, and it has been a back-burner project since. AJPiS and TLoE were my priority. So when I decided to self-publish last year, all other writing projects were put on hold. However, at the beginning of 2025, I came up with a list of goals for the year. One of those goals, one that I wasn’t all too serious about compared to the more pressing ones, was to finish writing the first draft of this new novel. The plan was to be finished with it by the end of the summer. Summer? The season that just ended? Yes! That very one. So did I actually finish this novel by my loose deadline???

No. But I did finish it the first day of Autumn!!

Which, all things considered, was a shocking turn of events for me! I didn’t think I’d have the time to finish this story until next year at the earliest. So, does this mystery novel have a name? Sort of. The working title is The Gate’s Call. And the book is much shorter than AJPiS and TLoE. So when I figure out more about The Gate’s Call and have publishing details, I’ll be sure to share!

As this post comes to an end, I’m reminded again of how much there is still to do, how that list will keep growing, and how I need to make room for life outside of work. Nothing like a walk in the rain to clear the head. Until next time—

J.E. Elliott