The Last Note: Issue 12

Hi friends,

You may have noticed I’ve been quiet for a while. I truly appreciate your patience. Unfortunately, my family and I got sick (as is typical this time of year), and it knocked me out of my routine. If I’m being honest, I’ve been struggling to get back into the swing of things.

Right now, my priority is finishing Dawn of EDeN, and to make that happen, I need to take a temporary step back from Substack and social media. But I’m not gone forever! This journey—writing, publishing, sharing thoughts on creativity and growth—is something I’m deeply committed to.

I can’t wait to share my books, insights, and experiences with you. I appreciate every single one of you who follows along, engages, and finds value in this space. This hiatus isn’t a setback—it’s just a reset. Right now, I need to refocus and channel my energy where it’s needed most: finishing my books and preparing them for editing.

That said, I’d love to hear from you! What topics interest you? What challenges are you facing in your writing or creative process? Are there things you’d like to know about my journey, my writing, or the industry? I want to make sure I’m creating meaningful content for you.

Here are a few ideas I’ve been exploring for upcoming blog posts:

• Cold DMs from Book Marketers: How indie authors can handle them—and what legitimate marketers can do to build credibility.

• Innovation vs. Imitation: The hidden danger of blindly following “best practices” and how real creativity breaks the mold.

• Getting Back on the Horse: Re-engaging with creativity after a cold spell.

If any of these resonate with you—or if there’s something else you’d love to see—let me know!

Recently, I attended an online seminar called Time to Rise with Tony Robbins. I’ve always been familiar with his name, but I’d never actually engaged with his content before. To my surprise, I was really impressed.

One of the key takeaways for me was the sequence of his change framework—a simple but powerful three-step process that explains why we often struggle to take action.

Step 1: Change Your Physiology
We often think strategy is the first step to change, but Robbins argues it’s actually physiology. Before we can take action, we need to build energy—not in a mystical sense, but in a real, tangible way. Movement, physical activity, breathing—these all impact our state of mind. When our energy shifts, our motivation and momentum naturally follow.

Step 2: Connect to Your Why
This reminded me of Simon Sinek’s work. In business, he teaches that “people don’t buy your what, they buy your why.” But this principle applies far beyond business—our personal success depends on it, too. If we’re not deeply connected to our WHY, even the best strategy in the world won’t work.

Step 3: Execute the Strategy
Only once we have energy and purpose does strategy become effective. Otherwise, we’re just spinning our wheels.

I found this concept, and many more, really insightful. If you’re feeling stuck or unmotivated, I highly recommend checking out the Time to Rise seminar the next time it is available (It’s free!).

As I mentioned earlier, writing has been slow—but I’m working my way back into a routine. My goal is to finish my rough draft by the end of February, edit in March, and (hopefully!) release in Q2.

I’m also collaborating with a cover designer right now, and I’ll be excited to share the final design with you soon!

Thank you for being part of this journey. I appreciate your support, your insights, and your patience as I push forward. Looking forward to connecting again soon!

What challenges are you facing in writing or creativity right now? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear from you!