Leading the Stampede, Sprint Writing, and Catching Up

Good morning! 

I'm excited to tell you about a new release, which is the first one that I've had in romance in quite a while. The last romance books under my pseudonyms Natalie Acres and Destiny Blaine were published somewhere around 2015 (not including boxed sets since they include previous work). Since then, I’ve primarily written nonfiction, thrillers, and cozy mystery.

While I've still ghostwritten a handful of romance books along the way, it wasn't until I thought of the storyline for Leading the Stampede that I realized how much I've missed writing cowboys/westerns (contemporary and historical), romantic thrillers, and paranormal (clean shifter romances).

Leading the Stampede isn't a hot romance, but there are still some closed-door romantic scenes between the main characters. I used to read Harlequin's Silhouette Romances so I would probably compare the heat level to some of those books. 

As for the storyline in the Legends of Wilde novellas, like so many of you, I have a true love for horses. With the recent news about the Nevada Mustangs, and because of our personal love for rescues, Legends of Wilde stories were born. The first one is available now with the other two coming later this year. 

Since I last chatted with some of you on Facebook, in person, and even in reading/author-oriented groups, a lot has changed. At the end of 2018, we decided to move to the Nashville area after my husband was offfered a transfer. That was definitely a positive change. Right after we moved here, our children followed right behind us. 

As with life, we've definitely experienced our share of ups and downs. We've lost loved ones, but also gained new friends and a church family. Soon after we moved here, we spent three years in Columbia before my husband was transferred back to Nashville. Through those experiences, I learned valuable life lessons and embraced those as a truth that I never expected as my own. 

The biggest lesson is that families are born in the heart.

My brother's girlfriend, as an example, has been his life partner. They're far happier than many of those who have rings to share between them. They've built an amazing life here in Middle Tennessee. We’re so blessed to call their immediate family as our own, too. 

With their farm nearby, Brent and I have been able to rescue goats and sheep, and those animals make our family even more complete. We spend a lot of weekends there, grilling out and laughing, just enjoying the country life and time together. 

Another brother and his family live in Pikeville, Tennessee, which is about two hours away. Through them, we gained two nephews, another sister-in-heart, and her mother as a close friend. My sister, who is our little miracle after surviving a massive stroke, lives with her husband in Indianapolis now. They spoil everyone around them and enjoy having company. 

Our children are also nearby and we’re so blessed to have our granddaughter in our lives again. While she went through an unimaginable stepparent story, she came out of it stronger  than we ever believed she might. Our son survived it and became much happier once he moved here to Middle Tennessee, too. Our daughter moved home to be with her friends, which only further supports my feelings mentioned below. Brent and I still have his parents and my mother. 

My youngest brother, (some of you have met him), passed away in 2018. When he passed away, I was hospitalized for a broken heart (It’s a very real disease and one that left lasting complications) and didn’t write very much for the next few years. 

Like my other two brothers, our youngest brother was so present in our lives and while we all spent a good deal of time worried about his addiction, we all miss him every single day. He left behind a beautiful daughter. This year, she turns 18 and we’re all so thankful for her and continue to be amazed by her strength and love. 

Why mention all of this? Well, I've definitely seen what a family looks like for us and it varies by what I once imagined. The word ‘family’ is far greater than anything I ever wanted or believed I could have. There aren’t any boundaries by blood. There are, and were, opportunities born by introductions that forever live in our hearts.

I woke up this morning and wanted to share some of our life story. Maybe someone will read this and relate to what’s been written here. When I think of some of my current works now, I suspect they'll be different from previous novellas and books. There has been a lot of living in their wake. There have been joys and heartaches, ups and downs, but so much life wrapped in all of it. 

As a sprint writer, I used to churn out tens of thousands of words every single week. I would write a story, edit, start another one, edit again while writing, start another series, receive notice that a book was published, skip to another pen name, wash, rinse, and repeat.

During that time, I rarely saw the books when they went 'live' or even participated in their releases. At this point, I have no idea how many books are out there or even an exact number of how many were written during that time. At one point, I had ten active pen names and rarely took a day off.

That wasn't my publishers' fault. I was to blame.

I was so busy making a living that I forgot to live. As one of the first sprint writers, some say the fastest during that time (as if that were a bragging right, and it isn’t), to write over 60,000 words in a week.

During that time, I easily wrote 80,000-100,000 words per week. You can look up my books under the Natalie pen name and see the word counts at one of the retailers to know that I’m sharing my truths.  

I never worried about penning similar stories because I wrote so quickly that I couldn’t remember what was written. I have many books in print and only a handful on my personal shelves.

Enjoying life as a writer seemed like a joy that someone else could experience, but I had a set amount to earn every year and needed to focus on that. In short, I never wanted to tell my children no. If they later wanted to go to a college or university that was out of an average family’s reach, we would be able to swing it because it was the only thing I focused on. And that wasn’t passion for my career. 

It was an obsession.

Ironically, my daughter went to work at eighteen and my son went to the Navy so when I say that the obsession (to write at those speeds) was all for naught, it really was. I made plenty of money and lost priceless memories.

That’s not living.

Eventually, I realized that this sprint-writing (or the way that I did it anyway) wasn’t normal. One publisher even called me “a machine with too many moving parts” and told me that while I wrote for many machines, I couldn’t, in good faith, judge a company when I’d become just like them. That’s when it became clear to me that my writing had become an addiction in and of itself.

My release dates are a testament to that fact, but I suffered the consequences and would quickly warn others out there who are doing the same thing. When you become a workaholic, a writer-a-holic, you’re losing your life. 

It’s real. 

It’s devastating. 

And your health is worth more than the dollars you’ll gain.

As writers, we can't write like a machine and live quality lives. My speed was a gift so I’m speaking from a voice of experience. I abused that gift.

Moreover, our bodies aren’t geared up to be robotic. Our health will eventually stop us from a maddening and continual speed.

These experiences are now shared because of my love for my fellow writers and other artists. Speed-writing is not worth the shortened life you'll gain. I’m still a “sprintwriter” but now, it isn’t something that’s abused. Instead, it’s cherished in that if there’s a pressing or important deadline, it can be met. Sometimes, if my fellow authors know they’re going to fall short of an important deadline, they call me. 

My story here is to help, not prevent, others. I want every writer who wants to write to enjoy success. Some sprinters out there might say, “She’s old” or “Out of practice” or “doesn’t understand how competitive things are today” but that’s not it.

I don’t want anyone to have the health problems that I’ve had because of my inability to stop writing or to find a reasonable pace. And while I’m now in my early fifties, if I wanted to write twenty thousand words today, I could have it done before seven this evening. It’s ten-thirty right now. I choose not to do it on most days because living life is far more important than writing about it.

An odd thing happened, too. When I stopped working as a habitual sprinter, I started enjoying my career again. I love being a writer now. When I’m out and about, it’s so enjoyable connecting with other writers and readers.

I love this life that I’m blessed to still live.

If moving to Middle Tennessee five years ago taught me anything at all, if my mother, brothers, sister, and their families, our families, taught me anything at all, it was that love conquers all, but not because someone surrenders something. It's because of what we bring together, how we come together as family and friends, and how we live our best lives with those we love. 

Life can be imitated or explained on a page, but feeling that life, enjoying that life? Well, there’s only one way to do that. We have to be present for those experiences.

My writing may have changed some, but I like it more. And I sure hope you will as well.

Love always,

Destiny (Writing as Natalie, too)

Leading the Stampede

Legends of the Wilde, Book One

(Destiny Blaine Writing as Natalie Acres)

Ryder Wilde reclaims his home ranch with the purpose of protecting the wild horses that others have been adopting only to later lead them to slaughter. After the dust clears from a successful roundup, Ryder discovers a beautiful photographer in the middle of the valley, and she has a secret much like his own.

Brooke Bateman has spent the better part of her life completely alone. As a freelance photographer, she’s always been drawn to capturing wild animals in their natural habitat, but she’s begun to suspect that there’s a reason behind what seems to drive her.

After Brooke watches Ryder’s shift into a beautiful black stallion, she grows weary. And there’s only one way that she’ll become well enough to make a difference in future roundups. She’ll claim that inner part of herself that she’s denied for far too long. Along the way, she’ll gain a family, purpose, and unimaginable love.