I'm really bad at doing a lot of things...

Written By Julio Desir

I mean that literally.

 

Six years into being a full-time author, I find myself constantly reflecting on my time as a librarian and my ability to balance and carry out multiple tasks. I used to think I was organized and self-motivated but now I wonder if I was those things because I had a built-in structure, oversight, and a reward system (in the form of annual reviews).

I remember making checklists to get things done and how satisfying it was to mark items off the list. I’ve tried using checklists as an author and find myself rewriting them over and over when I don’t like my handwriting or when they get buried beneath a pile of notes and are no longer relevant.

I have tried a variety of online platforms. Again, when I was a librarian, I used a simple sticky note app for my desktop that held me accountable. As an author, I have tried trello, akiflow, sunsama, asana, lunatask—and so many more. I have also tried notion in the past and gave up because it was too overwhelming, however, I recently went back to it and created a ‘hub’ for myself.

Will it work? I don’t know.

The challenge is creating something that aligns with how I think which is why I went back to notion.

It IS overwhelming because it’s essentially a tool you can use to create a database. Once I realized that, I felt like I was back in library school. I found a template I could customize and seemed to have elements I found helpful and I hyper-focused for hours and made something I can start to work with.

I’m telling myself to live with it and change it as I realize what I need and don’t need. That’s why all these various tools exist, because everyone’s created something that works the way their brain does and they put it out into the world to find other people with similar brains.

Anyway, I’m just trying to treat my work as real work.

It isn’t that I haven’t been doing that, but I definitely need more structure if I’m going to achieve the things I want to achieve moving forward. I want to expand my patreon (which is specifically for my charity, The Okcate Fund). I want to release a series of special editions we are calling the “Scarlett Editions.” I want to create more content and connect more with my readers. All of that is going to require being good at doing many things—which is an affirmation I need to actually start saying.

I am good at going many things. I am organized. I maintain balance with ease.

But I have to stop comparing myself to the past version of Scarlett who thought everything was easier. The reality is that things have changed and evolved which is lovely and I am so grateful. The ease I felt was because everything was contained. During COVID, there was less to do because we couldn’t go anywhere which meant no traveling or touring, two things that require a lot of time and energy and also recovery.

I’m hoping I will be able to do more here on substack. I want this space to feel like a journal which is also why I made the photo collage above.

Some announcements you might have missed:

We revealed the covers for the Collector’s Editions of A Touch of Darkness and A Game of Fate:

These editions are available for preorder and will release on November 10th. We will be releasing the entire set with A Touch of Ruin/A Game of Retribution releasing in 2027 and A Touch of Malice/A Game of Gods/A Touch of Chaos (bound with A Christmas of Chaos) in 2028.

These editions include:

  • Full color end pages:

  • 6 pieces of full color art (three in each book) also by Gabrielle Bujdoso:

  • Extensive footnotes by me:

  • We announced the audiobook of A Christmas of Chaos which will release on July 7th. You can preorder anywhere you prefer listening to audiobooks! I chose a new narrator for Hades because of a really cool experience I had meeting him in London. I’ll tell you all about that more soon!

  • The paperback of A Christmas of Chaos is up for preorder and will release December 1. I feel very lucky that we get a physical copy of this book because it is so short. I was originally going to publish this on my own, but I worried over a few aspects including that the majority of you have editions from Bloom Books, my publisher, and if I was to self-pub, ACOC would not match the other editions.

    • The paperback edition of A Christmas of Chaos includes 14 illustrations by the incomparable Gabriella Bujdoso and the same interior designs (chapter headers) in the ebook.

  • I announced a preorder incentive at my local indie, Best of Books, for the Collector’s Editions of A Touch of Darkness, A Game of Fate, and A Christmas of Chaos. The incentive is for those who purchase all three books. I did this because these editions release so close together and they are very special on their own. I have not revealed the incentive prints yet but will soon. I will also include a few extras in the envelopes (some really cute Christmas stickers). I think of incentives more as a gift/thank you to readers who spend their hard earned money on my books!

  • If you have read my books, please consider leaving a review on your favorite platform! No matter how much my readership grows, I still appreciate the time you take to add a few lines online about why you recommend my books.

I think that is all for now—it certainly feels like a lot! I hope you all enjoyed this update. It’s sort of my intro into how I intend to keep up with posts and share more behind the scenes content.

Much love,

Scarlett

Julio Desir