I’m doing something really exciting.

I’m taking my Kindle Vella stories – Yearn and Crave – and putting them into book form!

But not just any format. I’m doing it big time, in gorgeous hard cover, exclusive editions. In foiled paperbacks. And with amazing swag items like stickers, coasters, and commissioned art.

You cannot buy it anywhere else except right here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jenniferprobst/the-red-series-deluxe-special-edition

The campaign launches on July 30th and I’m asking for you to click on the link, hit the button that says: Notify Me on Launch, and wait until you see all the amazing things I’m able to offer.

PLUS, an early bird special that will be gone quickly!

Thanks for taking this journey with me. The Red series is special and something new for me I can’t wait to unleash!

First, there’s a brand new Goodreads giveaway for A Wedding in Lake Como going on. The book goes live in less than 90 days and I’m doing a special week-to-week countdown to celebrate. Hop on over and enter – good luck!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/383275-a-wedding-in-lake-como

Second, I’m giving away a PRINT ARC of the book also on my Instagram page. Just comment and tag some people and you’re entered to win. Go here, and good luck!

https://www.instagram.com/authorjenniferprobst/

Third, I’m currently polling my Posse members to vote on what they want me to write for their monthly short story and I’d love for you to join in!

I love re-visiting older, beloved couples, creating some short steamy stories, or dropping a fun holiday short – maybe for Valentine’s Day?

Check it out here – and remember, you can also follow my posts for free!

**I will also be posting my serial VanderPump Rules fan fiction in the group!

https://reamstories.com/jenniferprobst

That’s it – much more to come as we get closer to release day! Please make sure you’re following me everywhere so you don’t miss a thing – SMOOCHES!

It’s such a rare treat when a romance transcended to the big screen really hits all the sweet spots. This is the type of movie that reminds me of a book, the words sing and dance in my brain for days after, leaving me with the most pleasant, buzzy hangover. It’s a rush all book lovers chase, and being a huge movie lover (my son is a film student) when I see a great movie that I just fall hard for, I’m high for a while.

Past Lives did that for me. This is the line I can’t keep going over and over like a mantra.

**Small spoiler alerts ahead!**

“What if this is a past life as well, and we are already something else to each other in our next life? Who d you think we are then?

The last scene haunts me.

Maybe because it reminds me of a time in my life I thought things were going one way and I ended up in a complete other life. In my past, there was someone I loved that I convinced myself was my Fate. But as time passed, I realize even if our souls connected, we were never meant to be in this lifetime. We didn’t fit. I found myself on a completely different path I never imagined, and cannot even think of myself anywhere else.

But sometimes…once in a while…I wonder if I made a different choice all those years ago and am living it now, in another life. A past life.

These are the types of questions that create a romantic, emotional story that will never be forgotten. Within this movie, there were subtle layers delicately revealed to the moviegoer, feed to us in slow, deliberate actions that lead to the ending. Which gives us another lesson.

The art of emotional subtlety. I am one who loves a good, intense dramatic scene like any other reader. Drama feeds my soul. But I was reminded watching Past Lives that some of the most powerful emotions lay beyond words. It is within the silence. The melancholy of thought. The remembrance of the past. The secrets in the heart.

Go there for the big payoff. Because that is where we are essentially human and connected.

I’m grateful for all of the amazing art out there – the creative genius of so much variety, from music to books to movies to art to blogs—that inspire me to dig deeper.

As artists, we need to sow more of these seeds to cultivate, so our stories grow full and fruitful.

This is the stuff that satisfies readers.

I am thankful for the reminder.

Then spring would slowly close in and I’d remember I was okay. Or at least, I sensed I’d be okay SOON. Days got longer and brighter, and suddenly that book I didn’t think would ever get written does – my Muse shows up and wants to play again. I am saved.

It’s a cycle I know well, but I always veer into panic sometime in February when I’ve been fighting through and I realize I’m going to lose. For a while. My creativity dries up. My energy depletes. I’ve learned to give myself grace but as a proud overachiever, I kind of hate babying myself. I long to write well, but I can’t.

I try extra vitamins and movement. I try the special lights that resemble the sun. I try to breathe the fresh air when I step onto my porch. I know the tools well. Sometimes, I use them. Sometimes, I don’t. Whatever I choose, there’s always the same pattern.

I usually settle for long hours at the computer, until the trickle of dead words begins to take life, more like a cactus than a rose, but at least it’s something. I water it a bit more, pray a little more, wait a little more. And I get there. I write the story. I find the good stuff. I am not over.

After fifty books and a decade of a full time career, I still struggle. If I look back, do I wish someone had warned me it would never get easier? Sure, there’s easier TIMES and BOOKS but the process never does pick up. So many false starts and petering out midstream. You need so much grit to be a writer. And faith. And if you have any desire to be somewhat normal – whatever normal is – you need to give that crap up.

We talk to imaginary people and live half in this world, half out. We see ghosts, my lovelies. We live with them. Hell, we invite them in to take a seat at our table and sleep beside us.

But too many ghosts at one time creates overwhelm. I just finished a long ass book that was hard, but I love how it turned out. I’m about to dive into another one which has a two and a half month deadline. I’m writing a serial novel so I write two chapters per week. I’m opening a Shopify store and started a subscription. I’m promoting my newest release in May and already begun to worry about it.

I like work, it completes me. But in the winter, I’m much better off giving in to my input and intellection rather than my achiever. In a perfect world, I’d take these two months off to watch tv and sleep and read and watch movies and recharge like a bear.

I can’t though. The majority of us can’t. I’d rather take time off in summer, so I can be with my kids and vacation and do all the other ninety nine tasks I need to focus on other than writing. So, I push through winter each year, and each year I find myself spinning out, staring down the barrel of mid-winter blues, in overwhelm.

What is the point of this post? How will this add VALUE or HELP or ENTERTAINMENT?

My point is to simply reach out to all my beloved readers and writers and reflect on our humanness. To take a breath and tell you I see you if you are struggling. I see you if you are staring at your manuscripts, dreaming of doing nothing for a change and not worrying about it. I see how we struggle to keep up with others, who seem to do more and make more and be more, while we berate ourselves for not being as –fill in the blank here.

Smart enough.

Talented enough.

Popular enough.

Funny enough.

Beautiful enough.

Successful enough.

Loveable enough.

WORTHY enough.

I see the amazing creatives we are, and how much we handle, and how much we want to give of ourselves through our writing. That it’s hard a lot of the time.

That it’s okay to be not okay some of the time.

It passes. We finish the book. We start a new one. We ease past the bumps. We cry. We sleep. We dream. We hope.

We get back to work.

And spring comes around again.  For a little while.

Share with me if you’re struggling with anything right now. Or if you just need to a little quiet and understanding rather than a motivational speech or another task to complete so we feel good about ourselves.

I’m listening.

I know I’ve explained in detail in my last newsletter, but just in case anyone has missed it, I spoke about the new Probst Posse group launching where I will be sharing a NEW short story every month! Yes, you finally get to request shorts from any of my characters in my back list, and vote on who you’d like to see featured. Of course, there will be a bunch of other stuff such as book boxes, swag, sneak peeks, and early access to ALL my work. Plus, a special place for writers.

You can follow for free and get my posts, or upgrade to a higher level to get the stories and any other goodies you’d like to have.

For now, I’m thrilled to announce the first short story has been published and it’s ready for you to read!

Who is this story about?

In my Twist of Fate series, readers were entranced with the older couple and their secondary romance: Emma and Mike. We meet them first in Meant to Be, where Emma is painfully shy and secretly crushing on Mike. Of course, Mike doesn’t notice, but when the girls give her a makeover and Emma builds confidence in herself, she begins to bloom. In So It Goes, she is ready to step into the world as a new woman. But Mike isn’t ready for his feelings, so there’s trouble in paradise. It’s not until Save the Best for Last that they begin to try and move forward.

Readers have been asking for an update to their story – so I decided to write Second Chances for all of you.

Enjoy! And please leave a comment – I’m here to discuss, chat, or answer any questions at any time.

https://reamstories.com/jenniferprobst