As a result of the COVID - 19 pandemic, many businesses folded or had to perform sweeping layoffs and terminations in 2020 and 2021. The global economy suffered in ways that my simple research cannot measure. Small businesses across the country took major losses, and many people decided to try their hands at self-employment. 

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Although it wasn't my first foray into the self-employment arena, I certainly didn't expect the epic failures that marked 2021 through 2023. 

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My publishing company took a few good hits, but there was enough history and client loyalty to keep it afloat. Okay, maybe afloat isn't the right word. It was more like struggling to grab the life jacket after falling overboard. Yep, it got pretty bad. Although Latter Rain was never about the money for me, let's be real, if it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense.

 

I was desperate to leave the teaching profession, and I refused to search for a totally new career, but the realist in me knew it was unlikely that publishing would be the vehicle that would move me back to where I needed to be. It was a hard, bitter pill to swallow because my dream had always been to retire from teaching and spend my golden years writing, publishing, and traveling. 

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I began looking into small business loans and grants for minorities. Grants were abundant, just not the ones my business were eligible for. I honed my pitch for investors, and I redesigned my business plan, to no avail. 

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By the end of 2023, I had all but given up on the idea of ever publishing another book, for myself or anyone else.

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Disappointment aside, practicality would not let me wallow in my failure. Even so, every day was a new challenge to my mental well-being. There were countless days spent questioning God. "Why did You allow me to achieve all that You have, just to take it al away?" "How am I supposed to make money and provide for myself doing this?" No matter how the questions were posed, nothing seemed to be changing.

 

It was about that time that I began to meet people, almost weekly, who wanted to explore writing and publishing via Latter Rain. There were ideas for cookbooks, trade blogs, children's stories, and even a couple of stage play scripts!

 

I realized  I could either give up what I had spent the better part of my life dreaming about, or I could keep pushing. My writing isn't just about the income I can earn from it, but it's about doing what I love and sharing my craft with the world. To that end, I'm back!

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