Sincere Apologies and Exciting News

Dearest Readers and Followers of the Small Town Slashers Series,
 
I sincerely hope that this post finds you well. I know it has been several months since I last added anything to this blog, and for that I am truly sorry. In truth, I am sad to say that I have not been mentally fit to post or engage with any of you. I wish to be clear that I am extremely grateful to anybody who has purchased my book, whether it be recently or before I went dark. It means the world to me that people are enjoying my writing and it is my sincere hope to find somebody to publish the second book in my series during 2023. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for continuing to support and share my work with one another.
 
          In the past few months, I have struggled greatly with my depression. In part, this has been caused by my continued hope to return to teaching, or perhaps my unwillingness to accept that I am just not able to do it any longer. I dearly miss working with students, teaching them new things and watching them become inspired to find their own passions gave my life meaning in a way little else has. I have also been suffering from a severe case of home sickness, as I have not been back to Ontario to visit my family in close to 2 years. Fortunately, I have some exciting news to share with you later in this post regarding both these fronts.
          However, the main reason that I stepped away, is that I have been struggling with a life-changing decision for some time now. I have been addicted to smoking for several years and, despite being well aware of the literature regarding how this can impact my mood and body, I have surrendered my perception to the addict’s mentality that it helped me more than it hurt me. I know that I also struggle with my emotions, as a result of my social anxiety, and have considered my smoking to be an acceptable way to cope with this. Recently, however, it has become increasingly obvious to me that these are all lies. It is clear, in the moments when I am sober, that I am both addicted and that this is not truly helping me. Thus, in the next few days, I intend to finally quit smoking, for the second and final time in my life. It is my sincere hope that doing so will help me to be more committed to my audience, both in contact and with financial input towards doing some small book events.
 
          Speaking of which, I have some very exciting news to share with you all. I will be going back home in about a week and a half from now and, while I am there, I will be taking part in my first book related events ever. I am so very happy to share with you that on December 15, 2022, I will be returning to my old high school to give a presentation to the students about my journey to becoming an author. I will also be fielding questions and signing the copies of my book that are housed in their library. This has helped me to realize that I can still inspire youth and give them something to hold on to as well, even though my book has more of an adult audience. I have also been inspired to consider writing children’s books in addition to my Small Town Slashers Series.
          I will also be taking part in a small book signing and public meet & greet at the local library. Although I have signed a few copies, and each of those times has been a really meaningful experience for me, I have never taken part in an official event of this size. I will admit that I am a bit nervous about this, but I feel that starting in my old hometown with familiar faces will be the perfect icebreaker for me to ease into the role of making public appearances for fans of my work. If you are interested in meeting me, and having your copy of The Drifter signed, I will be in Cayuga, ON, on December 17, 2022 (see the ad posted below)
 
          Finally, I am also thrilled to share with you that I am officially ready to launch my poetry service online. I have added a new tab to this page, The Phantom Poet’s Lane, where I will be offering to provide personalized poems as gifts, as well as help people to write their own with the support of an author and poet at their side. With the holidays fast approaching, if you’d like to get a gift that cannot be found anywhere else, please consider looking into one of the 4 packages that I am offering.
 
          I think that’s it for now. I will be attempting to do my absolute best to post to this blog at least once every two weeks from here on out. I will also slowly be returning to Twitter and Facebook, so feel free to reach me there or through my email should you wish to know more about my work and upcoming events.
Wishing you and yours all the best,
Sincerely,
Jeremy Gernhaelder