My Life in July

By Desirae Gracyn | Written: September 8th, 2025

On July 26th, I had my first book signing at Java Owl Coffee House. This is my favorite coffee spot in the League City area. It has the best rose and lavender lattes. They also have so many different tea flavors. When I asked the owner if I could host my first book signing at his store, he was more than happy to let me. He was so kind, encouraging, and helpful.

It was also a very busy Saturday. So many people approached my table and asked me questions about my book. I even sold out! This was wild. I didn’t expect to sell out. I am so blessed and honored by this experience. It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. Maybe one of these days I’ll write a post about successful book signings. :)

Back in February, I learned about Micromance Magazine. Being my OCD, autistic, paranoid, anxious self, I had to reach out to the owner and make sure my story for their KissMet anthology fit the requirements. Since February, I’ve submitted several pieces to Micromance, and I’ve talked to the owner, Gail Lynn Brown, often. She is an amazing person with a great heart and is super encouraging to writers. She is just beyond supportive and helpful. And her stories are phenomenal. Her poems take my breath away. I don’t read poetry, but I’ll read hers.

Well, come July, when it was time for her to write her next monthly newsletter, she wrote about me. If you would like to read it, you can visit the link here.

I was so honored. I couldn’t believe this amazing woman and wonderful magazine publication wanted to talk about me, boost ME! I am so thankful for Gail Lynn Brown.

If you haven’t heard of Micromance Magazine, visit this link here. You really need to check the magazine out; they only publish romance pieces, and they are great stories.

Last year, I had the privilege of working with Andrew Heasman on my book, A Bond of Blood and Lavender. He was my proofreading editor and did more than I expected. If you’d like to read more about his edits with me, visit this blog post. Come July, when it was time for him to write a new post on his website, he chose to write about my book. If you’d like to read what he wrote, visit this link.

It was so amazing that he liked my book enough to write about it on his website. It was a pleasure working with him. He is a great editor. It was also a plus that he lives in the UK because a big portion of my book is set in the UK.

In regard to acceptances:

In July, two different publishing companies accepted my short story, “A Curse Left Unbroken,” a dark paranormal romance with a sci-fi backdrop. This was the first time I had to choose between two amazing places to give my story to. This was such a hard decision. In the end, I signed a contract with Dragon Soul Press. I am so excited that this book will be published in Spells & Fangs on September 30th. This brings my acceptances to twelve. I think this might also be one of my favorite short stories. If you’d like to read more about the short story, I’ll be posting the summary here once the book is released.

My flash fiction piece, “Halloween Tradition,” was also accepted for publication with Micromance Magazine. I am very honored that they accepted my piece into their magazine and will feature it on Halloween. It’s a fiction sapphic romance. This will make my list of acceptances thirteen. If you’d like to read more about the flash fiction story, I’ll post a summary here and a link to read it for free once the piece is released.

Lastly, my short story, “Flying Free,” was accepted into Wild Ink’s Kaleidoscopic Quill’s Anthology. Waiting for this submission piece had me on pins and needles. I couldn’t breath. I knew so many amazing writers submitting pieces to this anthology. I didn’t think I stood a chance. But then I received an acceptance email. I screamed. This story came from the inspiration and combination of my skydiving experience and my need to break free from my anxiety. This makes my list of acceptances fourteen. If you’d like to read more about the short story, I’ll post the summary here once the book is released.

In regard to publications:

During this month, “Boyfriend Checklist,” my romance flash fiction piece, was published in A Serendipitous Summer by KissMet Quarterly/Micromance Magazine. This was a really fun piece to write, and I had loads of fun dressing up for my deboxing video. This makes my published pieces seven. If you’d like to read more about the story or purchase it, visit the link here.

“Mission to Freedom,” my first long sci-fi piece, was published in Quantum Rising by Dragon Soul Press. I haven’t done my deboxing video yet, but I want to try and find a half-metal/robotic face that is a temporary tattoo or mask that I can put on during the video. That would be fun. This makes my published pieces eight. If you’d like to read more about the story or purchase it, visit the link here.

On July 21st, I also decided to get into a health regimen. Before I started writing and pursuing my dream of being a published author, my passions were working out, reading, and healthy things. My gym days have been very low since 2021. Actually, they’ve been very low since I became a nurse. I also stopped eating healthy. So on July 21st, I started a diet plan. It’s been going well so far. I eat the right amount of calories and healthy food, but Friday is my FREE DAY!

Steaks and wings are my go-to. Oh, and one donut! :)

For the first time, I went to Chicago and Michigan.

So my sister moved to Chicago in December last year. I wasn’t able to visit her until July. This was so much fun. I loved getting to spend time with my sister. She is my role model, and I strive to impress her and be closer to her. So it was great getting to just be there with her. I also enjoyed seeing the famous bean. And my favorite attraction in the entire city was the free museum. They had a mermaid exhibit, and I loved it. I couldn’t get enough.

After seeing my sister, I visited Michigan to meet my writing coach in person. Jade Feldman, the editor and co-owner of Dragon Soul Press, is my book coach. She helped me learn how to format, where to get artists, what to do to make a presence in the writing world, and so much more. Well, since I was so close in distance to her, I took a train over. Hanging out with her was so much fun.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads my blog, supports me, and encourages me.