By Desirae Gracyn | Written: February 13th, 2026

During September, I started to get overwhelmed. There was a lot going on, and I had taken on too many responsibilities. So by the time October came around, I needed to take a step back and reassess my life, finishing up the projects I already started and putting more focus on going back to my nursing career.

November: I did one book signing at Barnes & Noble Weslayan Plaza, which was a lot of fun. Nothing else major went on. I was still taking time for myself, finishing the projects already on my plate, and not writing any new stories during this time.

December: Christmas! Other than spending the holidays with my mom, nothing new happened. Still the same as the previous two months.

On November 8th, I did a book signing at Weslayan Barnes & Noble. Another dream come true. I had a great turnout and had loads of fun. I didn’t sell out, but with the traffic there that day and construction, I did better than I could have imagined. Also, I met so many wonderful people.

The staff there were also incredible. They were so kind and supportive. I think Barnes & Noble just hires phenomenal people.

Thank you, Barnes & Noble Weslayan, for having me. I can’t wait to do another signing there.

FIRST ONE:

On October 16th, Karen Scott, with The Writer’s Workout, interviewed me for Craft & Chaos. This is an interview for neurodivergent writers. Here, I discussed what it was like to be a writer who was part of the spectrum and dealt with other neurodivergent things. It’s chaos.

I enjoyed working with Karen and loved getting the opportunity to share my world with others.

If you would like to read the interview, click this link. From my page, you can also read about others she has interviewed. It’s really cool learning about others’ styles and how they work.

Thank you, Karen Scott, for interviewing me.

SECOND ONE:

SECOND ONE:

On December 22nd, S.E. Reed, also with The Writer’s Workout, interviewed me for the Indie Author Spotlight, Episode 18. S.E. Reed likes to interview Indie Authors and get to know a little more about them and their books.

I’ve known about both S.E. Reed and this interview opportunity for a while. I was really hoping to one day be a part of it. I applied, and she accepted me. I was on cloud nine. I loved working with her and feeling out the written interview.

If you’d like to read it, click this link. From my interview, you can see many other Indie Author Spotlight Interviews like Adele Liles (Episode 20) or Bruce Buchanan (Episode 8).

Thank you, S.E. Reed, for interviewing me.

From the second interview, you can go to the third or click this link.

THIRD ONE:

S.E. Reed took the second interview and furthered it with an interview on her personal website.

This one was published on November 9th.

It was really fun to answer more questions and dig a little bit deeper into my writing life. I also have a game at the end of the interview. Two Truths & A Lie. Can you guess the lie?

September was quiet! I decided to focus on my novels & took time away from new projects.

But in regard to acceptances:

1. In October, Dragon Soul Press accepted my short story, “Christmas Solo,” a paranormal romance, written under Desirae Gracyn, into the Holiday Spirit anthology. This story is one of my favorites. If you’d like to read more about the story, I’ll be posting a summary here in October when the book is released.

2. In November, Dragon Soul Press accepted my short story, “Dragon Medallion,” a paranormal romance, written under Caroline Crews, into the Fire & Ash anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, I’ll be posting a summary here in October when the book is released.

3. In December, KissMet Quarterly accepted my flash fiction piece, “Falling Like Snowflakes,” a Christmas romance story for publication in their winter anthology called, I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm. This is a fun, immersive, and creative story I enjoyed writing. This is a continuation piece of the story, PERFECT MATCH, that KissMet Quarterly accepted into their Holiday anthology. I’ll be posting the summary here once the book releases.

In regard to publications: 

During October:

“A Curse Left Unbroken,” under Desirae Gracyn was published in Dragon Soul Press Spells & Fangs anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

“Splash of Death,” under Desirae Gracyn was published in Dragon Soul Press Terror Reigns anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

“Debt Paid,” under Caroline Crews was published in Dragon Soul Press Devil You Know anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

“Halloween Tradition,” under Desirae Gracyn was published in Micromance Magazine. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here. You can also read it free by clicking this link.

During November:

“Mistletoe Bet,” under Desirae Gracyn was published in KissMet Quarterly The Greatest Holiday Romance Stories Ever Written anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

“Perfect Match,” under Desirae Gracyn was published in KissMet Quarterly The Greatest Holiday Romance Stories Ever Written anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

“The Bottle Hottie,” under Desirae Gracyn and FE Feldman was published in Dragon Soul Press Poisons & Potions anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

During December:

“Christmas Solo,” under Desirae Gracyn was published in Dragon Soul Press Holiday Spirit anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

“Dragon Medallion,” under Caroline Crews was published in Dragon Soul Press Fire & Ash anthology. If you’d like to read more about the story, click here.

Since the last week of September I haven't returned to the gym. I hope to return soon.

I did start eating healthy again by starting the whole 30 December 27th.

Thank you, everyone, as always, for reading my blog and learning more about me.

Still no job post to celebrate just yet. Hopefully soon. :)