Last year after finishing the final two books in my Celia Roman pen name's main series, I had a tough decision to make: which direction should my writing take?

I fully intended to write "serious" Science Fiction and Fantasy, and had even discussed some of those story worlds with readers.

The problem? When it came time to sit down and write those stories, I completely froze. For months, I could barely force myself to open my word processing software, let alone write. I'd waited years to devote myself to non-romantic SciFi and Fantasy. Actually having dedicated time to write them should make me ecstatic, shouldn't it?

No, as it happens. I was not happy. Quite the opposite. Having to face a blank page every day made me miserable. Even though I loved those stories, even though I'd looked forward to writing them for a long time, just sitting down to write dropped a sick knot in my gut.

Meanwhile, my mind kept drifting to other stories. Stories without the pressure of accomplishment and success attached to them. Stories that were fun to create and write. Stories detached from every "should" in my life.

Like, I should be focused on stories that make money; or, I should be focused on stories that I've discussed with readers; or even, I should be focused on staying in a nice, neat, predictable lane.

Do you know where all those shoulds got me? Absolutely nowhere.

So I quit leaning into the shoulds and started leaning into the fun, and that landed me right back here, with my very first pen name.

As soon as I let go of those shoulds, as soon as I chose my own peace of mind and creativity over the "right" path (essentially, what success looks like to everyone else), the words and ideas began to flow the way they did when I was a newbie writer. I started enjoying writing again. In fact, I'm having a blast.

So much so that the ideas are coming faster than I can write them.

It turns out that I really wanted to write Anne McCaffrey-esque stories for a long, long time and didn't even know it. Yes, I'd like to write the more serious stuff some day, when I can figure out how to take the pressure off, but I also want to write the fun, adventurous Space Opera I love reading so much. I've discussed this to the point of ad nauseum now, but it's true. I want to write smexy Space Opera.

There's just a teensy problem: Science Fiction Romance has matured to the point that industry insiders consider it a well-trod mainstream genre, which strikes me as hilarious considering the subgenre's beginnings as a seriously underserved niche. One publishing data geek told me that the genre is on the wane. My own research confirms this. Readers are losing interest in the primary tropes that seem to dominate the genre (Fated Mates and Kidnapped Brides) and they're getting tired of fluffy stories that are heavy on the romance and so light on the SciFi elements that they're often little more than window dressing.

So why am I happily jumping back into SciFi Romance?

Because I want to. Because it's fun and one of my favorite genres, and because I want to share my love of it with readers.

And because I see an opportunity here to do something different, to possibly revive SciFi Romance before trend-driven indie authors push it over the same cliff that nearly destroyed vampire romances.

Yes, my first new series is a Fated Mates/Kidnapped Brides story, but it's not the same ol', same ol'. I'll share more of the hows and whys as it nears publication. Right now, I'm focusing a good chunk of my writing time on finishing Sweet Surrender (The Pruxnae, Book 2), which may wind up as a jumping off point for a new series featuring the Q-mercs. That depends on how readers react to this long-awaited sequel.

Either way, I have a ton of other stories backlogged to write. One is a super secret surprise that I'm not ready to share yet, but a hint is up on my writing progress page. Just a hint, though. I don't want to spoil the surprise.

There's a bigger point here that I'd like to make to writers and non-writers alike: when we try to force ourselves to conform to other people's expectations, or when we internalize expectations that contradict our own instincts, we're truly doing ourselves a disservice.

Enough of that!

2025 is the year for me to get out of my own way and embrace my own path, even if it looks cray-cray from the outside. If that means trying to revive my first pen name and writing in "dying" genres, so be it. I fully intend to focus on the stories that bring me joy, and by doing that, I'm positive I can also bring joy to readers as well.

Happy New Year!