RockWall Cottage Chronicles #2

A newsy, sometimes amusing, usually interesting fly-on-the-RockWall view of my life as an author with updates from my Substack adventures.

If You Missed the Introduction to RockWall Cottage:

The small cottage where I live and write has been affectionally named RockWall Cottage because of the rock wall that divides our side of the property from the side of the property where our friends, the owners of the cottage, live. (Learn More)

A few pictures: The weather has been coolish at the cottage and Weber has enjoyed still having the fireplace on. We were able to walk to the river and enjoy the flowers along the way. And I needed a haircut so badly! Andrea at Orting Hair Studio was amazing and kind to this rather eccentric shaggy-haired author who arrived for a haircut! Yes, I can walk there!

And my birthday/Father’s Day was fantastic. All but one of my family members was able to gather on our porch for lunch and much laughter. Seventy-One just may have outdone every other birthday!

Latest News and a Bit of Housekeeping:

• More paid subscribers have arrived. Thank you! I will eventually send a person thank you to everyone—especially for the kind words that came with the pledge/paid subscriptions.

• I realized that my Stripe account used for a previous project had Janyne.org (website) on the billing instead of Substack. That was confusing! It has been corrected. Oops!

• I also realized that the Substack App doesn’t have any way to click on the sections in which the content is posted. That makes it more difficult to read series unless you are on your desktop computer. Inconvenient! Is is what it is for now.

• About my recommendations of other Substack writers (you may get notifications). My recommendation comments indicate that they all are writers with whom I have had personal interactions/conversations. I will likely add more as I go along. These writers both stretch and inspire me. I also follow or subscribe to Substack accounts of other writers that I do not know personally. Keep in mind that I have never fully agreed with any other human. Sometimes I don’t even agree with myself.

Highlights from Previous Weeks:

• Top Post—This one still leads the pack! This was a vulnerable post and my readers honored me with 456 views which is more than actual subscribers—possibly because it was also shared it in a newsletter. However that happened, thank you! My View from the Pew

• A subscriber sent me this request: “Is it possible to go back and enable comments? There may be others like myself who are behind and haven't gotten to this post yet... there may yet be opportunities for conversations” So, I figured it out and it is now open for comments for Paid Subscribers! McMusing: Who is Telling You to be Afraid?

• The Discussion Gets Better All the Time: We are into Week Three of the Trauma in the Pews 2.0 content and I am enjoying the interactions with Paid Subscribers! Remember, if the subscription is not something you can afford, you can ask to join! I don’t want the cost to stand in the way of you being part of the conversation and I appreciate all who can support me in this way.

A Reminder about Series (if you missed them):

• A Series that Concluded: Hotel Candelabra was a fun way to begin delivering content! The posts averaged around 200 views and many shared how they enjoyed the book. It is not too late to read! It will remain on the site for a bit longer while I work toward publishing it in book form. I am also working on the next book that will be similar in style. The working title is Green Door Antique Store: What’s the Secret You’re Hiding?

• A Series that Resonated: The Honoring Mother series created many behind-the-scenes conversations. Because the content was based on spiritual teachings, I placed it in the Religious Trauma thread (the first four posts here)

• A Series that is Almost Complete: The What I Wish I Had Known Before Beginning Therapy is up to 14 posts in the Brave Survivors thread. As a series, it seems to have been the most read.

• A Series that is Coming Soon: To honor the 45th anniversary of two trauma kids who found and cared for each other, Scott and I plan to launch a series of posts together. How did we make it to year 45? In great part because We Do Therapy. Stay tuned as we share the wisdom we have gained. (This series will be available to paid subscribers—we have paid for a lot of therapy!)