The Heart of the Issue: What's Changing (and Why)

Hi friends,

I'm making a change and you all need to know why. For the past few weeks now, I've been asking you for prayers of guidance. I'm happy to say that God has answered those prayers, and did so in a very unexpected way. How very typical of Him. :-)

The simple truth is that I have been so stressed lately because I've been doing way too much. Actually, I've been doing too much for many years.

You see, I've lived a double life for most of my adult years—holding a day job and a night job. Season after season, year after year, I've juggled both so that I can have enough money to pay the bills and enough free time to actually do the work I truly love. This double work-life is the fee that every creative soul I know has to pay in order to play—at least at first. But I've been doing the juggling act for 20 years.

Most days, I can still count the joy even in the exhaustion because I'm doing what I love, even if it's only part time. But what happens when the work you love becomes a chore and your creativity turns to overwhelm?

For years, I've been writing books, creating art, designing merchandise, managing an online store—essentially running three different businesses at once. And in trying to do everything, I haven't done any of it as well as I could have. That was leading me to burnout, made worse by the fact that my day job is proving just as overwhelming.

But here's the deeper issue: I haven't been clear about how I present myself and my work to others.

If anyone asked me in person what I do for a living, I would answer: "By day, I work in human resources in a warehouse, and by night I write fantasy novels helping people work through loss and grief."

That's what I would say. But that isn't what I've been advertising.

My website looked like a gift shop. My emails promoted socks and yoga leggings alongside books. I was positioning myself as... I don't even know what. An artist? An aerialist? A merchandise creator? A little bit of everything?

Recently, a marketing consultant helped me see what I'd been hiding: Most Christian fantasy authors position themselves as "clean fantasy for families"—safe, inspirational, uplifting. But that's not what I write.

I write theologically profound explorations of radical grace, substitutionary sacrifice, and resurrection hope—wrapped in dark fantasy. I write about a protagonist who despises her humanity until she learns it's her greatest gift. I write about a villain who commits genocide, receives undeserved forgiveness, and is offered redemption anyway.

And I'm living it. I work daily with felons rebuilding their lives after prison—people learning to trust again, to love again, to hope again, to become human again. I've walked through suicidal depression myself and experienced God's divine intervention firsthand.

That's who I am. That's what I write. And I was burying it under merchandise.

No more. I'm making a change—shifting my skin, so to speak—and stepping out in bold faith.

I'm refocusing on my core calling: writing Christian fantasy and science fiction that explores faith, redemption, and hope through story.

Why? Because I've already seen the impact these stories have. Readers have told me how the Sylvan Cycle novels helped them process grief, find hope in depression, and believe that redemption is possible even when they felt beyond saving.

I want more of that. More hope. More redemption. More freedom from shame and depression.

This work—caring for others through my writing—is far too important to be buried. So I'm getting laser-focused.

What This Means for You

Going forward, my emails will focus on:

Stories and books: My novels, their characters, the worldbuilding, and the spiritual themes woven throughout.

Faith reflections: Devotionals and spiritual insights inspired by my writing (yes, expanding on the Sylvan Devotionals I'm already doing!).

The writing journey: Behind-the-scenes looks at my creative process and what I'm learning at each step.

Hope for the hurting: Honest conversations about grief, depression, redemption, and healing.

Stories worth sharing: Other speculative fiction authors whose work carries spiritual depth, and anonymous stories from my warehouse coworkers who are rebuilding their lives.

I'll still have some art and merchandise available on my website, but it won't be the focus of my emails anymore. If you're primarily here for the merch and art, I totally understand if you want to unsubscribe—no hard feelings whatsoever. Thank you for staying with me until now.

But if you're here because you love stories about monsters learning to become human, about broken people finding redemption, about hope breaking through darkness—then I'm so glad you're continuing this journey with me.

My Story in Brief

I grew up hating books because reading was torture thanks to my learning disabilities. Instead of giving up on me, my dad read fantasy and science fiction novels to me and my mom edited my school papers, and I discovered through them that the struggle to read books was worth the reward of the adventure within them.

In my late twenties and early thirties, I lost six close loved ones including my best friend, and nearly lost myself to depression. In 2014, Jesus met me in my darkest moment and began a decade-long journey of healing.

Today, I work in a warehouse alongside felons rebuilding their lives after prison.

I write for them. I write for anyone who's ever felt like a monster, carried unbearable shame, or wondered if they're beyond redemption.

I write because I believe no one—not even monsters—are beyond the reach of grace.

If that resonates with you, I'd love for you to stay on this journey with me.

What's Next

Starting next week, you'll see this shift reflected in my emails and on my website. I'm rebuilding everything to focus on what matters most: the stories, the faith, the hope.

Thank you for reading this far. Thank you for being here.

And if you choose to unsubscribe down below, truly—no hard feelings. I hope you find what you're looking for.

But if you're staying?

Welcome to the real journey. I'm so glad you're here!

Hugs,
Alycia