Life Lately With Kristy Nicolle- March 2023

Life Lately With Kristy Nicolle

March 2023

Introduction:

Can you believe it’s March already?

I wrote the last Life Lately post in December, and it feels like a week ago, not twelve! Quite a bit has happened in the last 3 months, so I thought I’d so a little update post. After all, things can get so busy, it can be nice to look back and reflect on things once in a while.

Health and Fitness:

 I’ve been making big strides in this area after I went down to London in January to see a gastro-intestinal doctor who specialises in Hypermobility and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I got another diagnosis, which I wasn’t expecting to be honest. In fact, I wasn’t really sure how this doctor would be able to help me as I’ve had gastric symptoms for most of my life. To me, that’s just normal. Anyway, after journeying down to London, I was diagnosed with MCAS- Mast Cell Activation Syndrome – and this has changed everything. Mast Cell activation syndrome is a rare condition whereby mast cells (part of our immune defence) become activated by triggers that aren’t actually harmful. Think nuts, certain spices, air pollution, alcohol etc… Anything which has high levels of Histamines can trigger a reaction if the individual’s histamine levels are high enough. This is why I’ve been having stomach issues my whole life, and this is also why when my EDS became more active and I started experiencing more symptoms, I developed allergies to certain fabrics (denim), metals (nickel), foods, and chemicals. I didn’t understand why this was until recently, but now I’m actually able to pinpoint what it is that’s causing me to get sick which makes it a hell of a lot easier to stay away from said trigger. It’s been a huge change for me, but it’s been majorly positive.

I’ve also started physiotherapy to strengthen my joints again and hopefully prevent future dislocations. The amount of dislocations I’m having has been startling, painful, and frustrating, so I’m really grateful that I have the means to do something about it. I’m sore most days, and tired a lot of the time, but what’s new. At least I’m sore and tired and it's doing something to help me now.

I’m undergoing a bunch of medical tests at the moment too, to rule out other potential conditions that could be contributing to my gastric problems too, so hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll have a fuller picture of what’s going on.

On top of all this, I’m also working on my morning routine, trying to increase my hydration levels, and taking a new isotonic supplement that’s helping me keep my Circadian rhythm in check. I even got a new alarm clock that wakes me up with sunlight, and I’m surprised how effective it’s been so far.

Work:

 Re-editing is underway and it’s been a process. My first book desperately needed it, and I’m so glad that I decided to do these re-edits because the story really deserves to shine. The second and third books of the trilogy are a lot cleaner, and the re-editing process has been a lot easier and I’ve been able to fit in work on my secret project. If you’re in my reader community- The Infiniverse Explorers- or are subscribed to my newsletter, you already know the book I’m currently writing features reader favourites Haedes and Luce from The Ashen Touch Trilogy- and it’s been extremely exciting getting to write them again because they’re extremely special characters for me personally. I’ve also gotten to begin writing characters that I’ve had in my head for years, and that’s been very cathartic as well.

I’ve also been working on the re-design of the Queens of Fantasy Saga covers, and I’m really pleased with how they’re all coming together. They are a matching set- all 9 QOF Books plus shorts and novellas, and I can’t wait to unveil them later this year. I’ll also be changing the price point for The Kiss that Killed Me to give everyone access to enter the QOF series, as well as launching a merchandise line through my website.

Lots of cool stuff is happening, and though I intended to release my secret project by the Fall, a December release is looking more likely as I want my energy to go into making the QOF Saga relaunch as effective as possible. I am also pushing the Flash Fiction Anthology to next year, which will give readers something to read from me while I write Book 10 in the Saga for release in the latter half of 2024.

Basically, I’m a busy bee right now.

Conclusion:

 To conclude, the last three months have been hectic. If I’m not rushing off to doctor’s appointments, I’m in my local coffee shop, Botany and Beans, working until they close. I am enjoying writing again though. I haven’t really been doing much creative work the last twelve months- Lavender Storm came out almost a year ago, can you believe it? And I didn’t realise how much I was missing writing until I took inventory of how I was spending my time and realised I was focusing a lot on busywork and marketing stuff. I’m not a marketer or a secretary, though those are parts of being an indie author. Primarily, I’m a writer, and it felt like I should get back to that.

Anyhoo, after all this talk about how busy I am, I should probably get back to ticking off items on my to-do list. Thanks for reading, I can’t wait to share everything I’m working on with you!

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