On September 29, 2025, ALLi asked: Would you consider licensing your books, blog posts, or other content to AI companies?

For me, the hesitation isn’t about licensing itself—it’s about trust.  I’ve learned the hard way, through personal experience, how fragile trust can be once it’s broken.  Companies can make promises on paper, but promises don’t mean much without accountability.  Krafton is a perfect example of how even established businesses fail to hold up their end of agreements.

If that’s the reality with companies working in the open, why should I believe AI firms—operating in secrecy—would be any different?  Once your work leaves your hands, it’s no longer truly yours.  It can be twisted, diluted, or ignored, and you’d have no way to stop it.  For me, the potential damage to my brand and voice outweighs any payout.

On September 22, 2025, ALLi asked: Do you feel confident about your author income?

As of right now, no—I don’t feel confident in it.  Being a new author, my income is still sparse.  If I had kept my book in Kindle Unlimited, I might see something every month, but it would just be change.  The reality is that my husband has had to take on positions at work that he doesn’t want, just to cover what I can no longer manage since my health made me stop working.

It's not an easy answer, but it’s the honest one.  Author income doesn’t always match the effort or passion that goes into the work, especially at the beginning.  For now, I’m focused on building slowly steadily, so the foundation is there when things start to grow.

The holidays are here, and with them comes the usual rush of appointments, paperwork, and the year-end tasks that demand attention.  Between everything going on, I simply don't have the time or focus to keep up with weekly updates or website changes right now.

Rather than posting rushed updates or stretching myself thing, I'm taking a short break from posting and site maintenance until after the holidays.  My plan is to return in January, once things settle and I can give everything the attention it deserves.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.  I'll still be checking in behind the scenes, but active updates will be on hold until the start of the new year.

See you in 2026—rests, recharged, and ready to dive back in.

Áille

On September 15, 2025, ALLi asked: Do you feel in control of your reader relationships, and have platform changes ever made you rethink where you publish or promote?

For me, it’s been a journey.  I started out on Patreon, but a lot of my posts were blocked because of the type of content I write.  It didn’t feel like I was in control of what I could share with readers.  From there, I tried Weebly, but without subscription options, I couldn’t build the gated content I wanted.  Ko-fi came next.  I like it, but the navigation was clunky, and it didn’t make interaction as smooth as I hoped.

Eventually, I landed on Fourthwall, and it’s given me the flexibility I need.  I can offer subscriptions, accept donations, sell merchandise, post blogs, and share behind-the-scenes content with different tiers—all in one place.  On top of that, subscriber discounts and customization options give me freedom to shale the experience for readers the way I want.

I also run a Discord server, which gives readers a more personal way to connect with me and with each other.  Together, these platforms finally let me control what I share, how I engage, and how I grow those relationships without being at the mercy of shifting rules or hidden algorithms.

On September 8th, 2025, ALLi asked: How are you diversifying your author income beyond book sales, and what’s working for you?

For me, diversification has meant building beyond the books themselves.  I set up a merchandise shop on my website where I sell both book-themed items and author brand merch.  On top of that, I created a membership system that gives readers access to story bibles, second and discarded drafts, and other behind-the-scenes content.  I even offer a tier where members can have their names included in the acknowledgments of future books as a personal thank-you for their support.

It's not just about extra income streams—it’s about deepening the connection with readers.  Having multiple ways for them to engage, whether it’s through merchandize, memberships, or future books, creates a stronger bond than book sales alone ever could.

On September 1, 2025, ALLi asked: Have you started planning your holiday marketing yet—and what do you have in mind?

Honestly, I don’t plan on doing holiday marketing right now.  At this stage, I’m relying more on word of mouth than campaigns or seasonal promotions.  Maybe once I have more books published, I’ll start looking at holiday strategies, especially since I do have a merchandise shop that could play into it.

For now, though, my focus is on building a foundation.  Marketing tied to seasons and holidays can be powerful, but it’s not worth rushing into if the catalog isn’t there yet.  I’d rather let my current work speak for itself and grow through reader recommendations.

On August 25, 2025, ALLi asked: How do you decide which publishing platforms to use, and have you ever changed your mind?

I started with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) because that’s what my sister-in-law, Nikki Leigh, introduced me to.  From there, I added Barnes & Noble after meeting an author, Penelope Lifestone, and noticing her books were available through them.  My choices haven’t been about chasing every platform at once—they’ve been gradual, shaped by personal connections and seeing what works for authors I respect.

In a sense, that is going wide, but I value steady growth over stretching myself thin.  Tossing a book onto every platform overnight might sound like a fast track, but it often means less focus, less strategy, and sometimes even making the book easier to access for free.  For me, it’s better to build step by step—making sure I understand each platform, how it works, and whether it genuinely benefits my readership.

At the end of the day, my main driver isn’t just the platform itself but word of mouth and reviews.  A book might sit on twenty storefronts, but if nobody is talking about it, sales won’t move.  That’s why I’d rather expand gradually, keep control, and let each step forward feel intentional rather than rushed.

On August 18th, 2025, ALLi asked: Have you been on the receiving end of an author scam?  What were the red flags?

I get emails all the time from so-called “marketing experts.”  One even tried to sneak into my Discord once.  I don’t use AI much, but I do have ChatGPT help me sort through these things before I respond to anything.  It’s easy to get swept up when someone comes in with big promises, but most of the time, they’re nothing more than scams dressed up as opportunities.

And it’s not just email.  Scams creep in everywhere—Social Media ads, sponsored posts, even telemarketing-style pitches that make it sound like they’re doing you a favor when really, they’re just trying to get your money.  Some are obvious, but others are polished enough that you have to pause and take a second look.

The best defense I’ve learned is to slow down.  Don’t rush because someone is dangling “exposure” or “guaranteed sales” in front of you.  If something feels urgent, sketchy, or too good to be true, it usually is.  Scams prey on excitement and fear, and indie authors are far from the only targets.  These tactics are everywhere, and the only way to stay ahead is to question everything before handing over your trust, time, or money.