Hi Reader,

I hope February has treated you well! In my home, we're looking forward to the end of winter. I love the snow, but it doesn't snow much here, and the mid-Atlantic reign of rain gets me pretty down. It's extra vitamin D and fruit teas for me, plus racing out onto my deck every time the sun peaks out from behind the gray fortress of dreary cloud cover. I have a few updates to share with you this week!

Only 5 Days Left for Early Bird Tickets!

Get your early bird tickets to the 2026 Virtual Spring Writing Retreat before midnight PST on 28 February 2026!

• Lifetime ATA Members: Email me for verification and the code, or log onto Facebook and check the Lifetime Members chat group for your special code
• ATA Members: Head HERE for your unique discount code.
• Newsletter + Planning + Sprints Members: Your early bird discount code is EARLY2026. Enter on the checkout screen. 🙌

The schedule is filling up fast, and I'm going to pop in a couple times this week to share some of the latest additions with you.

As with every year, we spend the retreat mornings (March 27-29, 2026 -- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday) in group writing sprints. We use visual and auditory prompts, as well as offer other story prompts to help get your creativity flowing.

After lunch, we have classes, workshops, and panels. Each day has a theme to help us keep things organized:

• Friday: Writing - brainstorming, planning, outlining, drafting, mindset, habits & routines, etc.
• Saturday: Pre-publishing - editing (including software and working with editors), formatting, covers, launch prep, publishing, etc.
• Sunday: Post-publishing - marketing, sales, software, planning, advertising, events, income generation, mindset, wellness, etc.

Here are three of the classes already schedule for our retreat:

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Notable Events

My Birthday!
​(hence all the pink + flowers)

Last Thursday, February 19th, I hit Level 41! I can't believe it. Time really flies. I've been writing with a byline for 11 years this summer, and even though things aren't "perfect" yet, I believe that every twist in the path and detour in the road have all led me here to this point.

ICYMI (because I haven't publicly announced it yet), I signed a contract for 6-book deal. As I sit so close to crossing the finish line on another title in the series, I am eager to be able to announce the release date for the first book in the series.

Now, I feel like I'm on the precipice of everything I've been working for since ca. 2014—or my whole life, really. Like many of us, I've practically been a storyteller all my life.

My point is this: Maybe we don't hit our "goals" in the way we think we will, or in the time we think it "should" take us. Rare are the times we reach our milestones in line with perfect even numbers to mark the start of a decade (although prime numbers like 41 are pretty cool, too). I like the idea of having worked my tail off to achieve something by a certain time, but life is full of too many variables for us to see and calculate, and that can mean we're on the road to our goals longer than we imagined.

But even after we've reached one goal, is the journey ever really finished? Not for me. I absolutely celebrate and savor my victories, but I don't slow down. It relates to my answer to the question of why I plan: I plan so I can have a shot at fulfilling my greatest potential. What is this life for if not to expand, explore, and experience?

Those are my birthday ramblings, these slim mortal reflections, but I hope they might mean a little something to you too.

If anything, I want to share that the dream you're striving for is never lost unless you give it up. Maybe it'll take longer than you though, or maybe the road will be more challenging. But as long as you still want it, it is still there, shining like a beacon just at the edge of the horizon.

And if there's anything I can do to help you get there, let me know. I might have something that can make your journey a little easier.

That's the whole reason I make planners and printables, run classes, workshops, and events. I certainly don't do it for myself (it's scaryaf to do these things as it is, but especially when you have RSD), but because my friends have benefited and encouraged me to keep going, and then complete strangers have been helped. It feels like a duty, even when it's hard or nerve-racking, and even when I get unsubscribes.

I'm still here, and checking in whenever I can with all the fun stuff I've been quietly working on in my little hobbit hole with my kids and my cats. 😹

As a little celebration of my birthday, I've got two little bonus options:

1. If you order your retreat ticket during the Early Bird period, you'll get my new class "Reset Your Writing Rhythm for Spring" for FREE!
2. The standard price for this one-time workshop is $37 if you want to buy it separately. That said, if you don't want to join the virtual retreat but you do want the class, you can purchase it separately this week for $19 (because my birthday is the 19th). The discount is automatically applied, no code needed. 🙌

The class will take place live on Wednesday, March 4th at 2pm EST, and the replay will be available the same day, along with a printable workbook and the class slides.

I Found This For You - Discounts!

​Lulu.com​

Lulu currently has a 15% discount on print products, so this is a great time to get:

1. ​Planners, workbooks, etc., from yours truly 😉
2. Print copies of your own books! Seriously, these discounts are a great time to stock up and quality copies of your titles, whether they're for in-person sales, book mail, signings, etc.
3. Print copies of your friends' work! 🙌 💕

I highly recommend Lulu because I love the quality of their copies and because 99% of the time, their customer service is extraordinary -- and their customer service involves communicating with actual human beings. Can you believe it? 😜

The code is: MANUSCRIPT15

And it's valid through February 27th.

I hope you found something helpful in this email today, writer friend. Thanks for reading, and as always, I'm wishing you all the best both in writing and in life.

Warmest wishes,

Audrey

PO Box 2204, Martinsburg, WV 25402
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