Guess who doesn’t work at Bell of Lost Souls anymore!

I’m making it sound dramatic when it isn’t at all. AI is throttling writing and TTRPG industries and that’s forcing some cuts. It’s a huge issue across tons of industries and I honestly have nothing nice to say about people who use AI instead of being creative or using any of the critical thinking skills that they probably once had.

But as of today BoLS and I have parted on good terms and as friends with promises of good references and possible work in the future if circumstances change, and I truly hope they see nothing but success in the future. I worked with BoLS for nearly seven years, and it was easily one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling jobs of my life.

So where am I going from here?

Well, BoLS was in no way my main source of income. I have a full time job, as does my husband, so we’ll be okay. BoLS was the job I lovingly referred to as my “trash cash.” It was how I made a little extra for fun things or to pay down car loans faster. Yes. I’m looking for another writing job, but there’s no scramble or urgency.

My goal right now is to apply for one freelance or part-time writing job per day. Anything where I can talk about nerd culture or movies or Disney or anime; things that I’m passionate and knowledgeable about. And while I’m doing that I’ll try to update here semi-regularly. Maybe with journaling, maybe with movie or TV show reviews, maybe just with my thoughts on a piece of media. It could work double-duty as an outlet for my thoughts, and a place to store potential writing samples.

And of course, I have a few book ideas that I’ve either never gotten off of the ground, or written entirely and never got around to editing. I could – and should – work on those as well.

So, if you’re looking for a freelance or part-time writer, I’d love to hear from you. Or, if you want to book a Disney vacation, I’m also a specialized travel agent. I do a lot of things; I’ll be okay.

This week I started my new job.

I have a day job, of course. I work in medical billing for a company that I believe in and care about deeply and for people who I am lucky to consider my personal friends. I have a really good job, but my heart has always been in writing.

So imagine my absolute delight when I received an email regarding a writing job I had applied for months ago.

The position was right in my wheelhouse, writing about tabletop RPGs, not far from my house, and they were looking for somebody to fill a part time role. It was perfect for me. I put together a writing sample and with a few minor revision sweeps and a ton of encouragement from my husband and one of my closest friends I threw my name in the ring. And since I only had one recent professional writing sample I wrote up a very tailored cover letter and attached a link to my A03.

You know.

Where my fanfiction lives.

I figured, I’m applying for a nerdy writing job with nerds. Maybe my many thousands of nerdy words will resonate with them.

And then I honestly sort of forgot that I had applied.

I was unemployed for a large portion of my early to mid twenties. I think of us were/are. It’s hard to break into a field whose entry level position requires 3-5 years of experience and even long term temp assignments don’t pique the interest of every person to peruse a pile of resumes. When you spend a long time applying for jobs and hearing back about fifteen to twenty percent of them, you learn to not get your heart too set on any one position. You apply, you move on, you repeat.

So I applied, I was excited for a few days, and then real life covered everything like a blanket again. I have a full time job. I was working on finishing my book. I played D&D and practiced my ukulele and went to the gym and had family visit for the first time since we moved down here a year ago.

And then an email popped up in my inbox asking if I’d be interested in talking about the position.

So I’m very excited to announce that this week I started my new part time position as an RPG writer for Bell of Lost Souls. Wish me luck.

Also, I got myself a present to celebrate.