Changes

“I watch the ripples change their size, but never leave the stream.”
David Bowie

September has been a month of change, of embracing change, of looking to the future, of letting go of the past.

One of these changes deals with my path as Janina Grey. For the last decade I’ve been a “Soulie”— that is a staff member of Soul Mate Publishing, under the guidance of the best publisher I could have ever asked for as a first-time author—Debby Gilbert, Founder and Owner of Soul Mate Publishing.

I met Debby at CNYRW—Central New York Romance Writers—where I’d been a member since 2004. Wow. That’s a long time. The mug in the photo was a CNYRW mug and it broke this morning. That’s pretty telling because today is my last day with Soul Mate Publishing. I feel as though it marked the end of a very amazing, life-altering era in my life.

(Don’t lament about the mug. I have a whole cabinet full to choose from daily. Here are a few of my Janina Grey mugs I’ve made over the years.)

A month ago Debby let her authors know that as of September 30, 2024 Soul Mate would be no more. It was shocking, crushing, sad, and overwhelming. But now that I’ve gone through the grieving process, I know I am going to be okay. I spent the last day retrieving all the information I will need to begin self-publishing, applying to other publishing houses, or expanding my genre and focus of my writing.

Here’s the flip side of my mugs shown above. They’ve got inspirational messages that serve as little reminders to keep going and never lose hope or sight of my dreams.

Janina Grey will still be here. I will still be writing, but I’m taking a break from marketing and selling on line. I have about forty hard copies of my Soul Mate Publishing titles that I will be offering at book signings and for the holidays. So if you want a copy of any of my past four romances, give a shout. They won’t last.

Moving forward, I think my focus will be on finishing LACED IN YOUR LEATHER, my memoir, putting together my poetry, and doing the erotica fiction my alter ego has played around with, and self-publishing those things next. I also have had a lifelong dream to publish with Harlequin, so yeah, there is that goal now that I can shoot for without feeling like I’m abandoning Soul Mate.

But first, I need to take a bit of a vacation. Lots going on in life and I need to breathe a bit and get my bearings.

In the meantime, I will have more time to devote to my blog! I have about five blogs I am behind on—on topics I think you all will love.

The important thing is that I keep touching people’s hearts with my writing. This past weekend, I met a woman at the Richfield Springs book signing who remembered me from when I wrote for the Richfield Springs Mercury back in the early 2000s. She said she’d just been thinking about me that morning and was so happy to see me. She told me she loved my columns and missed them. That warmed my heart.

So for now, Janina Grey will not be available for sale at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or Goodreads. That doesn’t mean she’s gone! I will be happy to sell my print versions.

Thank you, Debby Gilbert and SOUL MATE PUBLISHING, for the amazing adventure we shared. You gave me something I will always treasure.

To all the wonderful authors I met through Soul Mate and CNYRW and RWA – many of you are still in my life and to that I say YAY! To the other SOULIES: I hope we can grow our new found friendships.

Can’t wait to update everyone on what’s going on in my life. Stay tuned.

If you thought the ride was bumpy up til now, buckle up and hang on to your hats! Life is about to get crazy!!

Much love,

Janina Grey