books

Bring on 2026 | Get on with it!

/ J.R. Roper

What a year! I’ve referred to myself as a Dad-Taxi before, but 2025 hit a new level. I’ve been trying to rekindle/awaken my writing groove for a while now and found some glimmers of success over the past few months. I experienced the magic of early morning writing sessions and found a book, Save the Cat Writes Horror, which generated some breakthroughs on my current WIP. Sometime in the summer of 2025, I also asked myself why? What’s the point in doing this work?

Reminding myself of my why for writing was a really important moment this year and it was twofold. First, because it makes me feel whole. I feel better, like myself, when I’m writing regularly. I also remembered myself as a young adult. I didn’t enjoy reading until I discovered Harry Potter and from there, I became a life-long reader and eventually a writer. I am writing for myself when I was thirteen years old, books that would have inspired a love for reading had I never set foot in Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. So what now? The new year presents a great opportunity for letting go of what hasn’t worked and reimagining what my life as a writer could be based on where I am right now, not where I was a decade ago when my kids were in bed before 8 pm and writing past midnight was the norm. 

So what am I working on? Well, it feels like something old (the first draft was finished in 2012), but based on the changes I’ve made, it is essentially a new project. I can’t give up on it until I have given it my all, and this rewrite will be just that. Wish me luck! I’m focusing on the NOW with this project. The only time that really exists is right now. Goals help us determine which direction to travel, but each step happens on a moment by moment basis. My motto for writing this year is: Get on with it. 

If you are reading this, thank you! I wish you peace during this holiday season and inspiration for the year to come. Live now, not in a past you cannot change, or a future that doesn’t exist yet. Whatever you’ve wanted to do, just get started. Get on with it. 

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis

Happy New Year and 2022 Recap

/ J.R. Roper

It’s difficult to believe that 2022 is coming to a close. This was the year of many activities and full schedules, a product of my kids growing older and the post-pandemic reopening of the world–a new season of life as a parent. I didn’t cross off many of my goals for 2022, but I did fully enjoy my time watching others grow and flourish. Here’s to another year of wonderful life in 2023 and hopefully a few more goals met during the next 365 days.

A few highlights from 2022:

Writing and Publishing: My story, The Wicker Demon, was accepted by Eastern Iowa Review for Issue 14: The Elven Collection (I will post when it goes live). I also finished the first draft of a whimsical middle grade novel and submitted a finished project throughout the year.

Mushroom Hunting: My wife and I took a foraging and mushroom identification class and it was one of my favorite activities of the year. We will continue to learn and pursue this passion as a couple.

Books: My favorite book this year was Stop Fixing Yourself by Anthony De Mello. There is a lot of wisdom in this man’s writings. I also loved Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty.

Podcasts: I continue to get the most value out of The Minimalist podcast. I subscribed to the private podcast and they added TK Coleman as a regular, both of which have enhanced my experience.

Movies and TV: My wife a I finally sat down and watched Stranger Things. We absolutely loved it (oh the 80s nostalgia) and binged all four seasons during the months of October and November.

On to 2023! This year I will let go of the things that get in the way of time spent loving my family and working on projects that bring me joy. When there is space, creativity can flourish. Clearing away the physical clutter, emotional clutter, digital clutter, etc. can create a calming environment where I will either be more productive, or even better, at peace.

Thank you for reading. May you be in a calm place in 2023, full of possibility and creativity. Best wishes and big hugs.

Get them something to read this holiday season :)

/ J.R. Roper / Leave a comment

We are officially TWO weeks from Christmas. A book is a gift that will not only entertain, but can bring a family together, and even change a person. I still remember my mom reading the Boxcar Children to me at bedtime. It was a winter special edition. I don’t recall what the story was about but I can still see my mother sitting in my room and the tension in the air as the story was told.

If you need to add any of the Morus Chronicles to your shelf, there are links and descriptions of all of the books HERE. Or you can go directly to Amazon.

Some of my friends have great offerings as well! Check them out below.

Kelly Stanley – Prayer, Creativity, and Faith

Kelsey Timmerman – Nonfiction (travel + great story telling)

Sarah Schmitt – YA fiction

Melanie Hooyenga – YA fiction

Terri DeVries – Self-help

Irene Fridsma – Poetry

Happy Friday, all!