overdue
Ahoy.
More than two years ago, you generously backed my efforts to write a book.
Said book has yet to be completed.
This is an update.
Just days after the funding ended, my girlfriend's mother was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. Britt (now my fiance) and I quit our jobs and moved to suburban Florida to be with her family. We spent a year there and I hustled freelance work to make ends meet. While I was there, literally living in a retirement community, I spent most of my time researching the book. I have collected hundreds of pages of notes, academic papers, and interviews on the topic. As her mother's health reached a long plateau and our sanity began to crumble, we moved to LA where I took a new job. In the year that I've been in LA, I've had little sustained time to focus on the book.
Consider this an explanation, not an excuse.
Lately, all of you have been weighing pretty heavily on me. I take my responsibility to you and your hopes for my work with extreme seriousness. I will complete this project.
Let me say that again, I will complete this project.
However, Britt's mother has run out of treatment options and she is entering hospice care.
Why am I telling you this? Because lately, when I find myself idle or when I wake up on the weekends, I am racked with guilt over this project. But worse, I feel torn between the very real debt I owe you and the need to be present for someone I love. I can neither accurately describe or truly fathom the hell Britt is going through. And when I try to choose between time to write versus time to spend with Britt, this project is a perennial loser.
This is all to say that I have to hit pause on my work, yet again. At least until I see Britt through this incredibly difficult time. I can't say for certain how long this will be, but it will be at least a few months before I can truly focus on this project.
I'm sorry. I wish I had better news. I wish I could manage both on my plate at once.
I did not specify a timetable for this project, but I am aware that at least a few of you are frustrated by a seeming lack of progress.
If anyone would like, I am happy to refund your money. No questions asked. No hard feelings whatsoever.
Again, I will complete this project. But I cannot specify an end-date at this time. If you do receive a refund, you will lose the corresponding reward/benefit.
For anyone not seeking a refund, I am going to give you access to the private project site, which has loads of research, thinking, and conversation around the book. Consider it a small token of my appreciation.
So, that's it. Thank you for your support, patience, and understanding.
/b
