Before we dive into this month’s newsletter, I’m sure you’ve noticed it is on a different platform. (And those of you who are subscribed to my blog, but not newsletter: Welcome to my newsletter! It’s switching over to my blog.) The company I used to send my newsletters through has decided to stop accepting gmail accounts and wants their users to have paid professional emails. Because of this, I have decided to move my newsletters over to my blog. However, this will be the only newsletter that is available to everyone. Just like the old newsletter, starting in March, you will need to be subscribed to this blog to receive the newsletter. All other blog posts will remain available to everyone.

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I hope you all have a successful transfer. If not, or you have questions, please send me a message through my Contact page.  

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January is named for the Roman God, Janus; God of doorways, beginnings, and the rising and setting of the sun. And the new beginning I’m experiencing at work has reminded me why I love teaching English Language Development (formally called ESL). The majority of my ELD students are advanced, so the curriculum is more in line with a traditional English class. I now have 4 beginning students, and get to teach them the English language. I am loving it. 

My daughters had a dance concert at the end of January. Being the dance mom that I am, I chaperoned 2 of the 4 shows, and bought a ticket for the other two. They were very happy up on stage, dancing their little hearts out. But it was also their last performance for the time being. One wants to switch to gymnastics, and the other is switching to soccer. When I was a kid, I experienced several different extracurriculars before I stuck with ballroom dance; so I’m excited to see all the different things my kids try.

I have started my final round of edits to Bondwitch: Hybrid, and when I’m finished, I’ll be pitching it to The Wild Rose Press! I also gave my first presentation at an author event hosted by the Santaquin Library in Santaquin, Utah. My topic was “The Three Publishing Pathways, and Why I Chose a Small Press”. It went better than I thought. I had a small audience, and a few people asked questions at the end. You can watch it below:

I’m also excited to say that Real Life Romance stories are returning to my blog for the month of February. Four guest authors will be sharing real love stories from their lives or their ancestors’ lives. Last year’s stories were beautiful, and this year’s stories will be just as great. The first one goes live tomorrow.

Out of the 4 books I read during the month of January, I recommend 3 of them:

The Nameless Luna by Hope Dwinell

Out of Body by Kimberly Baer

Alien Survivor: Stranded on Galatea by Juniper Leigh

I wish you a happy month of love.

Sincerely,

Chelsey M. Ortega