Change Is Hard, but On We Go!
March 2025 Newsletter
We all know that change is hard, right? In the past few months, our family has experienced several changes––some sad, some exciting, and some ongoing. Adjusting to those changes is why you haven’t received a Different Dream newsletter for several months. Today I want to acquaint you with what’s been happening and what to expect from this newsletter in the future.
Exciting Changes
After my mother died in June of 2023, God began nudging me to reassess my priorities for a season of life that didn’t revolve around caregiving. After much prayer and seeking God’s will, I realized the time had come to let go of much of my disability and special needs ministry work so I could concentrate on fiction writing and spending more time with my family.
The factors that led to the decision are detailed in my final blog post about disability parenting: The Lessons I Learned While Raising a Child with EA/TEF. (If you don’t want to read the whole article, skip to Lesson #10.) The decision was made after much prayer, but it wasn’t easy to move on from such good and worthy work. However, after watching God raise up a new generation of disability writers, I am confident the work is in good hands.
Sad Changes
Shortly after making that decision, news came that Tom Walker the owner of Midwestern Books, the publisher of the West River Mystery (WRM) series, had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He died two months later on December 22, 2024. His passing impacted us deeply, both professionally and personally. Tom and my husband are cousins. Our daughter, Anne Fleck, was Tom’s partner at Midwestern Books. He signed the company over to her a week or two before he died. We miss him dearly and are grateful for his kind and generous act on her behalf.
Ongoing Changes
Between the loss of Tom and my decision to focus on fiction, more changes are in the works. For example:
My virtual assistant is consolidating my two blogs (Different Dream and Down the Gravel Road) by transferring them to one location on Substack. The content from both those blogs will be accessible here. She is also working on a fresh design for this site which I am eager to see.
Midwestern Books is adjusting the pricing of the WRMs due to inflation. In case you’re interested, Amazon has yet to raise its prices on See Jane Run!, See Jane Sing!, See Jane Dance!, and See Jane Dig!
The publisher will issue second editions of those four books during 2025, as well as some other fun and exciting WRM-related products.
Newsletter Changes
I want you to know that future newsletters may look different than this one. Each issue will include the latest book news, my speaking calendar, what’s been saving my life recently, and a recipe.
To whet you’re appetite, (pun intended) this link takes you to an easy, delicious, EGGLESS recipe for Kookie Brittle. It’s one my mom used to make, and with eggs at least triple the price they were a year ago, now is the time to share it.
Change is hard and sometimes sad, but it can also lead to growth and joy and gratitude. May the changes you encounter in the coming month, even the hard ones, lead to unexpected good and renewed hope.
On we go!
Jolene Philo
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