My depression and my creativity

This is really weird but I never really realise I am depressed until I am out of it. 

Towards the end of last year I found myself regretting my choices and losing my way. A very dear friend betrayed my trust and proceeded to harm me. 

It took me a while to find my stance and recover my sanity. And in the meantime, my writing schedule was messed up. It is quite natural, I suppose for things to be messed when you are going through a rough emotional phase.

I usually wrote gothic fantasy stories in my Rose Chronicles series but during my depression,  my mind wanted something less dark and gloomy in terms of the atmosphere that I was writing in. Instead it began forming a story in a cheerful tea shop with an eccentric owner.

Long story short, it was the birth of my Royal Teashop series. It is essentially a young adult contemporary romance but leans heavily towards women's fiction as well. As with all my stories, this has strong focus on relationships. Some will make you feel good and warm and others would remind you of the reality we live in.

I am usually a person who loves to read fantasy (any kind). To my surprise, I planned a four book series that was set in a contemporary world. And to further increase my incredulity, I wrote the first three while the fourth is scheduled to be released this summer. 

Now while I was depressed, I had a wild idea of publishing the stories under a different pen name. And the impatient woman that I am, I went for it. I published the books under the name Ivy Ruthven. But here's the thing about depression. It doesn't allow you get the full picture. I was trying to hide this self of mine from my readers. 

Now that I no longer feel the need to hide under my blankets, I have republished the books under my actual pen name and I am proud to present these books to you. 

They all release this February and you can pre-order your copies for $0.99 until then. Here they are! 

And this post would be unfinished until I acknowledged the wonderful friends I have made in the writing community. They helped me get through my issues. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such giving and kind people.

And as for the readers of my Rose Chronicle series, fear not! I will bring you some more new books this year and more!