Hi Everyone,
I hope you are well—safe, dry, and warm. So many people around the country right now are none of those things, certainly not all of those things simultaneously.
I have been writing this parenting blog on a regular basis in some form now for something like 15 years.
It has been a meaningful activity for me, allowing me to reflect consistently and continually on what I have learned through teaching and parenting. This has helped me become a better teacher and parent. I believe it has also helped me become a better person.
I hope it has been helpful to readers as well. My first readers are now the parents of grown, adult children. Some are even grandparents. A great many of you have been kind enough to read my work over a long period of time: Thank you.
Many of you have even been kind enough to support my work with your paid subscriptions. I thank you with all my heart; it is deeply gratifying and beyond humbling for a writer to have people willing to pay for their work.
As you can likely tell by the tone, there’s a change in the wind.
The circumstances of my life have changed. My children have grown. All but one have left the house, and he will not be far behind, as these things go. I would like to have more time with him before that happens. I also want to spend more time with my grandchildren.
I also have some other forms of writing I want to pursue. Ironically, the writing for which I have been paid is parenting pieces. But my real love is fiction, middle grade and YA light-fantasy novels. I have several sequels I wnt to finish, and I’m hoping to branch out to some other projects as well (ummm, speaking of which, not to be too shamelessly self-promoting, but I’m going to post some links below, in case you know of anyone who might be interested).
I am also increasingly feeling compelled to engage in some way with the tragedy of homelessness in Nashville. I don’t yet know what or how, but I am increasingly convinced that I can’t just feel sad about the situation any longer: I need to figure out something to do.
All of these things take time, and that is the trick. This newsletter is also time-consuming. I spend hours a week, even when I don’t write anything, reading and thinking, working through ideas, etc. When I do write, that takes so even more time.
I will still write here, I’m sure. And I may even write a great deal. I never know for sure with how my ADHD-brain works.
But I am no longer in a place that I can prioritize this.
For those who are paid subscribers, I have paused your subscriptions, meaning you should not be billed, and I understand, if you paid for an annual subscription, I believe it should be returned on a pro-rated basis. If you somehow experience something different, please let me know so I can make it right. I have never done this before, so while I have followed the directions, I don’t have any first-hand expertise.
So, with that, I truly wish you happy parenting! You really do have this.
Sincerely,
Braden
Shameless Self-Promotion: My novels
Middle-grade novels:
All thirteen-year-old Connor Dell wants to do is pass pre-algebra, play lacrosse, and possibly kiss Melanie Stephens, but when a run-in with the school bully ignites strange powers inside him, Connor's normal teenage life goes up in flames. Now he'll need his new powers to defeat the Darkness that's coming for him. Fast-paced and original, this book's guaranteed to keep you guessing!
https://www.amazon.com/Kindling-Middle-School-Magic/dp/1462110274
Conner, Lexa, and Melanie are back! Just when they think life is normal again, a dangerous shadow creature begins to hunt them. The trio must develop their powers in order to conquer this new peril and protect their school. Filled with action and even more magic, this book continues the exciting adventure in the Middle School Magic series.
https://www.amazon.com/Penumbras-Middle-School-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B00E022D1I
When Lady Nightwing kidnapped Dr. Timberi, everyone assumed their teacher had been killed. So when Lexa discovers that he isn’t dead, Conner can’t believe his ears!
Desperate to rescue Dr. Timberi, Conner, Lexa, and Melanie turn to the last person they want to talk to, the person who started all of this chaos—the Stalker. As the Trio confront their worst fears, they realize their Magi powers may not be enough to keep everyone alive.
Your favorite characters return in this satisfying conclusion of the Middle School Magic series! Filled with plenty of twists, humor, and adventure, Luminescence will keep you guessing until the thrilling end."
https://www.amazon.com/Luminescence-Middle-School-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B00IXZLDMS
Thirteen-year-old Tallie has just discovered she’s the lost princess of Mandralay, a position that comes with tremendous power. It also comes with an aunt who wants her dead and a ferocious, relentless assassin who holds the key to her survival, just as she holds the key to his soul. Can she trust anyone?
Tallie is on the run.
Thirteen years ago, she was born to the Queen of Mandralay. Then her power-hungry aunt staged a coup and murdered Tallie’s mother. Infant Tallie would have been killed too, but for two servants who hid her away in an orphanage. Her identity was kept from everyone, including Tallie herself — until she began showing signs of the magical abilities that were her birthright.
Now the secret is out, and the hunt is on. Tallie’s aunt can’t rightfully be queen as long as the true heir is alive. She wants nothing more than to find and kill the princess, clearing her way to ultimate power.
With no memories, no heart, or even a name, X is a Bestial, once human but long ago transformed into a monstrous assassin. Tallie’s aunt compels X with powerful spells to carry out her deadly mission, and he easily tracks Tallie to her hiding place.
As X prepares to pounce, Tallie surprises him with a sincere request: she asks for his help. The trust she places in him rekindles a spark of humanity. What if he were to protect this innocent child instead of killing her? The two sides of his primal nature wage a brutal war within him — a battle for Tallie’s life and his own soul.
Meanwhile, Tallie fights her own internal battle. As her magical capabilities grow, so does her rage over losing her mother. She realizes she has the power to destroy her aunt — but at what point does she risk losing her soul and becoming a worse monster than X?
https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Heir-Mandralay-Soulbound-Book-ebook/dp/B01MU7V87Z
Young adult novels:
There's only one unbreakable mind in London. All she has to do is break into it.
At sixteen, Molly is already the best bloody thought-snatcher in Victorian London, picking people's minds and selling their secrets. But when her growing skill captures the attention of a notoriously brutal criminal, Molly is forced to flee.
Pursued by criminals and police alike, Molly has nowhere to hide. On the brink of being captured, she’s saved when a shadowy figure promises protection—if she can crack the only unbreakable mind in London: Sir Edward Carlton, the mental lockbox for Her Majesty’s Government.
Desperate, Molly agrees, gaining entry to Sir Edward’s house, mind, and his mysterious, haunting memories. But some secrets are deadly, and soon Molly finds herself trapped in a tangled web, unable to tell friends from enemies who kidnap, maim, and murder with ease.
When she resists being used as a weapon against Sir Edward, Molly’s enemies kidnap her closest friends, forcing her to choose between her life and the lives of the only family she’s ever known.
But dangerous secrets are double-edged, and weapons can be turned on those who use them—especially when the weapon has a mind of her own. Now, Molly must use her wits and growing psychic powers to change the rules of a deadly game she barely understands.
https://www.amazon.com/Mindcracker-Brandon-Gray-ebook/dp/B08S8SW8V1
Can she kill her only chance at love?
Shunned by the other dryads, Aurianna lives unloved and alone. When a beautiful human named Branson King crashes into a tree and kills her grandmother, the dryads force Aurianna to take an oath that she will find and kill Branson—or die herself. But instead of finding a hardened human heart, Aurianna discovers friendship, affection, and sparks of passion—along with a deadly secret. As her relationship with Branson grows, Aurianna is confronted with a harsh reality: in order to live, she must kill the only person that might ever love her.
https://www.amazon.com/Orison-Blood-Oath-Brandon-Gray-ebook/dp/B08RXNB52Z
Ancient battles. Family secrets. Angels and soul-eating demons. First love is never easy.
When soul-eating demons overrun his world, Kaelis, a young seraph warrior, uses the Queen’s ring to open a portal in space and flee with the infant heir to the throne, landing on earth. Unbeknownst to him, the demon leader, Nsark, follows through the portal, determined to devour the soul of every last seraph, especially the Queen’s heir. After Kaelis hides the baby, Nsark creates the ultimate weapon by fathering a half-human, half-demon: a soul-stealer’s child.
Sixteen years later, an attractive but awkward teen named James struggles to fit in with his peers. In a last-ditch effort, he joins the school play, where he meets Lucy. Something deep draws them together, and their friendship reveals their hidden pasts: one is an angel, one is half-demon. Lucy and James find themselves pulled into an age-old war between their peoples. Hunted by relentless enemies, and grappling with deep-seated instincts and strange new powers, they must fight for their lives, their souls, and each other.
Can they overcome who they were born to be, or will one of them have to make the ultimate sacrifice for the other to survive?
https://www.amazon.com/Soulstealers-Child-Brandon-Gray-ebook/dp/B01N0DYFQA
I'm excited about your books, Braden, and am sorry you will slow down on your parenting blog. Spending time with your son is top priority. How did you write all those enticing books and your articles too? I plan to read one at least one book and leave a review.
Braden, wishing you all the best in your next chapter. How delightful to learn about your fiction books! Your love for kids shines through even the descriptions.