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On the JJ Barnes Blog, I share the new life I’m figuring out, and how I hope to support my children as a single mum, because here I go again on my own.
My life has changed a lot over the last few weeks. Changes that I haven’t fully processed yet, and changes I’m not sure I’ll ever fully understand, but changes I am living with nonetheless. And living with them means, for me at least, writing about them. Because writing is how I think most clearly.
Endings
Work
The first change I shared a couple of weeks ago. Through our company, Siren Stories, we primarily made our money from the advertising contract for ads running on The Table Read Magazine, this site, and the Hollowhood site. This was doing a solid and reliable turnover, and we were able to support our children, pay rent and bills, and occasionally have a treat. It was work we loved, work that made us happy, and work we were proud of.
Then the advertising contract was ended, unexpectedly, and our income was lost. I had a somewhat public meltdown about that experience on TikTok, and while it is embarassing in hindsight, I also don’t blame myself. We were thrown into a crisis of how are we going to afford to live and raise our children when our income vanished overnight.
Family
This one is harder to talk about and, out of respect for my ex partner and my children, I won’t go into detail. Suffice to say that my relationship with my fiance and father of my children came to an end. I move forward as a single mother to two little girls who I love with my whole being, a broken heart, and hope that, one day, life will feel good again.
Home
For now, we are staying with my parents. We’re incredibly fortunate that our family is close and full of love, and until we can afford and find a new home to start our life over in, we have somewhere warm and safe to stay, where we are loved and supported no matter what. I know how rare that is and I am incredibly grateful for it.
Beginnings
Work
To try and make sure I can provide for my girls, I am going to be sharing the work I am doing more regularly. I hope it won’t be annoying, and I’d ask that if you see me talking incessantly about my work you’ll be patient, and maybe even share it to help me get word out. I’ve developed new advertising relationships that may one day grow to the success of the previous contract, but are still new, so until then, I’m working on more options.
I love my job, I’m good at my job, and I want to give my girls a stable life through my job.
The Table Read Magazine – I’ve never charged for the promotion we do because I know how hard it is to be a creative with a small budget. While that won’t change, I’m going to be promoting the two paid options that are available for those who value the promotional services I provide, and can afford to pay for them.
We receive hundreds of emails a day and the wait for work to be posted is averaging at 2 months due to the number of contributors wanting that space. To have your interview/article/video put out within one week of submission, the charge is £10. To have your interview/article/video put out same day/next day of submission, the charge is £20. ORDER HERE. I want to keep this affordable and accessible, while still earning an income from the effort I put in each day.
New Shop – I am working hard to grow a new online shop selling quirky, beautiful, and interesting products from around the world, including jewellery, incense, and ornaments. It is small, but it is growing, and I truly believe in the quality of the products I am selling and hope to keep selling more and bringing in new stock. I hope to establish a small business with happy customers, and suppliers that are proud to see the work I do promoting their creations.
In my shop, you can also find my artwork and books, and I hope you’ll love those too.
Writing Advice – On Ko-Fi, I am posting writing advice articles filled with the hints and tips I’ve learned over the last few years to support and encourage anybody wanting to write. I reference popular fiction and try to keep everything as accessible and relatable as possible, because the world needs more stories, and I want to help makes yours one of them.
If you enjoy what I’m writing about and find it useful, please consider buying me a coffee through my ko-fi account. It’s not essential, the info is there for free for all, but it’s always appreciated.
Family
I don’t know how this will new family will work yet, it’s such a huge change for us all. Right now I’m struggling to see past the sadness, but what I do know is my little girls love and adore their family both on my side and his, so however this new setup works, it won’t be bad. Just different.
Home
Where will we be living this time next year? I don’t know. But I hope we find somewhere. A new little home just for us. A space where my daughters can grow up and feel safe and loved, just as they did in our last home. I’ll keep you posted.
Starting over yet again is harder than I can explain, but I’ll do it. I’ve got family, friends, and a determination to put one foot in front of the other foot, no matter what happens.
JJ x
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