In fact, I always looked at it as a destination.

 

But I'm pretty sure I was wrong.

 

In fact, all evidence seems to be pointing to the very real concept that change is a path 🏘, and like all roads, it has bumps and turns in it.

 

This week, I started my journey down that road, and WHEW.  I'm finding that it can be very bumpy indeed.

 

Let me preface this VIP letter to you by saying that this was not the newsletter I was supposed to be sending to you this week.

 

Not even a little bit.

 

No, this VIP letter was supposed to be a recap of Labor Day BBQs, the smell of fresh-cut grass, playing beer 🍻 pong and celebrating these final few weeks of summer's hot days and warm nights.

 

The things you'd expect me to talk about right now, right?

 

Well, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

 

Not after what happened last Friday morning. No way.

 

Instead I'm learning a hard lesson about adaptability, navigating the bumpy roads of change and building a better tomorrow.

 

And this week's VIP letter?

 

 

In an episode of "Business Made Simple" with business guru Donald Miller, Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of ENTREPRENEUR magazine talked about the 4️⃣ stages we as people move through when a massive disruption occurs.

 

Let's just say I'm working through each of those stages as I write this letter to you.

 

But before we get into talks of the stages of change and what to do when the unexpected has happened once again, I first want to welcome you back to another week here at the Wrye on the Rocks VIP Romance Reader VIP List.

 

If you're new to the VIP Romance List, then you should know that this is a place where we Romance readers not only talk about the romance books we're reading, but also about life, love, family, and everything else in between.

 

This list is like our own secret society within the romance reader community where we talk about how romance books can impact our real lives and help us in ways that nothing else can. (Of course, there are many other forms of entertainment 📺 we all enjoy here on the list--in my case, that's drooling over Henry-Cavill Witcher pics on Pinterest--but romance novels is where we spend the most time!).

 

And if you're not new to the Wrye on the Rocks VIP Romance Leader List, then welcome back. It's always good to have you here. (Don't forget: the Henry Cavil shrine is in the back, along with the snacks! 🍫)

 

This week, I'm going to have a lot to say about how to keep moving forward when your path starts to change, the billionaire romance books that we all need in our lives, and a reminder that, like our favorite novels, about the prospect of choosing your own adventure & path when life happens and you need to deal with the unexpected.

 

So let's get right into it, shall we??

 

 

 

 

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It feels easier—at least it often seems that way—to feel like we're come out ahead when we've had a chance to plan, to think it over, to be the one behind the wheel of change.

 

But what happens when the unexpected happens?

 

 

How do we adjust to the unexpected, the world that SUDDENLY seems different than it did the week before?

 

It's a question that we all eventually come across.

 

A question that always seems to bubble up in the middle of a crisis, even if we've been planning for it our whole lives.

 

It's a question I had to face last Friday morning.

 

And lemme tell you—it sucks.

 

At least it felt like such at the time.

 

You see, I had no idea that real change was coming to me last Friday morning at 8:00 AM as I was rushing from my bedroom to the kitchen, preparing myself breakfast in a hurry.

 

I was preparing for the long Labor Day weekend here on my little side of the metro Atlanta, GA, USA area.

 

This last weekend that was supposed to be about me doing an extra long run and relaxing at the pool 🏊‍♂️ before I had to get back on track and get back on the horse to finish the secret billionaire book I've been working hard on to share with you in the upcoming weeks

 

(What's better for fall than sexy rich men, strong female main characters, a city backdrop + heartbreak, you know!)

 

 

To say life at work is stressful was an understatement.

 

Another manager on our team had recently quit and our tiny team was shrinking, tensions rising and hostilities popping all around.

 

Work hours had gotten even longer, and we were all trying to keep up with the ball of yarn that was our workload.

 

I'd been working more hours than I was used to and just wasn't feeling it.

 

 

Trying not make a joke about being “ridden” by Henry Cavill, btw 😩

 

Anyway, when I got home Friday night, I told myself that, even though the weekend ahead was promised to be the best of times, all I wanted to do was get some sleep.

 

But then a surprise meeting on Friday morning threw a wrench into my plans.

 

My boss didn't like what she saw, and wanted to meet with me on Friday morning to see about making changes to my work day schedule.

 

I went in - bleary eyed and dragging from lack of sleep.

 

And it didn't take long for my boss to hammer out what was expected of me. More than should be expected if I was in my right mind, if you know what I mean.

 

There was no way I was going to go along with this crazy request.

 

I've worked hard to build up my individual workday with down time in the evenings and on weekends.

 

I take weekends off to devote fully to my writing, and I make sure I have time off during the week to give myself a chance to breathe.

 

This is how I create the best work--and how I live my life most successfully.

 

 

I explained this to my manager.

 

And let's just say she wasn't having it.

 

So the end of our meeting saw me in tears and her telling me that my job was on the line if I didn't stick to this new schedule.

 

 

My chest got tight, my head went fuzzy and I had a hard time seeing clear.

 

After all, this schedule change she was proposing was something that I simply couldn't do. And what was worse...

 

I was getting bullied into it 😵‍💫

 

 

Did she even hear me? I wasn't sure if she did, but what she did hear was that I couldn't handle all this new responsibility and I needed to get my head back in the game.

 

And then she said a bunch of things that I'm not going to repeat here, but they left me feeling like I had no fight left in me.

 

So when I got home from work on Friday evening I couldn't help but feel like the weekend was shot.

 

I'd been in work situations like this before. Where difficult managers turn into despots who take advantage of people's fears and insecurities.

 

I'd had to put up with bosses like this before. And I hated myself for putting up with it.

 

I couldn't take it.

 

When I left work for the day, a plan had been made. (Or, rather, a plan had been "unmade")

 

I decided that I was quitting.

 

And that I was quitting just then, without even taking one of my few paid days off over the weekend.

 

I got out laptop and made a plan to find a new job before I went to bed--a plan that I felt was within my reach.

 

And as I got ready for bed and hopped on the laptop, I felt some relief.

 

I know you're probably thinking "RELIEF?? How could you feel relief? You just quit your job without another one in place! How is that a good thing?"

 

Because I planned for it. I made sure that I had plenty of money set aside so that I could take a month or so off from making money.

 

And even though I was able to do it, I felt like I'd been pushed into a situation where I couldn't afford not to make the move.

 

 

My sense of self-worth. The soft independence I'd worked hard to build for myself.

 

But once I made the decision and my mind was made up, things got better.

 

I didn't have a job lined up or anything like that. But I knew that things would be okay. I'd get a new job quickly and I'd be able to make up some of the time I'd spent at work (I didn't spend all of my time at work, but it feels like I did).

 

I could take a month off from making money and focus on making something that I cared about.

 

And the fact that I had a plan made everything better.

 

I felt more in control of my life, like I'd valued myself enough to do what was best for me.

 

I had already begun my journey through what Jason Feifer described as the four (4️⃣) stages of massive disruption:

 

 

The Friday morning meeting had me in Panic. By the end of the long weekend, my feet were set firmly in Adaptation.

 

And frankly?

 

I can't wait to see what the New Normal is going to look like!

 

 

I woke up this morning, ready to tackle the day and even got a chance to write more of the Billionaire Romance I mentioned earlier.

 

I have to change the Release Date, of course. (I'm pushing back to next month b/c releasing this month would put me in a casket ⚰️)

 

But I feel sooo much better about sharing this newest Manhattan Nights novel with you.

 

In case you haven't heard me talk about it, here's a quick synopsis of  THE CON (A Forbidden, Secret Billionaire Romance) coming October 28th ;)

 

 

 

If you've had the chance to spend time in the Manhattan Nights world, then you'll def want to grab this steamy forbidden, secret Billionaire Romance and the eighth full-length novel in the Manhattan Nights series on ✨ special pre-order ✨

 

 

 

 

 

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📖 A FREE BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE TO READ NEXT 📖

 

Speaking of Billionaire Romance (on a totally upside note), I have an exclusive story for you.

 

With a male billionaire 💰 biker alpha with the name of Rock Wolfe, you can imagine how awesome this story is.

 

THE REBEL by Helen Hardt is a raw, fast-paced romance with a hero to die for:

 

He was the bearded, tattooed biker all women wanted. But there was only one he wanted: his father's fiesty attorney Lacey Ward.

 

And if you're a BR reader like me, you probably won't be able to enough of the cityscapes, the fast cars, the mansions and especially the bad boys.

 

This sizzling 🔥 erotic story is part of the Wolfes of Manhattan series and has a tantalizing, danger-filled plot that should leave you wanting more.

 

So, if you're ready to see what Rock Wolfe looks like without his leather and black boots (well, you know, he's got a few of those on), you can get your exclusive copy as a VIP member of the Billionaire Book Boyfriend Club.

 

As a member, you have FREE exclusive access to the sexiest, steamiest Billionaire stories from your favorite romance authors every month.

 

This month's free BBBC book, THE REBEL, is a must-read for every steamy romance aficionado, but you have to jump on getting this exclusive story now.

 

 

To find out more about Rock and Lacey's steamy romance, join us at the BBBC here and read THE REBEL for FREE right now!

 

When Rock Wolfe was fourteen, he tried to kill his father.

Twenty years later, someone else finished the job.

 

Now Rock is returning to New York for the reading of the billionaire’s will. No way did Derek Wolfe leave anything to his oldest son, but according to Rock’s brother, his presence is required.

 

Estate attorney Lacey Ward isn’t looking forward to the reading. None of Derek Wolfe’s children will be happy, least of all his oldest. When Rock enters the conference room, Lacey is stunned. He’s a rebel—a biker all muscled and gorgeous in black leather. This won’t be easy, especially since she can’t stop staring at him.

 

Rock pays no attention to the reading. He’s lost in a fantasy of bending his father’s hot attorney over a desk. He’s not a commitment kind of guy, though, and she screams white picket fence.

 

Sparks fly between them, but the murder lurks in the back of their minds.

Rock knows all his family’s secrets…or so he thinks. Mysteries seem to hide everywhere—mysteries that threaten not only his and Lacey’s future but their lives as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I know it seems like with quitting my job that I may have moved through that first stage, Panic, pretty quickly.

 

But I haven't. There's still a lot of things (and people) that bring me back to that place where my mind says "You can't do this!"

 

I've had to work through them one by one and I'm still in the process of doing it.

 

 

ENTREPRENEUR magazine Editor-in-Chief Jason Feifer addresses that Panic stage first in the "Business Made Simple" podcast and also in his book "Build for Tomorrow."

 

And he also addresses why we go through this Panic stage.

 

He puts it this way:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be hard to take that path 🛣

 

Especially when you feel like you've been seeing those "What the hell am I doing?" road signs and the "this is too much, too soon" billboards for a while.

 

But, I'm telling you—you're on that road.

 

 

You'll know the signs. You'll see those road signs 🚏 change. You'll see the billboards that used to say "Are you sure you want to take this road?" will quit flashing. You'll see that you're making progress.

 

And then you'll see how far you've come. You'll see what you have to do next.

 

And that's all the more reason why it was time to start walking down that road.

 

Because you're making progress. That progress will only get bigger, even when you get all sideways and unsure of yourself along the way.

 

And when you look back, you'll know why.

 

 

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For some, it's a divorce. For others, it's a move to a different town. For me, it was a job that I just thought would never let me do what I really wanted to do.

 

Whatever your road is, consider yourself lucky.

 

You'll never run out of paths to take, mountains ⛰ to climb, and frissons to feel.

 

And if you need to pull over for a minute to figure things out, that's okay too. That's part of the Adaptation phase.

 

You're not the only one who's been there.

 

And you're not alone.

 

Remember that there are two more stages to go through with Change: the "New Normal" and the "Wouldn't Go Back".

 

When you get there, you'll fill in the blanks for yourself.

 

 

Soon enough, some of those road signs and billboards on that road to Tomorrow will start to read "Wouldn't Change a Thing."

 

Embrace the unexpected.

 

Adjust with the change.

 

Watch out for the falling rocks on the mountainous pass. (Cross your fingers about the possibility of running into a Henry-Cavill lookalike while you're at it).

 

And don't forget to take in the scenery 🏜 along the way.

 

You've got this.

 

 

 

 

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P.S. I'm currently rewatching Season 1 of THE WITCHER in my free time and using shirtless scenes of Henry Cavill to self-soothe when I need it.

 

I'm sharing one with you, in case, you do too 😉

 

 

**By the way: Just wanted you to know that you're receiving this letter from my crazy self b/c you signed up to receive my VIP letters as a member of the Billionaire Book Boyfriend Club or because I bribed you into being on my VIP list 🙃

 

Natalie Wrye is a reader, writer and tequila lover best known for writing seductive billionaire romance and characters whose HEA's you'll love rooting for.

A notebook hoarder whose books have been featured on USA Today's HEA and PopSugar, when she's not watching Netflix re-runs or yelling at college basketball games on TV, she's usually crafting sexy suspenseful stories about hard-bodied, take-charge heroes and the strong-willed women who crave them.

She loves it when people get weird with her on IG or NatalieWrye.com