Managing the Mayhem - May Edition

May Has Gone Off‑Script (But It’s Okay)

By Lisa M. Orban

If April felt like a juggling act, May took one look at the balls in the air, laughed, and said, “Adorable. Now try juggling flaming chainsaws while riding a unicycle.”

This month didn’t just wander off‑script, it staged a full‑scale rebellion against the script, rewrote the plot, and then dared me to keep up. And honestly? I’m starting to think the universe is workshopping a new genre: chaotic realism with comedic undertones.

Between book trailers, festival prep, onboarding a new author, tech gremlins staging a coup, and the general cosmic mischief that seems to follow me like a stray cat… May has been a whole saga, and we’re only halfway through it.

But here’s the thing: Off‑script doesn’t mean off‑track. Sometimes it just means the story decided to take a more interesting route.

The Month’s Plot Twists (Abridged, for sanity)

• Multiple trailers decided to evolve into full cinematic productions, complete with dramatic music, last‑minute edits, and the occasional existential crisis.

• Technology continued its long‑standing tradition of betraying me at the most inconvenient moments.

• My schedule tried to escape out a window. I caught it. It hissed. We’re working through it.

• Authors came with questions, updates, surprises, and the occasional “quick thing” that was never quick.

• And somewhere in the middle of the chaos, we welcomed a new author into the fold, always a bright spot and a reminder of why I do this work in the first place.

• I also remembered to hydrate. Once. Maybe twice. It’s all a blur. Coffee counts, right??

The Lesson May Tried to Teach Me

Sometimes the month you planned isn’t the month you get. And sometimes the month you get is the one that forces you to stretch, adapt, improvise, and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

May didn’t follow the outline. May didn’t even pretend to follow the outline. But the work still got done. The stories still moved forward. The community still grew. And the mayhem — as always — was managed. Or at least wrangled into something resembling cooperation.

And honestly?

That’s enough. More than enough.

Looking Ahead to June

May may be going rogue. But June is already peeking around the corner with a suspicious grin, but at least now I’m warmed up, caffeinated, and fully aware that the script is more of a suggestion than a rule.

Until then, keep managing your mayhem — or at least pretending you are.

Pretending counts.

Honest, I wouldn’t lie to you.