Here's to 2026!

It certainly has been a while! But it's a new year, and we're leaving negative things in the past and looking optimistically to the future! Here's a short wrap-up of my reading and writing for the last twelve months and goals for the next twelve.

 

Reading

In 2025, my reading goal was 45 books. I exceeded that and read 55, including some single-issue comics. Here are five of my favorites: 

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki and Joëlle Jones 
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft 

I also embarked on a loose project of reading all the Supergirl comics I can get my hands on, starting with the current run by Sophie Campbell and working my way backwards. I finished the Rebirth (2016) run and started the New 52 (2011) run. So far, my favorite graphic novel is the standalone Being Super, pictured above. I thought it did a great job capturing Kara's emotional journey. 

Next year, I'm hoping to read 52 books. That's one a week if I can do it! I'll also be continuing my Supergirl project.

 

Writing

I didn't do so hot on the writing side of things last year! That's due to a number of factors, including mental health, focusing on trying to move back home, and concern that releasing the last book in a series will be more of a whimper than a bang.

However, I did manage to make progress on Book 3 of The Heartfriends. I can confidently say it's looking better than it was! I also did a little bit of work on my next fantasy series, set in a land called Vesarrna, by doing some worldbuilding and planning out a novella.

What's next: Finishing Book 3! I'm planning to publish it later this year, so stay tuned! My Vesarrna plans include revising Book 1 in the series and drafting a novella.

 

I hope you all met your reading goals! Drop some book recommendations if you've got 'em. Good luck on your goals for this year. Let's keep our chins up and do the hard work so we can reap the rewards at the end of the year. 🫶

 

 

Dear Elphie

Dear Elphie,

We brought you home in September of 2014, and even though there were some growing pains (you were nervous, and--let's be real--house-training took a long time!), it was one of the best decisions of my life. Soon enough, we were pretty inseparable. Walks in the park and around the neighborhood, watching TV while lounging (or cockroaching) on the big red couch in the family room, you sleeping in between my legs on my tiny twin bed. And I loved every moment we spent together.

Your presence did wonders for my mental health. You got me out on a walk every day. You made me laugh when I'd get home and you'd zoom around the room, bouncing on the couch. You were always ready for snuggles. When life got me down, you always brought me back up. I'll never forget that.

A few years ago, we tried Ohio for a little bit, but you missed Mom and Dad. I didn't blame you because you were always a social dog, always wanting people to pet you and talk to you and love you up. I do regret not being closer for almost three years, but I hope you knew you were the reason I came to visit so often. I'm glad you stayed with them so you could be around them almost all day every day and that you got to see so many of your friends on walks around the neighborhood. So many people loved you! I can't even count the number of times strangers called you "such a beautiful dog," and you sure did live for the attention. 

You lived for attention so much that sometimes when we stopped petting you, you'd paw us until we started again. Even when I moved to a queen bed, you made sure to be right up against me as we slept. If I moved away a bit, you'd move, too, until I was right on the edge and you and your long legs were taking up most of the mattress. 

Writing Update: Spring 2023

 

It's been a while since I gave a proper writing update! So, here it is. In case you missed it, I released an epic fantasy novella back in February called IN THE ARMS OF THE RESTLESS SEA. It's set in The Heartfriends universe, and it follows Nessa, Aurelia's childhood best friend, as she navigates life after the temple. Check out the synopsis:

Sometimes, only when we’re lost can we discover who we truly are.

When Nessa and her fellow priestesses are abducted from their temple by bounty hunters, Nessa is the only one to escape. Unable to return to the sole home she’s ever known, she is forced into the great wide world, where she will either forge her own path or leave her life up to chance. Along the way, she just might find a family, find herself, and find out what “home” truly means.

Add it to your to-read list on Goodreads and buy it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.

I also participated in an anthology that recently came out called TALES OF MONSTROSITY, which includes 19 stories of the monsters we think we know. Check it out today!

GIVEAWAY: Signed Copies of In the Arms of the Restless Sea

 

NEW RELEASE: In the Arms of the Restless Sea

It's here! In the Arms of the Restless Sea is now available on Kindle e-book and in paperback. Click the cover photo above to go to Amazon. 

 

The e-book will stay exclusive to Kindle for a while, but the paperback should be available at Barnes & Noble online and other online stores.

NEWS: Upcoming Heartfriends Novella

I have news! After working starting this project a long time ago, taking a break, and finally picking it up again last fall, I've made a ton of progress on In the Arms of the Sea, a novella set in The Heartfriends universe and revolving around Aurelia's old friend Nessa. 

I've been working hard to put this out in the world soon, so you can expect it in the next month or so. I'll be releasing more information as I have it.

For now, check out below for a glimpse of what the cover will look like!

2022 Favorites

As the year winds down, I'm reflecting on the pop culture I've consumed throughout the year. Below, you'll find my lists of the favorite TV shows, movies, music, and books I've enjoyed. Unsurprisingly, this is genre heavy! None of the lists are in any particular order.

TV Shows

1. Willow (Disney+)

20 years after vanquishing the wicked queen Bavmorda, the sorcerer Willow Ufgood leads a group of misfits on a dangerous rescue mission into the unknown.

2. The Letter for the King (Netflix)

Tiuri, a teenage squire, answers a call for help that sends him on a perilous mission across the three kingdoms to deliver a secret letter to the King.

3. Andor (Disney+)

Prequel series to Star Wars' 'Rogue One'. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.

4. Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)

Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

5. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has to save young Leia after she is kidnapped, all the while being pursued by Imperial Inquisitors and his former Padawan, now known as Darth Vader.

Honorable mention: Motherland: Fort Salem. Couldn't leave this baby out, especially since this year's third season was the final season.