It’s My Birthday!!!!

Hello,

It has been some time.

One of my favorite quotes is “A year from now, you may wish you started Today.” – Karen Lamb

I try to live like this, and the results vary. What needs to be known? I am still writing and working on being consistent. I also wish to improve this blog and website. It has been a trying time, and I hope we are all doing well.

January Reflections & Resolutions

Hello,

It has been a time for everyone. I am saying this early; things are hard enough as they are. Remember to be kind and persevere.

The fourth quarter of 2025 felt like the most ambitious period. I don’t know if it was productive, but it was oddly prolific in story creation. This happened when I couldn’t work on the writing projects I assigned to the Rough Draft Challenge with Heartbreathings or Novel November with ProWritingAid. I’m calling them the staple novels from now on. There are now several stories in development under the label or genre of speculative fiction. For the past year, there has been angst against fanfiction, romantasy, romance, or any media that features a Black person. So I do what I do: write romance, science fiction, and fantasy with Black people. 

Writing updates – during November and December, I gave Dead Girl Tale 2 a lot of attention. Despite stating that I had other writing projects of interest. This January, it’s been mostly Fayte/Maghnus Monogatari. I signed up for a free writing workshop with ProWritingAid and used the tips offered with this story. The structure of FMM is distinctly different from the other stories. Novellas or Novelettes carry the narrative of the characters’ lives. This does not mean I’ve given up on Dead Girl Tale 2 or Heirs. My goal is to complete the workshop and use everything suggested toward story creation. In Dead Girl Tale 2, there is a whole new scene to develop, and in Heirs, as a new story idea, a plausible outline is being planned.  

I’ve been following writers/content creators who are suggesting strategies to maintain consistency as writers and authors.  They suggest reading in the genre you wish to write in and writing with intention.  They have adopted methods from successful authors like Ray Bradbury and Stephen King to achieve the same results. I’ve tried some of them, but I’m not as dedicated as I would like to be, and I would like to change that in February.  

In reflection, I haven’t been reading enough, and I need to change that. I have books, audiobooks, and graphic novels piling up, plus a new Libby account to make things more affordable. If reading in your genre improves your writing – and everyone says it does – then I need to commit to the practice, not just the idea. February’s goal: add structure to my reading and actually track it. I also want to maintain the dedication to writing methods I’ve been learning from content creators and successful authors. As for the story page launch? That’s moving to Q3. I’d rather launch it right, with finished stories and proper attention, than rush it to meet a timeline I’m not actually working toward. There is also the writing workshop that will most likely be completed in mid-February. That is on my time, not theirs. ProWritingAid set the workshop for 14 days.

That’s January in reflection and February in resolution. Now, to actually do the work. As stated in the first paragraph, these are difficult times. It is harder to remember that we are good people. We don’t need to be dragged down; we have to draw the line and refuse to be monsters. Kindness and standards help with that. I hope the rest of your week goes well.

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November Doldrums

Hello,

Thank you for the likes and follows.

We are still experimenting with the format.

Media update: The first 3 episodes of the Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime have dropped. I will be binge-watching it tonight. Still working through the books from my last post—there isn’t enough time in the day. Sleep and proper hydration are essential.

Writing update: Dead Girl Tale 2 and F/M Monogatari are progressing. There are no significant breakthroughs. I am focusing on character and setting development. Honestly, I should’ve worked through these obstacles in October, but I was busy studying vampire romance instead. I am enjoying the webinars and word-counting perks from the various communities offering a writing challenge.

Speaking of November: On the right is an AI-generated topaz ring. Topaz is a birthstone for November. The meanings are abundance, good fortune, protection, and joy. The other birthstone for November is citrine. They look similar and mean the same thing. The difference is that topaz is a mineral and can vary in color. Citrine is a type of quartz; its color ranges from yellow to dark orange.

That’s it for this week. I hope this finds you doing well. Remember to be kind.

November Plans

Hello, Thanks for the likes and follows. I hope you are all doing well.

The flowers of the month are peonies and chrysanthemums. I did a little research and found that the meanings of these flowers are nice to remember – peonies are for romantic love (happy marriage), good luck, and prosperity; chrysanthemums are for joy, longevity, optimism, and undying friendship. The birthstones are citrine and topaz, and their meanings are similar to the flowers. I like to keep this type of information around; it inspires me, and I hope it inspires others as well.

A lot happens in November, besides the holiday at the end of the month. Writers all over the world are working on their most significant projects. I know I sound over the top, but it really feels like it. We are like 100,000+ marathon runners with our writing equipment. Some of us use pens and paper, others use computers, typewriters, and distraction-free devices. I signed up for two writing events. My grand ambition is leading me onto strange pathways.

I always have more than one writing project on the brain, and I’ve attempted to focus on just one for these monthly challenges, but I’ve never been able to succeed. There has been some progress, but I have yet to reach the finish line. I accept the type of writer I am and move forward.

The first is the Rough Draft Challenge by Sarra Cannon and the Heart Breathings community. The project I started there is Dead Girl Tale 2: Nox. I never gave up on this story. The fun thing about the Rough Draft Challenge is that you can set or reset your writing goals. Dead Girl Tale 2 is part of a four-story saga, which I call the Imperium/Galactic Alliance Universe or I/GAU. For most of the year, I’ve been struggling with laying out the outlines and characters for those stories. There has been a nearly two-month break. Here’s a brief summary of Dead Girl Tale 2: Nox:

The main character, Nox, was kidnapped as a teenager and sold in the Imperium to the shady side of that part of space. She was replaced by a clone, Nieve Xander, her original name. This clone dies from a clone-related illness. The Xander family grieved for their sister. Several years later, her DNA is picked up. They pull strings and bring her back to Galactic Alliance space, believing that she is a clone. Adult Nox has changed over the years and will do what she has to for her identity and autonomy.

The next challenge event, set up by ProWritingAid, is Novel November. Initially, I was going to use the same story for both events, but it didn’t feel entirely ethical. I changed the title to Fayte Maghnus Monogatari. I’ve written about this story before—or should it be called a serial? A decision for the future. This is my urban paranormal series. The goal for Novel November (NovNov) is to write 50,000 words. That breaks down to about 12,500 words per story, which is manageable. I’m rewriting the four novella-length stories I have for the monogatari. The working titles for these stories are: The Long Night, 2010/The Séance House, New Tale of a Body Thief, and Neighbors. Each story starts off with either Fayte or Maghnus as the main character. Fayte Devoe is a psychopomp with the mantle of Charon, the Ferryman. Maghnus Knight is a medium. Because of the nature of their abilities, they cross paths.

The task list this month appears to be huge. I thought I could squeeze one more developing story, but reality hits eventually. Therefore, the outline for the vampire romance is on hold until January 2026. Full disclosure, I will probably write notes on it and the characters, but the actual story is for the future as well.

The media update is going to be simple. I found myself nostalgic for the 2000s and 2010s. Maybe even the early 1990s. I have finally watched the completed live-action series of The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and caught up with the Mayfair Witches created by Anne Rice. Yes, I’m listening to both books – Discovery of Witches, book 1 in the All Souls series, and The Witching Hour, book 1 in the Mayfair Witches series. Why was I into all this paranormal drama? It was the end of October, and I am developing a vampire romance. I also realized I am still listening to Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and Supernatural Academy by Jaymin Eve. These books are all under the umbrella of urban fantasy/paranormal, but they all read differently. And carry their own appeal. I try to elaborate when I complete the stories or remember.

The other thing I am looking forward to besides a really good Thanksgiving meal is Critical Role’s The Mighty Nein animation. I’m a big fan of Vox Machina and have watched the animated series multiple times. I have even watched campaigns, but they take longer.

That is all for now. This post is way longer than expected. If you’ve read it all, thanks again. I hope the rest of the week goes well for you all. For the writers, writing in challenges or not, you’ve got this. I want us all to succeed and remember to be kind.

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