Hey, all my readers out there.
The Year 2024 has been really . . . something, both for the greater world and for myself personally. That's not to say there hasn't been any ups this year. There certainly has been. But it's hard not to let those ups get overshadowed by all the downs which, to this day, seem to have no end in sight. I can tell you that certain world events have left me both frustrated and disappointed. And I'm sure you all have been as well.
Anyway, let's get right to it, then.
For the Year 2024, I managed to finish and publish two books on Amazon. One of them was probably one of my best works (in my own opinion) in a long while. It is the fantasy, slice-of-life story of The Vampire's Coffee Shop. There were a few hiccups here and there, but overall, it went exactly as I had hoped, right down to the ending. The final scene in particular was something I had envisioned since the start of writing the story. And I also got to express some of my world views and beliefs through the story as well.
The other's the second volume of The Mysteries of the Community Service Club. It takes place during summertime and the villain this time has literal fire power. I can't say I've done a really good job. I know some parts of the stories flopped, mainly because there were elements to the story that I've never been good with. Just click HERE to buy the book.
Both stories are not only available in paperback form on Amazon, but they are free to read online. But I do hope you'll show me some support by visiting the links above and buying a book.
Moving on, I am still working on the final book of the Lucy Douglas Series. I've just about reached the final part of the story, but I still have many, many chapters to go.
It is the same for The Magical Trials of Lily Wong which I started at the very beginning of this year. I had hoped to finish the first volume before the end of 2024, but that does not seem likely. I have reached the final arc for the volume, but it will also be many chapters long still.
Now there are several reasons why I wasn't able to finish some stories this year. One is because I was on an overseas trip. Another is world news that prompted me to put my pen down so to speak refrain from posting anything or post poems with reflection of my feelings instead. There have also been moments where I didn't have the energy to write and I take a break instead. But more frequently than not, I've been hit with Writer's Block which can get increasingly frustrating the closer I am to the finish line. Not only that, I end up getting inspired to write brand new stories, just adding to the number of stories I'm already juggling at the same time, which is now four total. I haven't posted chapters of the new story yet, but I might get started on 2025.
Speaking of 2025, with a new year on the horizon comes new resolutions for it.
Just like for 2024, I resolve as a writer to have at least one book published by the end of 2025. No, scratch that. Let's be ambitious and make it two, no THREE books. But realistically, by the end of next year, two of the stories I'm working on should be done and published as books. Three if it's a good year. All four might be a bit of a stretch since the newest story was started late in this year. I can only hope that I won't get hit with more Writer's Block next year than this one.
Now for my 2025 plans.
Like I mentioned earlier, I got a new story in the works. This one takes place in an old neighborhood of a city in modern-day China where a variety of characters battle for possession of a mystical, otherworldly artifact called the Pearl of Fate.
And if all goes well for me next year, I'll finally be finished with the last novel of my Lucy Douglas series, the first volume of my Lily Wong series, and the third volume of my CSC series. Once those are all done, I'll move on to Lily Wong Volume Two and CSC Volume Four. I already have a general outline of both volumes and clear visions of their endings. The only problem that remains, as always, is the nitty-gritty details.
Now, what else . . . Oh! That's right! So about The Vampire's Coffee Shop story I mentioned earlier. I actually have inspiration to write a prequel (and sequel) to it, sort of like an anthology of events that happen during the Vampire's entire career which would, of course, include tales from before and after the original story. Maybe after I take care of some of the above stories, I'll get to it.
That's about all I got to say for now. Good bye, 2024 and hello 2025. To borrow the words of a famed comedian, "Let's all do better next year."
Oh, and also, I got a poem to express how I view 2024 and the dawn of 2025. Fair warning, it is a downer of a poem. So if you're hoping to spend Christmas and the end of this year with some cheer, don't scroll down any further.
That's it from me for the rest of 2024. Merry Christmas, have a happy New Year, and happy reading, everyone!
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POEM: 2024
2024
True Colors fly
Looming Shadows spring
Masks of heroism fly off and expose the Villain beneath
Four Years of Hope end in Darkness
With nary any Progress
Clowns continue to be Clowns where Clowns don't belong
The Greedy continue to Steer the Wheel of Fate
And Sinners avoid the Hammer of Justice
The Year of the Dragon it is not
The Year of Monsters it is
For it has been a Year Monsters rampage
It has been a Year that the Devil Laughed
Flipped on its head is Law and Order
Tarnished, sullied, tossed aside is the Honor of Nations
Once Victims of Heinous Acts, now Reflections of the Heinous One,
The Heinous One whose Name lives in Eternal Infamy and Disgrace
So with the Close of the Year,
So begins the Open of a New One
Bereft of Hope, Lacking of Faith
Hearts stained Black, a return of the "Bah, Humbug"
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