Happy Halloween! Trick or treat! I very much prefer treats over tricks, so here's one from me. My new release! Last year on Halloween, I published Helix, my spooky season short story from the Galactic Explorers universe. This year, I give you... my summer book. *snort laugh* Hey. The books are done when they're done. I had to give up on the idea of releasing my seasonal books in the correct season with Rimehollow. At least I'm halfway through the series now. Ready for the next adventure? Then come with me!

So... Yeah, it's been six months since the last update. Heh. Rest assured that I've just been busy; I haven't fallen off the planet or anything. I wish the preoccupation had everything to do with my writing projects, but alas, real life has been keeping me busy too. And yes, I am aware that it's spring now (in the northern hemisphere, at least), which belies the wintery scene above, but I'm launching a new series, and the first book is set in wintertime. Yay! Let's get the show on the road!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Here we are, at the end of October again already. Mother Nature finally allowed autumn to arrive in Colorado and the weather feels like it should, rather than eternal summer. Don't get me wrong, I like things about all the seasons (and I live someplace where I'm lucky enough to get all four of them), but fall is my absolute favorite. Time to break out the cozy sweaters and hot cocoa! Yay! And in the spirit of Halloween, I've brought you all a treat.

OMG... I feel like I've been working on this book forever. Maybe that's because this is a truly epic-length story. Seriously. This is my 25th book, and the length is second only to The Warrior King, the final installment of the Knights of Sehaann series. I remember telling my family about the beginning of Rasalas at Christmas last year, and now here it is, published and released for your enjoyment. My sister always tells me I write too fast for her to keep up with my books, but it doesn't feel that way most of the time. Especially when I see in my vendor dashboards that Nashira, book three of Galactic Explorers,​ was released almost exactly a year ago. Well, here's book four. If you like lengthy reads, this one's for you.

Not a lot of people who know me in real life know I write books. Far more of them know I create digital art, but I've actually been writing for longer than I've been using a computer to make pretty pictures. It's so incredibly satisfying to be able to do both now and illustrate my stories with the visions I get in my head as I write the words. My family occasionally asks me how my books are doing and if I'm still writing. And while I smile and answer the questions as I inwardly lament the fact that they seem to forget my website exists, I remind myself every time that it doesn't matter. The stories and characters are in my head anyway and I write them because I have to. I don't have to share them with the world but I do, just in case someone else might enjoy them. Creativity is a need for me, a way to feed my soul and manifest happiness. Releasing my creations is like putting little pieces of myself out in the cosmos for others to discover. It's accomplishing something, sharing my art with the universe. For anyone out there who might read this... Thanks. Just like Tsubasa up there, it makes me happy to think my art might connect with others' emotions and allow us to share something special. I create because I love it, and that's what keeps me going. And for my next labor of angst...

Welcome to November! Yesterday was about all things spooky and now we've fallen straight into the holiday season. Christmas ads have started popping up everywhere, and it seems like every coffee chain is hyping their seasonal menu today. And while pumpkin- and peppermint-flavored food items are certainly part of my holiday indulgences, there are many other traditions my family and I have cultivated over several years.

So, here we are at the last day of August. The feel of autumn is in the air (even as summer refuses to relent with mid-90s temps in Colorado this week). Pumpkin spice everything is starting to show up everywhere. And Costco has both Halloween and Christmas decorations in store. We're heading downhill into my favorite season. What better time to release a new book?

One of the things I say often when someone asks me if I'm done with a project is, "Nothing's ever final until it's published." And even then, pretty much everything is subject to change. I still find typos in books I published years ago. Sometimes, I go through the hassle of republishing to fix them, but mostly I don't. I'm human. I'm not perfect. Sorry if you happen upon one of those mistakes. I do try my best to eliminate them before publication. One thing that has the annoying habit of frequency for this perfectionist, though, is the evolution of my artwork over the course of writing a book.