It’s my birthday weekend! I’m now, officially, in my “Late 40s.” So, um… yay? Yay.
No, seriously, yay! YAY, even! This has been a, let’s say, interesting year to say the least, but I’m still kickin’ and I’m still moving forward every day, even if it’s only a few measly millimeters (Yeah, I’m throwing metric at all yinz.)
This year has been marked by some drastic life changes for me and my spouse, some health drama, and, of course, *wildly gesticulates out the window at the world* all THAT. But in the end, my spouse and I are still standing and even, dare I say, thriving.
Probably the thing that had the biggest impact on my life in the last year was that of some upheaval in my professional life. I prefer not to go into the specifics here, but it looks like I’ve come out the other side of it finding myself in a similar, if possibly slightly better (in some ways) place. The second biggest thing was some medical drama involving my awesomely amazing and amazingly awesome spouse. Again, we’ve managed to come out the other side of it relatively fine, everything considered, to which I’m extraordinarily grateful to the universe for.
Which brings us to the third most impactful item of the last year: Finally publishing my first novel. But what do I mean by impactful? Do I mean it has impacted my life financially? Uh… no. Not really. I’ve sold maybe a dozen copies in the last 4 1/2 months. Has it impacted my life in terms of fame? Again, no, because A.) I write under a pen name, and B.) even if I didn’t, I’ve, again, sold maybe a dozen copies so the number of people who are even aware I wrote a novel could all sit comfortably on a city bus.
And yet, I can’t help but feel like the simple act of creating a book and putting it out there has changed my life forever, even if I can’t define how in easily tangible ways.
Anyway, as it is my birthday, let’s talk gifts. I decided to give myself a gift this year and bought my spouse and I our first high-end dedicated gaming PC. I have been a console gamer for years, but was getting steadily frustrated with not being able to play everything I’ve wanted to because it was either A.) exclusive to a console we didn’t own (e.g. The Last of Us), or B.) already on a console generation beyond what we already own. So, instead of dropping money on yet another console that won’t have like 35% of the games we want to play/try available for it but will cost several hundred dollars and take up space we don’t have on our entertainment center, I decided to make the investment to buy a gaming PC. The biggest benefit of which is that like 97% of console exclusive titles are available on Steam for PC and I’m now set up to play all the upcoming games in the franchises I love or have been meaning to try for years, but couldn’t due to lack of correct console.
In any case, I’m practically giddy with anticipation about playing Borderlands 4, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Silent Hill 1 Remake, Silent Hill F (Wait, a non-Remake Silent Hill and it’s written by the team behind Higurashi?! Well, sign me the eff up!), The Last of Us I & II remasters, Grand Theft Auto VI, The Outer World 2, and somewhere in the far, FAR distant future, Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5. Oh, and the library of some like 200+ games we’ve already accumulated from Steam, GOG, and Epic. Also, I love watching my spouse play some of their favorite games, so even when the joystick’s not in my hands, I’m being entertained. That’s the classic win-win.
Moving from gifts for me, let’s talk gifts for YOU (Yes, you reading this!). That’s right, I’m pulling a Hobbit and using my birthday as a chance to give gifts to others For the next 24-hours or so, the ebook version of Tales of a Stranger Sister will be 0.99ยข. That’s nearly 66% off! Heck, let’s be generous and say it’s practically 67% off! If you’ve been thinking of checking out my debut novel, or you have and know someone who might enjoy it, then today’s the day to grab a digital copy!
So, looking ahead, what’s on the horizon for the next trip around the angry flaming ball in the sky? Well, besides all the gaming I’m about to do? This next year will be interesting as I try to balance marketing the book I’ve already written while continuing to try and pen the next one. Do I expect to have a second book out by the time we meet back up here in a year’s time? Honestly? Probably not, but I do fully expect to have a clear idea when it will be ready for release as I hope to be fully engaged in the revising, rewriting, and editing phases of that project by that time. I’m not making any promises other than I’ll work hard and try my best to not make anyone hoping for another book wait an unreasonable amount of time. As I get closer to a finished draft I’ll more likely than not start sharing details of the next story, so there is that to look forward to.
So, let’s put a bow on this chat and close it out by telling anyone reading this the following:
Thank you!
Thank you for checking out my site and blog. Thank you for following me on social media. Thank you for checking out my book. Thank you for especially buying it. Thank you extra especially for reading it. Thank you extra EXTRA especially for rating and reviewing it. A year ago, I wondered if any of the previous statements could ever be true, but they’ve all happened and that might just be the best gift of all.
It’s time for another go-round on this 584-million-mile ride on a ball spinning at 1,000 miles per hour as it flies at 67,000 miles per hour through effin’ SPACE.
So, please, keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times.
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