WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
It has been quite a while since I’ve written one of these, hasn’t it?
No, I didn’t fall off the edge of the world. Instead, I asked myself an important question: What’s the point?
Again, No. It wasn’t a question of whether or not I questioned if anyone cared about my updates or what I was doing. It was more a question of what would be the point of giving the same update over and over again? For further clarification, I didn’t have any side projects. I wasn’t writing entries for any contests, and as such, I only had From Ashe to focus on. This meant that I had fallen into a steady rhythm of writing From Ashe and From Ashe only. This meant that every monthly progress update would have read like:
“I finished Vol. X this month!”
or
“I’m in the editing process on Vol. X!”
It would have been the same thing over and over and over again, so I asked myself what the point would be to provide monthly progress updates. Then, there were the months between the releases when I took a short break, when there was nothing to report at all. So, rather than just become a mindless drone hitting the Duplicate option in WordPress and changing up a few numbers and keywords, I decided to just stop providing monthly updates.
To make up for it, if you visited my site, then a keen eye would have spotted a Bluesky feed on the right-hand side. I think when Elon took over Twitter, he broke the API, and WordPress no longer integrates with it, but Bluesky works, and since I mirror what I post on Twitter onto Bluesky as well, it served as a way for me to update the site without actually doing a post. The only thing is, I post other things aside from my books on social media, such as my manga reviews on The Outerhaven, but hey, more reading material between volumes, am I right?
Besides, any big events, such as sales, are still given their individual posts here on the site in addition to social media and eblasts. So, I’m still here, I’m still connecting, just not in a way that would have ended up mundane.
2025 RECAP
After all that I said, the recap is going to be quite short.
Simply put, I released volumes 13, 14, 15, and 16 of From Ashe. We ended the second major story arc and began the final story arc, which volume 16 is right in the middle of. If you missed any posts on social media, or if you are not in my Discord server, then allow me to announce that next year, Volume 18 will be the final volume of From Ashe. The story is coming to an end, and I’m nervous. I will not deny that. I’ve had an ending in mind for this series since the very beginning, and it’s not the typical ending people are going to be expecting.
So far, everyone I’ve talked to hasn’t figured it out despite my leaving clues in nearly every volume of the series. Even the very synopsis of the first volume was a clue, but it was very subtle; if you figure it out, you’ll begin to ask yourself a question… and maybe that question will make the gears turn, making everything click. Still, even though I’m anxious, I’m also excited to know what people think of the ending, the emotions they get from it, and whether or not it was a great ending that took you by surprise, or an ending that’s going to prevent you from picking up another series from me ever again.
Either way, it’s coming, and while I am currently on holiday break, I do plan on outlining Volume 17 in a couple of weeks after the new year, and then start hammering it out.
Life has a way of surprising people, so barring any major delays (like almost dying a couple of weeks ago… more on that in a bit), I am TENTATIVELY (bold and caps for emphasis) planning Volume 17’s release in March, and the final volume in June. Once I set a goal, I aim to keep it, so chances are high that those months will see releases, but if things get pushed back, then it is what it is.
ON A PERSONAL LEVEL
Outside of being a writer, what did I do with my 2025?
Well, earlier in the year, I got absorbed in one of the greatest video games I have played in my lifetime. If you guessed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you would be correct. As a fan of turn-based RPGs, I was immediately hooked on the combat system. Then, the story, the voice acting, the soundtrack… all of it was top-notch. I couldn’t get enough of it, and, in fact, the DLC just dropped over a week ago, and I’ve already acquired every new Picto, weapon, and beat all of the new super bosses… even Simon, the Divergent Star, after nearly 5 hours of grinding.
I also got hooked on Vampire Survivor updates, tried out a couple of new games like Ninja Gaiden 4, Slots and Daggers, Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, and got even further absorbed into The Bazaar. Of course, World of Warcraft still has my heart, and the new player housing feature has been more than I could have ever asked for or expected. I’m looking forward to the launch of Midnight in March next year (I’m already in the beta and have enjoyed it so far!)
Then, we have the spring update for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen with a complete character wipe and reset as they release launch-ready systems and a sweeping combat and gearing pass. I’ve been following and participating in pre-alpha, alpha, and beta tests for this game for years. I can’t wait to see what Visionary Realms has cooked up in their massive spring update!
Of course, with the good stuff comes the bad.
As I grimly pointed out, I had to stare death in the face… and it was just a few short weeks ago. I had a small chip on the top of one of my molars in the bottom-right part of my mouth. It was there for years. Never hurt… never bothered me. I brush, I rinse with mouthwash, all that fun stuff twice a day, but over time… that chip weakened, and it cracked down the back. I went to the dentist and simply told them to pull it, but they convinced me it could be saved with a large filling. In the process of that, my X-rays revealed I had a smaller molar in the upper left that was completely hollow inside. That shocked me because, again… It’s not like I neglect my teeth, and from the outside, the tooth felt solid… no pain or discomfort when eating… nothing. No matter what, that one had to come out. The bottom one? Well, they told me that there wasn’t enough tooth left to save it and just put a temporary filling in instead.
Yeah, I was irked that I had to pay twice to fix the same tooth instead of them just listening to me and pulling it at my request, but it is what it is. I go to the oral surgeon, and they yank them both. The bottom right was a difficult extraction and left me sore, swollen, and uncomfortable for nearly two weeks. The upper left? No problem… at least I thought.
I did something stupid. On the day after my extraction, I simply bent over to pick up a bin. I know I wasn’t supposed to lift anything, but this bin was small, and if it weighed 0.25 lbs, it would be lucky. But… simply bending over was enough to pop the clot on the upper left. I’m on Xarelto… a blood thinner to help treat afib (an irregular heartbeat). For the next four hours, it was on and off, uncontrolled bleeding in my mouth. It got so bad that I couldn’t stop it, so I had to go to the ER. Not to be graphic, but it was literally pooling in my mouth in seconds. They used a coagulant and packed it with gauze. I got him at 11:15 PM and at 11:30… the coagulant failed, and it started again. Back to the ER I went, where they did a better job of packing it with more medicine. I didn’t get home until nearly 2:30 AM. I had to sleep sitting in a chair in case the gauze fell out, or it started bleeding again, which meant there was a chance I would have choked to death in the middle of the night… as if losing enough blood to be classified as anemic wasn’t bad enough.
So, yeah… that happened. Of course, as I type this, I’m 100% healed, back to eating normally, and all the danger has passed, but that wasn’t a good way to end my 2025.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR ME?
This is probably a super-early announcement, but I wanted to end 2025 with a bit of a surprise. Much like I have decided on writing From Ashe before A.R. Dragonfly concluded, I have already decided on my next series after From Ashe. What I don’t know is how long it’s going to be, but I have a pretty good frame of how I want the story to go… and the kicker? This slice-of-life lover is switching genres to Fantasy!
Yep… but it’s not going to be an isekai, but a straight-up fantasy that kind of combines an idea I had for a video game, while wrapping it around a tale that, hopefully, has some twists and turns to it that you’ll enjoy.
So with that, I give you the name and the logo for my next series:
I may need to do some tweaking on the logo because I hand-created this in Adobe Illustrator, and it’s not 100% perfect, but for a reveal, I feel it’s close enough. Yes, The Souls of the Arcane… one of the short stories in From Ashe, will become my next full-length series, and while there might be SOME similarities, it’s going to be vastly different.
So, what is it going to be about?
A long time ago, there was a cataclysmic event in the darkness beyond the planet. The elements of a system of worlds caused the event, and they were hurled aimlessly throughout space. Eventually, they found their way to a world filled with humanoid races. As an exchange for cohabitation, these elemental spirits offered to bind with the races, granting them magic. Power in the hands of mortals is a double-edged sword, and where there is good, there is likely evil. Meet Vash, who comes from a race of benevolent demons called the Shathtari. Even at a young age, he became highly skilled as a Soul Hunter, one who hunts those who misuse the spirits and their powers; however, he doesn’t get along with his spirit due to a haunting moment in his past. Can Vash and his spirit co-exist, and can they unravel the greater mystery which could plunge their world into a dark age?
I probably could have penned that synopsis a bit better, but I wrote it off the cuff to give you a general idea of what it was about. The main character was originally named Vash’an, but I decided to give him both names. Vash in his humanoid form, and Vash’an whenever he receives his big, eventual power-up in the series. Instead of just a name, I decided to give the ‘an portion of it meaning. They get that added to the end of their names when they awaken this certain power-up, almost like a tradition or a right of passage.
Those are the little details that I still need to work out in my world, and that’s what I plan on doing for the second half of 2026. Yes, that means The Souls of the Arcane will not be coming out until 2027. When in 2027? Not even I know. It all depends on how planning, writing, and artwork go. I won’t be adding it to the site just yet. I’ll do that when it gets closer to the launch of the series.
Besides, another thing I want to do in 2026 is remake the entire site. I don’t think a WordPress theme is going to work or give me the freedom to do what I have in mind, so I may need to go a custom size route. There is planning for that, too, and I also have to think about store integration since I have merchandise to consider. It’s not a weekend project that I’m going to jump into and do for funsies. I really want to think about the new site and get it revamped, so that might come in the second half of 2026, when I don’t have to worry about From Ashe anymore, and I can sit and focus on everything else.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
But that’s about it. Given how an entire yearly update took up the space and length of an old monthly update, you can sort of understand why I went “silent” with these. As always, be on the lookout for book launch announcements, sale announcements, or any other big event that comes my way.
I’ll probably do another one of these in December 2026, and at that time, I should be able to give you more insight to The Souls of the Arcane, and possibly even have a new website by then.
Feel free to stay in touch on social media, and consider joining my Discord if you want more interaction and quicker updates!
Until then,
ja ne!