Brey Willows

And I admit, I’m largely unprepared, as I’ve done so little to get to this point.

The year has flashed past, a comet highlighting my general inability to get stories out. Or is it that I’m simply feeling that way because…well, yeah. Because I didn’t get any stories out. I have no idea what happened. Time is slippery, like wet goo, and although it left a mess on my hands, it hasn’t left me with anything much of actual production.

That said…

I won three awards this year. One of which was for Dark Haven, and that’s always a nice feeling. I released a lesbian romance novel under my other pen name, and people seemed to like it. And I finally released my mainstream project, which felt like a big milestone, even if it hasn’t done particularly well in the outside world.

But when you’re a writer not writing what your heart is really into, it feels a little… undeserved, maybe? I don’t know what the right word is. Maybe I’ll feel better about it when my next Brey book comes out in 2025.

(You’ve read to this point, so you deserve a random, flash fiction dystopian Christmas story. Get it here.)

And here it is, just for those of you who read this blog and keep up with me. You’re the first to see the cover of Ship of Dreams, a sapphic steampunk novel featuring airship, pirates, treasure, and an opposites attract romance filled with sarcasm and critical choices. It was tough going, I admit, but I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. I hope you’ll grab a copy when it goes on sale on February 1st, 2025.

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And then, after the release of Ship of Dreams, we’ll be releasing my other lesbian romance novel, Echoes of the Heart, which I’m still writing, but enjoying very much as I get to put in lots of snark and absurdity.

Other than these tidbits, I’ve done some wifey romances with my…well, wife, mostly for fun and to remind folks we’re out there, scraping words together to make a living (and there’s a brand new story for Christmas, too!). I’ve got a substack where I pontificate a little more on the longer, deeper stuff. I have a newsletter, of course, and I hope you’ve signed up to it. I’m hoping to give you plenty to know about next year.

If you’ve signed up to the newsletter, you’ll get the option to grab an anthology of short stories from previous publications. Grab it here.

So. As the year ends, I’ll be blogging like this on my other web pages, creating marketing graphics, playing on TikTok and Instagram, and eating far too many of the things I’ve baked. I’ll contemplate making goals for next year (and then probably won’t) and I may get into the writing studio to keep working on Echoes. We’ll see…

I wish you the happiest of holidays. I hope you have the kind of time that brings you peace, tranquility, safety, calm, and perfect sugar highs. I hope it’s magical in the best way possible, and that you get all the books your shelves can handle. And I hope you’ll keep in touch with me; readers are the whole reason for the malarkey of making shit up all the time.

Keep dreaming.

Brey