Well, damn, it’s already the end of January 2024, which means we’re headfirst into another year with a load of…whatever. Honestly, some years are better than others, and the last four have been a whirlwind for everybody. It’s just crazy that, three years ago, time seemed to be crawling by for everyone while we were under lockdown and isolation. Now, time has gone back to its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pace and it’s hard to keep up.

Sometimes life is full of twists and turns. Here’s an update on what’s going on in mine.

This is the story of how it all made sense

I disappeared from the world when I went to New Zealand, save some Facebook statuses and Instagram photos.

When I think of the "fantasy" genre, I think of imagination.

Nothing's too big for the world you make up.

I grew up in the foothills of Yosemite, and my neighbors were the wildlife. I would come home from school, having already finished my homework, so I could venture into our backyard and let my imagination run wild.

The first image I ever had in my mind that made me want to write Immortality Awaits was that of a shadow, which eventually made its way into two shadows known as Varnio and Xandio.

I saw Xandio floating above a group of people, sticking to the ceiling with his long, tattered black robe swaying in a gentle breeze as various lightning flashes illuminated him.

One of the most daunting tasks any new or seasoned writer has to endure is creating a character from nothing.

It heavily consists of us pouring our blood, sweat, and tears into our babies in hopes they turn out to be the best possible characters they can be.

But where do we start?

In a place called Lowell, in the state of Massachusetts, one can find a quaint, beautiful, perfect, everybody-in-their-life-should-experience-it-at-least-once town.

This town plays a major backdrop for Immortality Awaits, and even though it's only in the beginning of the novel, my discovery of it was something I never expected.

The random, fateful story of events goes like this:

If you’ve checked out my About Me page, you’ll know I write books. Likewise, if you’ve checked out my Books page, you’ll know I write books. Hell, if you recognize you’re on an author’s website, you’ll know I write books. More importantly, if you know me personally, follow me on Twitter or Instagram, or just Google my name, you’ll know I write books.

The question is: Where are they?

The noise of society can drown your thoughts. Cars honking every five minutes, planes landing at random, people fighting on the streets, in their homes. In a world full of rage, narcissism, and a lack of respect, it can be hard for a writer to do just that -- be still and write.

Be still and reflect.