Hello my wonderful Patrons!

This is general life update / appreciation post. I’m not sure how many of you have an interest in the person behind the curtain, and if you prefer the illusion unbroken, turn back now. You’ve been warned. Boo!

Anyways, without further ado - Around the release of Spring Break, I noticed a fairly significant dip in subscribers, and I feel I understand why. From the feedback I received, the story was convoluted, with too many characters and interweaving plot lines. I also fear my writing quality took a dip around that time, and there was an all too real reason for that. Unfortunately my incredible dog passed away very suddenly at the age of 9. No one saw it coming, he was the picture of health. He was here, happy and healthy one day, and within 12 hours I was sobbing on the vets floor, holding him for the last time. And it turned my world up on end. I was spiralling for months, grappling with the sudden loss and the adjustment to life without him. I imbibed far too heavily, I cried, I barely left my bed. I’m fortunate enough that all of my work is ad hoc and freelance. So if need be, I was able to disappear for a short while (provided I pay my rent on time). However due to the hectic workload of my other job, Patreon had temporarily fallen to the wayside with the intention of cranking out work over Christmas. Life had other plans apparently. This left me scrambling to try being witty and flirty in the throes of depression and grief. Not a solid combo.

It’s been 4 months since we lost him, and while that gaping hole in the world will be irrevocably left empty, I’m starting to adjust to the fact that the hole is there, and I can (sometimes) walk around it. That dog meant more to me than most of the humans in my life, and I will mourn him as intensely and as wholly as any other cherished family member. You will be sorely missed, my sweet boy.

It’s taken me some time to get back into the rhythm of things, and I want to sincerely thank all of you who stuck around, especially when the quality of my work began to dip. Your continued support allowed me to pay my rent, to feed myself, to keep going, all during a time when I could barely take care of myself. I feel I’ve found my footing a bit more with my most recent story, and more so with what’s about to come. As the humour of the world slowly fades back into focus, and my temporary nihilism fades into the background, I find myself once again able to laugh, and to deliver compelling and intriguing narratives. And for the first time in a while I genuinely feel excited to write again. I find myself going back to the script every spare second, constantly jotting ideas and new lines. It feels good to know I’m creating something that’ll keeps people on the edge of their seats. Now we all know why you come here, I suffer no illusions as to the real reason behind my work, and your patronage. Trust me. However, in a oversaturated market of *ahem* “entertainment” I feel proud to offer something that feels more complete. Something that feels real.

I recently had a friend read part of the first draft of our next story, and they were almost giddy with anticipation. Pacing around the room and snapping their fingers while yelling expletives. I feel I’ve managed to capture the essence of Babysitter, a story that brought a fair majority of you here. I think there’s something to be said for a narrative focused heavily on antici…pation.

Every story so far has been an experiment of sorts. Testing out new approaches, fumbling through the dark, seeing what works and what doesn’t. The more I progress, the more confident I feel as a writer, and the more I understand what you, as my readers, look for in my work. Our next story focuses on a beautiful petite woman in her first year of college. Through circumstance, she ends up living with her emotionally distant boyfriend of several years. Upon arrival, she becomes very close with his roommate. This story is a bit of a slow burn, focusing on humour and flirtation. But once it gets going, it REALLY gets going. I look forward to sharing it with you all very soon.

I want to thank you all, sincerely, for being here. And I’ll see you next week for chapter 1 of my new story, Our Little Secret. With the finale of our current story arriving in a few hours, I felt this was an appropriate time to update you all on what’s been going on behind the scenes, to thank you all for your continued support during this difficult time, and to let you all know, that Needful is back😈