There’s something about birthdays that makes you pause.
A quiet kind of inventory starts happening: where you’ve been, where you’re going, what you’re still afraid of, and what you’re finally ready to stop waiting for. This year, I’m giving myself a gift.
It’s called The Recall, and it’s launching on Ream.
It’s a prequel novelette that I never expected to write. A story that bloomed from a bit of writing advice I stumbled across years ago: make your villains the heroes of their own stories. That line changed everything. It’s what pulled me deeper into the twisted, human, mythic heart of Alphaeus, the man who would become a usurper, a brother broken by fate.
But really, this gift isn’t just the story. It’s the sharing of it.
For a long time, I've played small. I let fear run the show. The inner critic has often had the final word. I convinced myself I wasn’t ready., that my voice was too weird, that no one would care about this magical, complicated world I’d been carrying inside.
But the truth is: I do have stories to tell. And I’m done waiting for the perfect moment. I’m done waiting for courage to show up fully formed. Because Isolda, my fierce Crown Princess, the hero in my head....she wouldn't wait. She'd press forward anyway. She’d do the hard thing, especially when it mattered., and she demands that her story is told. So this week, as I turn a year older and finally launch my Ream platform, I’m letting go of the fear that’s kept me quiet for too long.
Ream isn’t just a space for readers to support my work. It’s a line in the sand. A place where I show up as a writer, no more hiding. It’s a slow-burning dream, made real. A space for stories like The Recall, and deeper explorations of the characters and world of Nalavaris. It’s for lore lovers, character-deep-divers, and everyone who wants to walk the winding road beside me.
So yes, this launch is a gift to my readers, future and current. But also? It’s a promise to Isolda, and the myriad of other Nalavarians that want their storied to be told. Their adventures to be shared. And finally, it's a promise to myself.
The one who finally decided to show up.
The one who still doubts, but does it anyway.
The one who’s just getting started.
And that promise is this: I will tell their stories, even if nobody ever reads them. This world came to me and cracked me open. It nudged and knocked, the whole time whispering, 'Remember the writer in you? The one you hid away for years out of fear of being mocked again? The girl with the never ending drama in works at 11, the teen who wrote stories in the margins of her algebra notes? Yeah, that's what you're meant to be. Enough hiding. Get writing!'
Thank you for being here at the beginning. Let’s make it count.
If you're interested in following me or joining on Ream, you can do that right here. That’s where I’ll be sharing The Recall, behind-the-scenes lore, character deep-dives, and more early content as I keep building Nalavaris from the inside out.
But if Ream isn’t your thing? No worries at all. Much of the story magic will still make its way to your inbox and the Explore Nalavaris section of my site. However you choose to journey with me, I’m just so glad you're here.
Here’s to stories worth telling...and finally telling them.
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