As the year winds down, I wanted to take a moment to check in with you, with plans and honesty and a whole lot of gratitude.
This year came with a big, scary turn for me: losing my job in June and beginning a slow, careful pivot toward full-time writing. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for nearly all of my life, and I’m finally taking real steps toward it, even though I know the next couple of years will be fraught and frantic. Still, it’s the dream. Getting the chance to even try to chase it is a victory, and I’m OK with that. I can do this.
A huge part of that is because of you.
The silent auction was such a gift; not just financially, but emotionally. That support will directly fund a new Micah Epstein cover, along with other very real book-related costs. Watching people show up for the auction in such a real way honestly carried me through some hard weeks.
I’m also really looking forward to getting back out into the world this year. Dragon Con and ConCarolinas are both on the horizon, and ConCarolinas in particular remains my favorite place to really sit down, talk, and connect with readers. Even better, it’s a chance for them to connect with each other, and I’ve never stopped being grateful for how well that always seems to grow. Let’s see if we can top our 30+ massive breakfast attendance this year.
There are big plans brewing for my Patreon in 2026, too. I’m laying the foundation for a new tier focused on fresh serial content — The Early Adventures of Rune & Brand — complete with a Micah artwork that will serve as both a cover and new Patreon imagery. I have been planning these stories for YEARS now. It’s a chance to go back to a time when Rune and Brand weren’t very good at what they did. They were young and making mistakes, and learning things for the first time. Digging into that period should provide a lot of comedy and adventure, along with a cast of secondary characters like Lord Tower, their new housekeeper, and the strange principality named Ciaran. Forming a series of novellas from that time period, told at a pace of a chapter a month, is a dream of mine. I’m looking forward to starting that in the first few months of 2026.
I’m also deep into shaping the writing-class pilot that came out of the silent auction. I’ve been pouring a lot of my life lessons into an agenda, trying to make it useful if you’d like to know more about the type of writer I am. I’d love to do more of this kind of teaching going forward.
And it goes without saying that the biggest goal for 2026 is to see The Misfit Caravan enter the world. I’m ready not to be book-pregnant any more: this book-baby is ready for its endgame….. Both The Misfit Caravan and its follow-up, The Exiled Courts, will be a massive conclusion to the first series of Tarot books. I still have 5 books left to write after that, but the Exiled Courts, in particular, is being outlined as a huge mid-series finale. I cannot wait to share these next two books.
Looking back at 2025 one last time, I need to say thank you to the readers who sent postcards, letters, and gifts this year. Your words, kindness, and shared-creativity meant everything. Truly everything. Those notes landed exactly when I needed them most.
Thank you to the other artists and professionals who contributed time and items to the silent auction. I’d especially like to thank Micah Epstein, Aedan Roberts, Aubrey Spivey, Bodoni, and Justyna Chłopecka.
Thank you, as well, to my core rough-draft readers and trusted advisors, who help me make these stories better and keep me from disappearing too far into my own head. And to Aubrey, my amazing PR person, whose steady guidance has been invaluable; and to Justyna, who has quietly become my primary social media image designer and an essential creative partner.
To my Patreon supporters…. I cannot overstate this: I could never, ever have started making the jump toward full-time writing without your monthly support. It’s a godsend. It gives me breathing room, momentum, and ego-building on the days when the math feels scary. I am so fucking grateful for every single one of you.
Thank you to the tireless convention organizers out there—folks like Don, Anton, and Bast at Gaylaxicon, and the many organizers and track leaders at ConCarolinas and Dragon Con—who do enormous amounts of work in advance of one gorgeous weekend so the rest of us can gather, celebrate stories, and feel less alone.
And thank you to the readers who donate time, energy, and skill to the never-ending business of being an author: people like Shawn, Marcus, Egg, Strumie, Meghan, Cole, and so many others. You know who you are, and I see you.
In a world that feels like it’s on fire more days than not, this community continues to be a safe haven for me. I’m so grateful to be here with you, and I can’t wait to start sharing what comes next.
KD