Tomorrow is August 29th. This is the twelfth anniversary of Paper Beats World.

I’ve been yapping about writing, reading, and politics for twelve years now. And somehow, you’re not sick of me yet.

Before I sat down to write this, I went back to read the anniversary post for last year. And, I have to be honest, I forgot how rough last year was for me. Yikes. We were still deep in stroke recovery; we’d just found out we were losing our dream apartment, and Haunted MTL had gone under. I didn’t know this at the time, but we had less than a month left with my soul cat, Harper. I felt like I could barely catch my breath between punches.

Today, things are much brighter. We’ve settled into our new home, a sunny little house on a hill. I actually kind of love having a roommate. I grew tomatoes and put up a pool, two things I couldn’t have done at the apartment. While I’m writing this, the Darling Husband is playing a video game. We worried he’d never heal enough to be able to do that. J.M Brannyk and I started a new horror review site.

Things are looking up in my life. Some of this is my doing. Some of it, frankly, is yours. Some is just the passage of time and the opportunity to heal.

I still miss Harper. I miss our apartment. I miss the little wine bar that closed. There is no going back during times of loss. That’s the lesson I took away from 2025.

But there is going forward. There is experiencing new joys, new patterns, new dances. There is rebuilding. That’s the lesson I’ve taken from 2026 so far.

I’m going to keep focusing on the joy, while also bitching about the wrongs in the world and doing what I can to protect my community. (Speaking of which, are you registered to vote? Midterms are coming up, folks; make a plan today.) I’m going to keep reading good books, writing good stories, and drinking good coffee. How about you?

So, what am I going to be working on for the next year? Well, as I’ve been bitching about saying all year, I had no actual drafts written at the start of 2026. Through a series of coincidences, I found myself rough drafting. And now that it’s August, I find that I’ve almost finished the rough draft for, wait for it, AA the novel! Will it be ready and in your hands anytime soon? Maybe 2028? That’s what I’m hoping for right now. This year I’m launching Station 86 in physical form, and eventually as an audiobook. I’m sad to say it, but you probably won’t see a new book from me until at least October 2027.

It’ll be worth the wait, though. I promise.

I can never say this enough. I am so thankful that you’re here, reading this. So long as you keep showing up, I will too. Here’s to another year of reading and writing together. Love you, guys.