I want to wish you all a happy new year. I hope you find greater freedom, insight, and joy on this next trip around the sun.

But that is secretly more of a pretense. (you can tell I'm really good at secrets, can't you?)

I don't have the emotional bandwidth to respond to each comment directly right now (nor the heart to only respond to a few), but I am deeply touched by all the comments on my update and feel compelled to respond in some way.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

So this is my blanket thank you. I've read and savored each and every one of your comments and I'm so thankful for you all. I'm also excited to have some new things on my TBR list (as well as some things to bump up higher on the list).

Don't worry, I'm not going to start spamming non-chapter chapters. I just wanted to say my piece. My next post should come with an ETA for some written words of fiction.

Take care, y'all.

PS I feel like sharing some kind of fiction, so the spoiler in the author's note is a snippet of something random that burped out of my subconscious. A vignette, if you will. Maybe something more some day.