There are a lot of things that make me happy. Hanging out with some of my best friends, watching a good movie or listening to amazing music. And of course, writing. However, one aspect of writing that’s always been tough is that not everything sees the public eye. There’s hundreds of drafts and ideas that are lost to time which is why, when I received the paperback of the anthology “Making Spirits Bright: Halloween and Winter Tales from the 10,000 Dawns”, I was beyond excited to see my story in there.

It took a while. The story, titled “Aesthetic” (which can be found on page 207, if anyone wants to buy the book) was first published online in an anthology called “How to Survive the Winter”, as a part of the “10,000 Dawns” series. I’d emailed Arcbeatle Press, the publishing house of the “10,000 Dawns” series, because I’d heard of their work before and was hoping that since it was small, I could get a foot in. To my surprise, I got a response, and soon I was commissioned to do the story.

Given that this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was very happy to find a distraction from the hell of the outside world and of course, was happy to be writing. It was even more joyous when it got published online. But somehow, none of that compared to when it was announced, almost a year later, that it would get a print release.

Getting to hold a book in your hand that has your words, your name, your story, is simply incredible. The fact that it’s here, that you’ve done something that other people will see, that’s not just online, is one of the greatest feelings in the world. It’s your legacy, it’s something greater than yourself. And above all, it’s art. You’ve made art, and now you get to see it in a permanent form.

Let’s hope that I have many more of these moments.