ShadowLightPress

       On March 10th, at 7:30 a.m., I got a text message from a family friend saying that my grandmother had passed away that morning. I've endured people losing friends and family to many things, but when it happens to an immediate family member for the second time, it hurts and is kind of relieving--because my grandfather died three years ago in the summer, and my grandmother is with him now. This is how I'd like to see it.      I was physically present when my grandfather died, watching him unable to do anything but blink as my mother held his hand as she spoke her final wishes for him. Both of them were undeniably wonderful people. They were the reason I have my Bachelor's and  Master's degrees. I think they were earned inheritances from both of them---they were both educators--my grandfather was a principal as well while my grandmother was a teacher though I can't recall if it was English or History that she taught--she may have been a guidan...

 I have been playing a few video games lately...(O_O) Lots of them. Specifically, my usuals  Genshin Impact ,  Honkai Star Rail , and most recently-- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 . This is the game that won Game of the Year at the Game Awards and I am so glad I didn't talk myself out of checking it out. I'm still fresh in the beginning, but I can tell you that I am OBSESSED with this gem of a game. The French style setting, writing, voice acting, the combat, the MUSIC....Holy smokes, some of the best music I've ever heard, and it's not been repetitive so far. This game is Persona 5 and Legend of Dragoon merged into one game with the combat and it's so much fun to play. I adore the costumes and the creative enemies you fight.  WARNING : This game will yank your heart out and destroy it. That's all I'm going to say. If you are an empath, emotionally sensitive, etc....yeah I think you get the message. I am uploading some random playthroughs of the game when I fe...

      I missed this post by a day, but yeah. The 25th marked one year since I made the decision to return to independent publishing. I am not new to online publishing, far from it. I've been published on and off since 2004--I was a baby author in training then--from fanfiction to poetry,--I wrote and love it all. I actually discuss my first journey in  this post here. What does my writing routine actually like? When I write, I make sure to have three things on me at all times (if not all three, then at least one)  My phone (The Notes feature is handy) A notebook and pen/pencil My Ipad I write in the mornings and late into the night---whenever and wherever I can. There's no true routine to it.  How do you handle burnout, writer’s block, or “this is trash” days?     I'm learning to preserve ideas that don't work, characters who don't sing to my tune, and scenes that have no place. I collect them in a notebook for later projects. They will bear ...

 Big news, friends — my books under Rin Nocturne and Seraphine Vale are now available on Bookshop.org ! 🎉 👉 Browse my titles here: Rin Nocturne on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Rin+Nocturne Seraphine Vale on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Seraphine+Vale This is a brand-new distribution option through Draft2Digital. It’s a pretty exciting step forward for indie authors and readers who want to support independent bookstores. Recently, Draft2Digital partnered with Bookshop.org to bring self-published ebooks directly to indie bookstores and readers through the platform. That means when you grab an ebook through Bookshop.org, you’re helping support independent bookstores while also supporting indie authors like me. 💙 According to the announcement, this partnership allows thousands of self-published titles to be sold through Bookshop.org’s growing ebook platform — and ebook profits go directly to participating bookstores, creating ...

 Happy Birthday to me! 🎂 And an even happier book birthday/release day to Quiet Deviations, my first short story of 2026! Woo-hoo!! I'm so nervous about how it will be received, but like all of my work, I have feelings and fears --this is the best way to get them out. (This excerpt is a little shorter than the original one). Information is below, along with purchase links. Overdrive and Hoopla are ebook libraries. You'll need a public library card to check out books at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work! Chapter 1 –  The Right to Remain The Archive smells like dust and quiet ambition, the way libraries always do, but here it’s cleaner, almost sterile, filtered light sliding across the frosted glass of my office window. I like my office. Always have. It’s small, slightly cluttered with journals, a mug with a chip on its rim, and stacks of returned books I haven’t yet reconciled with the shelves. The frosted glass keeps the world at a distance, and the Archive’s puls...

    Chapter 1 – The Right to Remain The Archive smells like dust and quiet ambition, the way libraries always do, but here it’s cleaner, almost sterile, filtered light sliding across the frosted glass of my office window. I like my office. Always have. It’s small, slightly cluttered with journals, a mug with a chip on its rim, and stacks of returned books I haven’t yet reconciled with the shelves. The frosted glass keeps the world at a distance, and the Archive’s pulse is just soft enough not to drown me. I boot up WorkReady. My little corner of the system hums to life as the login prompt fades. Overnight reports populate the screen, automated actions tallied, flags raised and resolved. The LOST items queue is first: books overdue by one month automatically fined, marked as vanished if no one returns them. The system never misses a beat. I like that. Reliability is a small comfort. I hover over the first report and nod to myself. Another stack of overdue fiction, some travel g...