Dreamer's Sanctuary

Hey, would you look at that?  I’ve updated three weeks in a row!  Today I’m posting Chapter 81 of The World Will Be Waiting, which is the last in the trio of Vegas chapters.  I’m not done with the next chapter yet, so I doubt this little streak will continue next weekend.  But my writing streak is approaching four straight years of daily writing sessions, so hopefully it won’t take too much longer for me to finish it.

As a reminder, I’m giving away a complete set of Nick’s Love Life Tragedy singles on vinyl, a $150 value!  See my previous post for more details, and click here to enter the contest.  Entry forms are due next Saturday, January 24, which gives you one more week to enter.  I will announce the winner on Nick’s birthday!

First off, a belated happy birthday to AJ!  I’ve been listening to his long-anticipated solo album, My Name is Alexander James, and it’s really good!  Proud of you, AJ!

Secondly, I’m back with another story update: Chapter 80 of The World Will Be Waiting is up!  Writing this chapter was an exercise in restraint that showed how much I’ve grown as a writer since my BMS days.  I went into it with one idea of what I thought was going to happen and then switched gears halfway through and took it in a different direction – or, rather, I let my characters drive the story and went along for the ride, rather than forcing them to behave in ways that went against everything I’ve created them to be.  I will probably explain this in more detail at some point, but for now, I’ll just say that I’m proud of myself for how I handled this chapter.  I hope you enjoy it!

Now that we’re eighty chapters in, I can say without a doubt that this story’s going to have over a hundred chapters by the time it’s done.  I really never thought I would write another super-long novel like this, but here we are. 🤷🏻‍♀️  I should know better by now – whenever I say I’ll “never” do something, I will inevitably do that thing at some point down the road.  Thanks for coming along for the ride with me!

I’m back with the first story update of the year!  Chapter 79 of The World Will Be Waiting is up!

This was a fun chapter to write.  It includes a cameo by Def Leppard, who have become one of my favorite bands within the last decade.  I didn’t grow up listening to them, as my parents were more into ’70s rock, so for the longest time, I only knew a few of their songs.  I started familiarizing myself with more of their music in 2018, when I got tickets to see them and Journey on one of their joint stadium tours.  I walked into that show a bigger Journey fan and walked out a bigger Def Leppard fan.  No offense to Journey, whom I also really enjoyed, but Def Leppard blew them out of the water.  They were so much fun!  After learning more about them, I can honestly say that, had I been born about fifteen years earlier, Def Leppard probably would have been my favorite band growing up.  Like BSB, they have five members who have stuck together for many years, making catchy music with great harmonies that make up for their bad/nonsensical lyrics.  If you’re interested in watching their 2013 Vegas residency show described in this chapter, you can watch the Hysteria half of the show here.

To add a bit more to this back story, I remember watching a rerun of Behind the Music about Def Leppard back in 2003 and learning about their drummer, Rick Allen, who lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984, at the height of Def Leppard’s fame.  The story of how he relearned to drum with one arm really inspired me, as I was writing Broken at the time.  I didn’t mention him or Def Leppard in that story, but, over two decades later, I found a way to include them in a different one.  Kind of a cool, full circle moment for me.  Anyway, whether you’re a Def Leppard fan or not, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

In case you missed it, I’m giving away a set of Nick’s Love Life Tragedy singles!  See my last post for details.  Click here to enter for a chance to win!

Happy New Year!  As we kick off 2026, I want to start by thanking you, my lovely readers, for continuing to come here and read my fanfic.  I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on some of the characters, scenes, and stories I’ve written over the past twenty-five years in celebration of Dreamer’s Sanctuary’s 25th anniversary, and I hope you also enjoyed reading last year’s Throwback Thursday blogs.

To show my appreciation, I’m giving away a great prize to one loyal reader!  Like a lot of fans, I ordered the full set of Nick’s collectible Love Life Tragedy singles last summer.  They were finally delivered in December.  Imagine my surprise when, a few days after my original order arrived, a second set of the singles magically (mistakenly) showed up on my doorstep!

I probably could have sold the extra set, but since I didn’t pay for it in the first place, I’ve decided to pay it forward and gift it to someone instead.  I want it to go to a fan who will appreciate it, but I also want to reward a reader who has shown their appreciation for my writing.  If you meet these two criteria, click here to enter for a chance to win!  Entry forms must be submitted by Saturday, January 24.  One lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on Nick’s birthday, January 28.  The winner will receive all six vinyl singles and comic lyric books described on the GoodTunes website.  Good luck, and thanks again for all your support over the years!