Dreamer's Sanctuary

Happy birthday to our favorite “bad boy,” who is anything but!

The first full week of 2021 has been a hard one for AJ and for all of us.  Many of us Brian girls are struggling right now.  I’m not going to get into that here, but if you’ve been reading The Road to Bethlehem, you probably have some idea of my political beliefs.  If you read my tweets, then you definitely know.  All I’m going to say here today is that while I’m disgusted and disappointed in Brian, I’m still a fan of the Backstreet Boys, and I’m committed to continuing to write BSB fanfic as long as it makes me happy.  The fun of fiction is that we can mold our characters to be whatever we want them to be.  If Brian can live in an alternate reality, so can we.  Fanfic has always been a form of escapism for me, and Dreamer’s Sanctuary will remain here as a sanctuary for anyone else who needs a distraction from the real life drama.

With that being said, Chapter 16 of The Road to Bethlehem is up – a nice, uplifting chapter to make us all feel better.  Or not.  Sorry… LOL.

Welcome to 2021!  My year started with an ice storm that knocked my power out for fifteen hours.  How’s your year going so far? LOL

The power’s back on now, so I’m warm again, and all is well.  If anything, being deprived of modern conveniences such as electricity, heat, warm food, and Wi-Fi has given me more of an appreciation for what the Boys are going through in my story right now.  On that note, Chapter 15 of The Road to Bethlehem has been added.  Aren’t you happy I didn’t make you wait a whole week to resolve that cliffhanger I left in the last chapter?  Or did I?  Mwahaha… I look forward to your reactions! 🙂

I’ve been sticking to Saturday updates for the past few months, but as it’s finally the last day of 2020, I thought I’d update early this week to commemorate the occasion.  Brace yourselves, because Chapter 14 of The Road to Bethlehem is up!

As “Nick” once said in Curtain Call, “I guess everyone gets a little reflective on New Year’s Eve.”  I’m definitely feeling that way today.  New Year’s is not normally one of my favorite holidays, but this year, I’m right there with everyone else who’s looking forward to celebrating a fresh start – safely, of course.  There’s no denying that 2020 has sucked.  And yet, when I look back on this year through my fanfic writer’s lens, it hasn’t been a bad one at all.

Dreamer’s Sanctuary celebrated its 20th anniversary in April.  I had fun “looking back on the things I’ve done,” rereading some of my old stories, and blogging about them at the beginning of the year.  Then COVID came, school closed, and I was given the greatest gift a writer could ask for:  the gift of time.  Although I was still working from home, I found myself with more time on my hands, less stress, and fewer obligations.  I wish I could say I learned a new language or taught myself to play another instrument (I almost ordered a ukulele from Amazon so I could be like Cary LOL), but I did finish two stories and started another, which is already close to being finished.  I also started posting my stories on Archive of Our Own, something I’d been meaning to do for years and never gotten around to.  I even revamped this site, which was long overdue.  While I wish it hadn’t been because of a global pandemic, I’m grateful for the bonus time I’ve been given to dedicate to a hobby I’m still passionate about, two decades later.

Thank you to everyone who has visited the site and read my writing this year.  I appreciate your continued support.  Your reactions are a huge part of what makes writing fanfic so rewarding for me.  I hope my stories have helped to entertain you, relieve your quarantine boredom, or take your mind off real life problems this year.  I also hope 2021 will be a whole lot better for all of us!

Happy New Year!

Happy Boxing Day! I hope you had a merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or whatever holiday(s) you celebrate this time of year.  I know it wasn’t the same for many of us, but let’s hope next year will be better.  New Year’s Eve is not normally one of my favorite holidays, but I’m really looking forward to a fresh start in January.

I’m also hoping to finish The Road to Bethlehem over my winter break, or at least come close to finishing.  I’m still a few chapters ahead of my posting schedule and am on the final stretch of the story, but writing has been slow-going for the last few weeks.  Hopefully I’ll finish before I catch up to myself.  Chapter 13 is up today, and it’s one of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy it!

Well, here we are – another Saturday, another new song to play on repeat!  And this time it’s truly a good one!  I’m in love with Nick’s new single “80’s Movie.”  Totally makes up for him not winning The Masked Singer.  I love to see 2020 ending on a high note!

Speaking of ending, we’re about halfway through The Road to Bethlehem, which is heading towards its climax.  I’m not done writing the story yet, but I anticipate it will be around 25 chapters long.  That’s super short compared to most of my novels, I know, but it’s different writing a story that takes place over a few days compared to one that spans months or even years like my cancer epics of yesteryear.  I could definitely get used to writing stories this length again.  It’s nice being able to finish multiple stories in a year.  Thanks, 2020!  Anyway, Chapter 12 is up. I hope you enjoy it!