I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays! As the year and decade comes to an end, I feel obliged to reflect a little. What an amazing year it’s been for the BSB fandom! A #1 album, a Grammy nomination, the end of a successful Vegas residency, and the start of a spectacular world tour that included many sold-out arena shows. This ’90s nostalgia/Backstreet Renaissance era we’re in has sure been fun! In fact, I think the 2010s have been my favorite decade in this fandom so far. The past ten years have given us so much: Kevin’s return, two BSB albums, four tours, six cruises, the NKOTBSB collaboration, the documentary, the Las Vegas residency, the best Christmas song ever, six solo albums, three TV shows, a zombie boyband movie, countless conventions, six more Backstreet babies, and shirtless Brian! I could probably write a “12 Days of Christmas” parody about this (“10 Years of Backstreet?”) if I were so inclined. We have been blessed!
On a personal level, it’s been a momentous decade for me, too. In the past ten years, I became an aunt, bought my first house and my first brand new car, earned a master’s degree, and traveled to many places I’d never been before, including the Bahamas, Miami, Atlanta, Vegas, and L.A. I even made two pilgrimages to Lexington, Kentucky and took the unofficial Brian and Kevin driving tour, something I’d been wanting to do for almost as long as I’ve been a fan. I have the Backstreet Boys to thank for a lot of those trips, as many of them were either to see the Boys (concerts, cruises, conventions) or with friends I’ve made because of the Boys. At the start of the decade, I had only met the Boys once (which did not include Kevin) and had only met three of my online friends. As the decade ends, my walls are filled with photos I’ve taken with the Boys from various concert VIPs, cruises, and conventions, as well as the many online friends I’ve met along the way. In fact, it feels weird to even keep calling some of them “online friends” because we’ve gotten to hang out in real life so many times in the past decade. It’s easy to complain about “adulting,” but there are definite perks to being old enough to have your own transportation, a disposable income, and no one to tell you “no” (well, except for maybe your credit card – but, hey, no regrets!).
In terms of fan fiction, our fandom has definitely slowed down this past decade. We’re all getting older, and some of us have grown out of this hobby or simply gotten away from it due to the responsibilities our families, careers, and adult lives require. It’s been sad to see many of the websites I used to read stories on disappear or die a slow death, but that only makes me more determined to keep Dreamer’s Sanctuary alive. In the last ten years, I’ve finished five novels and written numerous short stories, and I have no plans to stop writing in the Roaring ’20s. I went through a rough patch while I was busy with my master’s program, and it took me a while to get back into my groove, but this past year has proven to me (and hopefully also to you, my readers) that I still have a passion for writing fanfic and the drive and determination needed to post regularly and finish projects. I plan to continue doing all of that in the next decade.
First I’m going to finish my third pandaskunk story, The Year Without a Pandaskunk. Part II has been posted! I hope to continue updating with at least one part a week until it’s done. After that, I plan to work on a new novel. Right now, unless I get a different idea, I’m thinking that novel will be My Brother’s Keeper, which I posted a sneak peek of two years ago and then promptly stopped working on when life got in the way. I would love to tell you I’ll also continue working on some of my old, unfinished projects that are posted, but I don’t want to make any promises I may not be able to keep.
Whether you’re new to Dreamer’s Sanctuary or a long-time reader, I want to thank you all for visiting my site, reading my stories, and supporting me after all these years. Your involvement is a big part of what makes fanfic fun for me. I hope you know how much I appreciate you. I wish you all a happy new year and hope this next decade brings nothing but blessings your way!
