At the start of 2024, I wanted to start focusing once again on short stories, and bringing many free offerings for people to enjoy. It took a while for that to start up, but once I started, there was one short a month being uploaded to my compilations of Shorts of the Rula and The Alternate Extras of Halesowen. Well, mostly. But with 2025 being the year where I’m really wanting to push the hardest yet with my stories, I wanted to reflect on those of this last year.

At the beginning of the year, I was developing the fourth book of the Alternate Halesowen and Beyond series. Slowly. Very slowly. To the point that while all the planning for the story is completed, only two chapters of it have been completed. Part of that is juggling a lot of ideas for other stories that I keep getting distracted. Which is something I’m going to work on in 2025 so that I can keep focused. The other reason is not wanting to step on my own toes.

Yes, Space Race Championship was signed on to be physically published, and I could not be happier. Back then, a tentative release of November was given, so I didn’t want anything too close to that time. As such, Alternate Halesowen and Beyond 4 was delayed into 2025 and development of it admittedly slowed. Then a more concrete Spring 2025 date was given to Space Race Championship. As such, no novel this year.

But there were short stories. Back in May, I was looking through the stories of year’s past and realised something. The Alternate Extras of Halesowen had been getting updates incredibly slowly. With each student of the media course getting a story of their own, along with Oliver, that was sixteen more short stories to tell from those initial three. At one per yearly quarter, it should have been complete sometime in 2020.

Instead, it had been over six years and was only halfway done. During planning for Alternate Halesowen and Beyond 4, I started thinking of stories for the remaining characters. Which led to a bit more development of the secondary group, giving a good story for another of them. And so, Travel Plans was the first short story released this year, providing some introspection for the most laid back of the group.

That looking back at stories of year’s past is also how a new universe of stories was created. Zincite Storm Cup was a story of the original site, one which inspired me for the open world racing RPG concept I created. I saw potential in this world of mine, and so wanted to return to it. Which became a focus of mine in June so I could introduce it with a new addition to Shorts of the Rula in July for Racing Month.

A New Life of Speed introduced the world of the Racer’s Way, a culture of racing enthusiasts who built towns around racetracks. And it did so through the eyes of someone seeing it all for the first time. Though racing was in the culture, I didn’t want all the story to focus on it. I was aware that such was partly the cause for the weakness in writing of Zincite Storm Cup. I was happy with the introduction to the world, and considered what else I could do with it.

My attention had to return to Alternate Halesowen and Beyond at some point, so as August ended, I felt it was time to put some focus on characters who hadn’t seen much. Ross and Carson. I wanted them to meet, which would start Ross on a realisation he’s not as hated among the group as he thinks. And for Carson to feel guilt at what Ross had been through owing to the group.

An Adventure in New Beginnings arrived in September, seeing the two join at a charity fundraiser that would give them a tour of the town Carson lives. This was told from the perspective of Ross, as Carson’s guilt would come later. Or at least become stronger over time. The end of October saw the release of Delivering and Delivered, which would see Carson seek out Alicia for her perspective on the events of the last year.

With those two stories out, I turned my attention to other stories for Shorts of the Rula. It was too late to theme any story around Halloween, so that meant Christmas. There were two things I wanted for this story. The first was, though it might be set near Christmas, there would be little in the way of Christmas elements to it. The second was to incorporate an idea that had so far been without a story.

That being teleportation technology of an advanced level. An invisible, domed barrier surrounding a digital map display which transports anything to the location shown on it. But only if the barrier detects a certain material first. In this case snow. The two brothers who come across this map are the test subjects for it. One knows this is likely the case, and is hesitant to push the limits of the technology. The other wants to push those limits, not caring about anything else.

Snowfall was an interesting one, as I wanted to include all this, but also a bit of dread. Just what is this technology doing in a place where anyone can use it? Who might be watching, waiting to see the results of the test? What uses do those people have for it? And what will happen to the two brothers now that they have seen what the technology is capable of? That last could have seen a different ending for the story, but I decided not. It’s more interesting if the answers aren’t revealed, after all.

And so arrives year end. I’m going to work a lot more on stories in 2025, starting from the very beginning of the year. My breathing difficulties have slowly started to ease now that I fully understand where the issues are coming from. So I’m hoping they won’t get in the way of my creativity too much next year. I’m starting to feel more active in mind than I have been for quite a number of years, now. Which is lovely. Slowly but surely I’ll be back to daily writing.

As for what I’ll be writing, Alternate Halesowen and Beyond 4 needs to be completed. Many more short stories for both Alternate Extras of Halesowen and Shorts of the Rula. And some other projects can fully begin. I’ve also been thinking about returning to older stories on Wattpad, rewriting them to release as new editions. That might not be one for next year, though. It’s all very exciting, so keep an eye out for the announcements of new stories throughout 2025.