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The world is full of books, and yet no matter how many billions upon billions of words exist out there in print, there is always someone who can never find something to read.

We all have different tastes in literature. Some of us like things soft and squishy. Some of us like the dark, gritty stuff. Some of us like camp. Some of us like horror. Some of us only like non-fiction. We are all unique as people and so it makes sense that our taste in reading material reflect that.

So, this weekend's question to you is:

What is your ideal book?

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This post is going to be about a sensitive topic; one that many people do not understand because they have not experienced it personally. I wanted to broach this subject because I get a lot of emails from readers about it and I think that it's something that should be discussed.

For those of you have not read my book, Gossamer, please don't let what I am about to write discourage you. It is not, as some might say, a book that endorses a certain type of behavior. Instead I hope that, after reading this, you come to see that it is everything but.

Read more: Food for Thought: Something serious

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Hau'oli Makahiki Hou to all of my readers!!

What an awesome 2011 it has been.

Grace Series completion.
The introduction to my Faeble Novels.
Quiver - my first venture outside of the YA-PNR genre.
Dark Veil character contest and reveal.

Every step of the way, you guys have been with me and I cannot imagine what it would have been like without you guys by my side. Thank you, each and every one of you, for being by my side, cheering me on, steering me in the right direction, and telling me when I'm about to step in the big pile of poo.

2012 will be filled with even more wonderful journeys and I hope you all are there with me!!

Here's to more stories and more adventures in life and literature! May you all have immeasurable amounts of joy, laughter, success, and love this new year!! 

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This has been such a wonderful, lesson-filled year. I'm at a loss for words just how much I've gained from the experiences I've had these past twelve months. Writing, receiving criticism, reading, growing... The things that a person accomplishes in a year can never truly be measured, but if it could, it would be in smiles, laughs, tears, curses tossed out in frustration, and quiet moments of brooding.

You all have been there with me, from beginning to now. You've read my books and, I hope, felt some of those smiles, laughs, tears, curses, and quiet moments right along with me. I couldn't ask for better readers, fans, friends, and family. And yes, to each of you who are fans of my work, I consider you a part of my family. You've seen what's in my head and in my heart, and instead of running from it like any sane person would, you've embraced it, loved it, shared it. That takes balls, people! Steel ones!

In a perfect world, there'd be no need for a medium such as a book; thoughts, ideas, and stories would flit from one mind to the other, shared like breaths in an enclosed room (hopefully tic-tac scented breaths...none of that saurkraut stuff going on). But this is an imperfect world we live in, and as such I can only offer you these stories through my books. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you. Thank you for being the ears and that heard the heartache, the feet that walked this journey, the eyes that caught the slight of hand, and the voices that cried out in defense and in objection.

I say it constantly and each and every time I do, it only gets more and more truthful:

I am nothing without you as readers.

Yes, the world has those who read for reading's sake. Yes, there are those who will read my stories just to tear them apart. And yes, there are those who'd rather eat the crusted leftovers of a decades old bottle of school paste than read anything I've written. But they matter, too. They matter in a way that can only help me become a better author, a better story teller, a better poet. And they matter because they also make me appreciate you all the more and they make me want to write. A lot.

So what do I hope to accomplish next year? Tons. Dark Veil will be coming out. Sweet Silence, too. The sequel to Gossamer will be coming out, as well as the sequel to Sweet Silence. I've got a fairy tale twist coming that's targeted toward adults, and a couple of darker novels that may or may not scare the nuts out of your squirrels. I'm sure that somewhere along the way, another story will claw its way out of my head and demand to be written. That's how Gossamer was born, and Quiver as well. The characters from the Grace Series are also screaming for more attention, so maybe I'll start fiddling with them...maybe.

But, no matter what I do, I want you with me. Step-by-step, I want you to be by my side. 2011 was a year of introduction. 2012 will be a year of growth, and I hope you're willing to come with me. But, whether or not you do, you will always be in my heart and in my thoughts, because you helped me to make it here, and from where I'm standing, things look very, very promising.

So, whatever your plans, I want to wish you and yours a fabulous holiday season and may your year be filled with nothing but hope, happiness, and cat carols.

Aloha!

S.L. Naeole