A Seat at the Table

There is a strange paradox in being a writer. For the better part of a year, the process requires isolation. It asks you to step away from the world, to turn down the volume on reality, and to live entirely inside your own head. While I am building the world of The Lumen Archive, I spend countless hours in that solitude. I am having conversations with characters who don't exist yet, mapping out timelines that no one else can see, and wrestling with ideas in the quiet hours of the night. It feels like preparing a massive, complex feast in a dark kitchen, unsure if anyone would ever actually show up to eat.

For a long time, The Unraveling was just mine. It was a secret frequency I was tuning into, a story that lived only in my notes and my thoughts. Then, November came. Releasing this book earlier this month changed the dynamic entirely. The solitude broke. The doors opened. Suddenly, the story wasn't just mine anymore, it became yours, too.

This Thanksgiving feels different because the circle has grown. When I sit down to reflect on what I’m grateful for today, I’m not just thinking about the family and friends sitting across from me (though they are my anchor). I’m thinking about the "empty chairs" that you, the readers, have filled. You took a chance on a new story. You stepped into a world of my making and let it take up space in your imagination. You turned a solitary signal into a conversation.

That is the beauty of this holiday, and perhaps the beauty of storytelling itself. We spend so much time curating our lives, filtering the noise, and managing the daily inputs of the digital world. But today is about stopping the intake. It is about looking around the table, whether literal or metaphorical, and appreciating the connection.

Thank you for welcoming The Unraveling into your homes. Thank you for the messages, the reviews, and the simple act of reading. You have given me a lot to be thankful for this year. May your day be filled with peace, plenty, and a complete lack of static.

Eat well, rest well, and thank you for being part of this journey.

-Brandon