Hello! With 2022 whizzing through the first month I thought I’d do up a catalogue of books (ongoing and completed) that I have managed to finish/start on in my short human life. Hopefully, by the end of a few (human, not light) years, the unfinished books would be completed. I don’t think it’s possible to complete them by the end of this year, because it’s simply hard to write 24/7 and when it comes to details I can’t help but be picky. It’s the thing with writing, perhaps. The characters may take a while to decide which pathways they would like to explore as well.
Completed book(s):
- Songs for July artbook (2019)
Synopsis:
Emotions, as we know them, can be more than ‘mere feelings’, impacting the soul and our psychological, emotional wellbeing. Everyday, there are children and elderly who feel lonely, depressed, or even suicidal because of the situations they find themselves in. Even for you and I, life isn’t great; there are ups and downs, and we are never always ‘okay’.
I self-published this book to capture the real stories and expressions from the people around me about what it means to heal.
For my friends, family and I, healing is to express what we feel deep down, to appreciate for a moment that it is okay to be, in essence, not okay. In our society, we may sometimes feel the pressure to cover it up, and while we can do this for awhile, it’s not very sustainable nor healthy to do it for long. And the outlets for us range from art, to music, and other forms of expression like photography. And this is what Songs for July is about. To heal through art and self-expression.
This book was hence written to raise awareness about the importance of healing and how art could help in the process. 40% of all proceeds also go to The Red Pencil, a non-for-profit organisation that empowers children, the elderly, and other vulnerable individuals through art therapy.
As of now, at least $500 has been raised through the sale of Songs for July artbook to support the cause of The Red Pencil (Singapore) and also to raise awareness about art and healing. The book can be purchased here (worldwide shipping), and here (local shipping).
Everyone deserves a chance, the time, and the support in healing.
Genres: art, healing, slice of life, non-fiction, poetry
Ongoing books:
- Tales from the Woodfolk (2021 –)
Synopsis:
A shadow passes between two trees as you hear scurrying across the leaves. A wind blows through a curtain of swaying ivy. Flowers fall as a maiden kisses her lover’s cheek, only to disappear in the light of dawn.
Have we really listened to the trees when they rustle in the wind? Or hear the gossip of swallows as they rest in their nests? The woods are dark with secrets, we just haven’t really listened to them yet.
This is a collection of short stories inspired by both human nature and the nature of the Earth in which we live. There is a story behind every crushed bark, gnawed bone, raven’s quill, giant’s skull, and fallen wreath.
If you like Fantastical Beasts, Grimm’s Fairytales, or the Book of Khaidan, this may be for you.
Lily is a sickly 6-year old child, knowing little of the outdoors. She has been sick for most of her short lifetime. One day when her parents have to leave for a very long business trip amidst the pandemic, her grandmother comes to stay, offering her stories to feed her imagination, and calm her anxiety. As they recount the stories, they encounter adventures of different measures and forms. However, the stories can only last for so long, before reality strikes….(what happens? We shall find out).
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More illustration process on instagram.
Read TWF here.
Genres: fantasy, adventure, love, slice of life
- Aurora with a Patch (2021 -)
Synopsis:
Meryl is an ordinary girl. Maybe not too ordinary. There is one ‘problem’. It’s hard to explain. But if you look closely, you can see a cauliflower peeking out from her hat and strands of hair. Still, what does it mean to be ordinary?
All she wants is a peaceful life with a stable income. Struggling to build her savings, she hopes she could feel completely normal someday. However does she plan to do that, and would the ideal always work out the same?
With these preoccupations, the last thing she expects is to fall in love.
What if it happens?
Would things be the same?
A story about what it means to find yourself, a girl who falls in love, and more. Spontaneously written on my way home from a craft market. Let’s see where this goes.
Read Aurora with a Patch here.
Genres: slice of life, forbidden romance, school, technology
- Firelight at Dusk (2021 -)
Synopsis:
What would you do when the epitome of your happiness is threatened?
Would you claw at it desperately?
Or would you look into the threat
And find in its mirror
A reflection of something else
Perhaps yourself?
When Hera learns of her boyfriend’s scandal, she does not expect that it would ever happen, nor does she ever imagine the day when she would come face to face with the mistress of her lover of 15 years.
When they meet, their conversation sets a turn in many events of her life, turning her world upside down, and also bringing back something buried from the past…
Read Firelight at Dusk here.
Genres: slice of life, marriage, forbidden romance, drama
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As of now, these are the self-published works that I have completed/ am currently working on. To be honest there are other novels that I am working on at the same time, but for these I might save the publishing for later. Eventually, I hope to be able to publish at least one book traditionally, but that will have to wait after sufficient practice and progress. Rome was not built in a day.
I am also open to feedback for improvement to hone my craft 🙂 So, if you’d like, feel free to contact me or leave a comment or two!
The Writing Den 