Confession: I don’t wrap any Christmas presents. If it were up to me, every gift would come in a gift bag. But according to my husband, there’s no fun in gift bags, so he wraps every gift (for better or worse). I appreciate that he wants to give other people the experience of unwrapping a gift.
However, since this is my newsletter, it shall be unwrapped! Here’s a summary of my 2024:
ZERO WRITING
I wrote zero new books, my friends. I took this year off from writing and it’s been good. I really needed it after writing a book a year for the last four years. I still found myself busy this year with other life things, so I can’t say I’ve had a ton of R&R this year. I will say that I had more time this year for things I didn’t get to do in the last few years like take trips, see my friends often, and make some other career moves.
10K(ish) STEPS
I started and quickly ended my 10K steps challenge ha! I gave it a good effort for a few weeks and I even lost some weight for a hot second. But yeah, the holidays came and that’s gone out the window. It’s for the best. I was really cranky for that one week I cut out sugar.
BUCKET LIST ITEMS
I crossed some author bucket list items this year, thanks to Steamy Lit. I signed at the LA Times Festival of Books and attended Steamy Lit Con. Big thanks to Mel!
MOST VIEWED TIKTOK
Of course, the algorithm doesn’t favor my book promo. My most viewed TikTok was my accidental advertisement for Daiso. Still waiting for my sponsorship.
SEVENTEEN
I became a Carat this year and apparently, the songs I listened to the most was _WORLD and To You. Following a band nearly 10 years after their debut meant that I spent a lot of time catching up on their discography and performances. My husband says I was obsessed (he exaggerates, of course). But if you asked me, I think this performance of Hit is amazing and I’ll never get over the fact that the SGV made it into the Snap Shoot music video.
SOME FAVORITES
Now that I’m writing this, I suddenly can’t remember any of the books I read or things I’ve watched. I might change my mind tomorrow, but as of today, here are some of my favorites of 2024:
KDRAMA: Lovely Runner
BOOKS: Be still, my messy, pining heart. Here are some books that had me DMing author friends: Between Friends & Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi and Midnights With You by Clare Osongco and The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh (look out for it April 2025!)
EATS: The Nasi Lemak at Ipoh Kopitiam in Alhambra, CA, The Fruit Tart from Porto’s that my husband picked up at 4:30am on Thanksgiving morning (he’s the best!), the egg salad sando from Family Mart and pretty much every meal I had in Tokyo
Overall, I spent the year trying to rest and make improvements in my life, whether that was for my health or career. All of these things are a work in progress and I hope to build on it through 2025. I did receive some not so good news about the secret that I hinted at in the last newsletter, but I’m still holding out on some hope. I’ll likely share more in a future newsletter because let me tell you, it’s been a roller coaster.
I want to end this newsletter with a song that fits the season. When I was a teen, I listened to KROQ (LA’s rock music station) every day and I always looked forward to their annual Christmas album in which the proceeds went to charity. This is how the world heard “My December” by Linkin Park, which was on KROQ’s 2000 compilation, The Real Slim Santa. But I’d like to share a less sad song, which came out on KROQ’s 2001 compilation album: “Last Christmas” covered by Jimmy Eat World.
However you celebrate (or not) in December, I hope you have the chance to spend some time with loved ones and eat something delicious. At the very least, treat yourself! The best part about giving yourself a gift? You don’t even have to wrap them.
See you in 2025!
Julie
Shameless plug that my books make great gifts for the holidays (or any occasion). If you preorder THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO, make sure to fill out the form and I’ll send you some character prints: https://forms.gle/GqTGcezkYiz1ihrp8
ahhh thank you so much for mentioning midnights with you! 💜💜💜 and so glad you got a well-deserved break this year!