2025 Year in Review

It's been a number of years since I last wrote an end of year look back. I was living through some incredibly darker times in my life in recent years. But this year brought with it enough wins that I'd like to shine some light on, so join me as I reflect back on what has been a very uplifting year in my life.

In 2024, I wrote four new books. In 2025, I released those four books. Three short story collections (Down the Fox Hole, Life as a Cat, and Mrs. Owl's Treatment Plan for OCD), and an illustrated chapter book (Ninja Kitties). And I couldn't be more pleased with my productive output in the past year. The reception to my new books has been very rewarding. I've had people tell me that my writing has brought them to tears, and in some cases even inspired them to begin their own writing journey. And I've had people call my work profound, poignant, and my best yet.

In fact, my first new book I released earlier in the year, Down the Fox Hole, has received multiple requests by a number of people for a sequel, something I hadn't really experienced with any of my prior works. I have indeed been toying around with sequel ideas in the past year, but nothing has really stuck that I've been satisfied with just yet. However, I just gotta remind myself not to rush the process. After all, the books that I wrote last year were all years in the making before I finally got to a place where I was able to sit down and write them all out. And besides, as one friend told me, I probably just need to go out and have more adventures and more life experience before a sequel will truly come to me, so it's important that I not pressure myself too much in the meantime.

The past year saw me taking part in some of those life experiences though, as I traveled to see Babymetal a couple of times, driving down to see them in Tampa over the summer, and even flying out to see them in LA again this past November, and meeting a great group of friends while I was out there. I also already have my tickets to my next Babymetal concert which will happen in August of next year, as I'll be seeing them yet again with a group of friends, while also seeing My Chemical Romance for the first time in what's certainly a dream lineup come true, so I'm definitely looking forward to that upcoming adventure as well.

And while still on the subject of Babymetal, I was also featured as a superfan in Kerrang magazine, which was incredibly cool. I also won some phenomenal drawings of Su-metal and the other girls in a fandom giveaway contest, and I successfully held my own fandom giveaway as well, in which three winners won both a copy of Down the Fox Hole and Metal Galaxy.

To emphasize the point of how long I've been sitting on some of these projects of mine though, I had been outlining and plotting them out for quite some time prior to writing them. Ninja Kitties goes way back, and is something I had been planning since some time after the title litter of kittens was born in real life. Down the Fox Hole I had been playing with since around the summer of 2019, and Life as a Cat has its origins somewhere around that time frame, too. Even my most recent outing, Mrs. Owl's Treatment Plan for OCD, has stories that have been in mind since at least 2023, while I was in the midst of my personal journey of recovery. So to have all these stories that have been sitting with me for such a long time finally get put out there for the world to enjoy has been such a satisfying experience, and like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

As to new projects, I was able to write at least one more complete book in 2025, which will be released shortly after I acquire illustrations for it in the next year. And I've continued trudging away at other projects as well, some of which I hope will see the light of day in the not too distant future. I was also able to attend a number of conventions for the first time in several years, where I was able to sell my books in person again. It's been great being able to do these sorts of events again, and I look forward to continuing on with even more to come in the coming year.

So yeah, the past year has brought a lot of good into my life. After years of being in an especially dark place where it was hard to get anything done, I've been able to catch up on years worth of backlog, and get back to a place where I'm able to enjoy a more relatively normal life, as I've spent the past couple of months unpacking and decluttering. It's a year that's brought productivity and adventure, and I'm already looking forward to going even further in the next years to come.

Mrs. Owl's Treatment Plan for OCD - Now Available!

Now available, my new book, Mrs. Owl's Treatment Plan for OCD, is a collection of stories inspired by my personal experience with OCD, therapy, and medication, shared in the hopes that it might offer help to others who are struggling with similar mental illnesses. Early readers have described the book as "profound" and my "best work". So please give it a read, or refer it to someone who may be in need of help with their own mental illness. Order your copy today!

www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com

Babymetal Live at the Intuit Dome - Weekend Review

Six years ago, I made the trip from Florida to California to see Babymetal live at The Forum. Six years later, I made that trip again to see them at the Intuit Dome in LA. This time, however, I made a bit more of an adventure of it.

The day before the show, I met up with a few friends from the Babymetal community, Andrew, Marcus, and Zackamania. We started things off by making the trip to the pop up shop, which was about an hour north of the venue. It took us some time to find it, but it was worth the effort, and it was nice being able to get our merch prior to going to the venue. I typically only allow myself to get a single shirt at a given event, but this time my decision on which one to get was hard. I was tempted to get at least two, but I managed to stay strong, and I grabbed their shirt that resembled the Hollywood sign, as that would tie in with our exploring that was still soon to come.

Anyways, I signed the big wall, then next, it was off to the movies to catch the Halloween weekend screening of KPop Demon Hunters. Despite being a sing-along event, our audience didn't sing or even cheer throughout the movie, but it was still great getting an opportunity to see this film on the big screen, and a fitting movie that certainly set the stage for what was still to come for us.

The One invades KPop Demon Hunters.

After the movie, we picked up another friend from the airport, Brian, and then it was back to the hotel to enjoy our chips party before calling it a night.

Chips party!

The following day, we made a second trip to the pop up venue so that Brian could pick up his merch, and we met one of the Babybones while we were there. Our next stop then brought us to the Hollywood sign, and gave us an opportunity to represent the Babymetal fandom there.

Babymetal goes Hollywood!

With our sight-seeing out of the way, it was finally time to hit up the venue. It was cool meeting other people from online, as well as people who I had met previously at The Forum in 2019.

Once we made it inside the venue, our group split up, as we all had different seating arrangements. I was seated to the left of the stage (Momo's side), which turned out actually being in the center of the venue, and felt reminiscent to the set up from their Budokan shows. As we awaited for the show to begin, one of the songs they played over the loudspeakers was Golden from KPop Demon Hunters, and the crowd in attendance did a much better job singing along than we had experienced in the theater the previous night.

My view of the stage.

Before Babymetal would hit the stage though, Jason Richardson opened for them, who had previously opened their shows on the Babyklok tour back in 2023. I mentioned how his performance as a sole guitarist on stage felt awkward back then, but somehow I really didn't experience that awkward feeling watching him this time around. He had a thirty minute set, and ended with a metal rendition of the Harry Potter theme song, and was an all around solid act.

Up next was the reason that had brought us all the way across the country, as Babymetal marched to the stage for a ferocious performance of Babymetal Death. This was followed up by From Me To U, which works wonderfully as an early set hype song, though I couldn't see my favorite part of the choreography due to the smoke that would billow up around them throughout the song. Then came the first big surprise of the evening, as we saw the return of Distortion, and I had a grin from ear to ear.

I was once more an active participant during Pa Pa Ya, and I was able to put my newly purchased American flag towel to good use as I swung that sucker through the air all throughout. We were then treated to a slew of tracks off the new album Metal Forth, including my first opportunity to see Sunset Kiss and KxAxWxAxIxI in person.

I made sure to pull my phone out and record the next song as soon as My Queen cued up, and we were treated to our next big moment as Spiritbox's Courney LaPlante came on stage to perform the song with the band.

One of the Babybones came out next sporting a baseball jersey and hyping the crowd up for an electrifying performance of Ratatata. Then after they played Gimme Chocolate, they left the stage and left us all chanting for more. And more they would deliver, as they came back out for their encore with a return of The One. I've seen them play this song before, back when it was still regularly toured, but prior to arriving at the venue, I learned that nobody else in the group I was with had ever seen them play it live. So I was quick to hop on the group chat and hype them up for what they were in store for, and thrilled for my friends' opportunity to finally experience this song live for themselves. This was certainly an emotional high point of the show.

They followed this up with Headbanger. Apparently there was a moment where Momometal fell down during the performance, but I didn't even notice. What I did notice though was Moa and Momo pranking each other during the bowing portion of the song, and that sight brought another big smile to my face.

They closed the show proper with Road of Resistance, but even after the song ended, I wasn't fully convinced they were through yet, despite having played a fifteen song set already. Perhaps it was my own fault for hyping myself up at the prospect of maybe getting to see Ijime, Dame, Zettai, or even the debut of White Flame, but no, Road of Resistance was the final song, and then they sent us home.

This did leave me feeling a touch let down, which was the first time I had ever experienced that feeling at a Babymetal show, but that's not to say that it wasn't still an excellent show all around. We were treated to an hour and a half of great music on a unique stage set-up, with all the spectacle and effects that we've come to expect from these bigger shows. And we got to experience some truly great moments, such as the returning Distortion (my personal highlight of the evening) and the special performance of My Queen. And since The One has become a rarer song in more recent years, I've come to realize that that was our show's Ijime, Dame, Zettai, which the band had played at their previous special arena show at the 02 Arena.

To compare it to my experience with The Forum, I would personally say The Forum was a significantly better show all around, and I'd even toss in my most recent outing at Tampa as being a better all around show. But like I said, Babymetal always delivers, and they certainly did that at the Intuit Dome, even if the show perhaps didn't quite meet my admittedly high expectations of it. Was the trip still worth it? Absolutely! It was great meeting some of my friends from the fandom in person and going out on our little adventures leading up to the big show. And it's always a treat seeing Babymetal no matter at what cost, and I already look forward to the next one. See you!

Life as a Cat - Now Available!

Springing at you like a sneaking cat is the new short story collection, Life as a Cat! Featuring fantastical tales that follow various cats, some of whom you might remember from the Velcro the Ninja Kat and Ninja Kitties series, and others who are being introduced for the first time here. They say that a cat has nine lives. What if that were more than just a saying? Order your copy today!

www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com

Ninja Kitties Insight

The new children's illustrated chapter book, Ninja Kitties, has recently released, and now I'd like to take a moment to talk a little more about the project. For those of you who have finished the Velcro the Ninja Kat series, you'll already know from the series' final scene that I was setting this story up well before Velcro even ended, as that's where these characters were first introduced. I had the initial concept ready at that time, and I had put together an outline for their spin-off story, though it wouldn't be until last year that I was finally able to sit down and write the story out in full.

Focusing on a younger cast of characters, I wanted to similarly write a story that felt more age appropriate for our cast, so it was written with a younger audience in mind as compared to the main Ninja Kat books. It was certainly fun returning to this world with that mentality, and these characters were definitely a blast to write. As with the original books, the characters are based on real life animals, pets that we had acquired in the years since Velcro's passing, and the book aims to capture their unique personalities and bring them to life in this world.

I also collaborated with Christine Celenski for the artwork again, who returns after having previously done the original cover art for Polluted War, The Egg Hunters, and Kip. I gave her the manuscript and worked with her on character designs, but outside of that, I really wanted to give her free reign to do her thing, and to not be as much of a dictator as I can sometimes be in these collaborative works. I was very pleased with the end result. I definitely feel her art helps really makes these characters pop off the page, and I hope that readers will be just as pleased as I am.

Early readers have all enjoyed this little adventure so far, and I hope your little ones will similarly find joy in it as well. I like to think it has a genuine heart and a positive message, in addition to fun characters for the family to enjoy. Pick up a copy of Ninja Kitties for your family today!

www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com

KPop Demon Hunters - Movie Review

I typically don't have Netflix, but every once in a while they release a movie that piques my interest enough to subscribe to it for a month. Most recently, that movie was KPop Demon Hunters. Granted, I would've much preferred to have seen this movie get a theatrical release, because it would've certainly made for a great theater experience, and one that I would've likely gone back to revisit multiple times at that, because this movie was absolutely fantastic.

First I want to discuss how this movie works as a musical. I always love it when musicals really integrate the musical aspect organically within the movie's world, and that's certainly the case here, as it's the power of our heroes voices while they sing that gives them the ability to fight off against the demons throughout. And not only that, but it's just really cool seeing full blown fight sequences play out during many of the musical numbers, which is something I've always wanted to see in a musical.

We follow a group known as Huntrix, who in addition to being demon hunters, are also a massively popular KPop group. As such, the music in the movie definitely has that KPop feel to it, but lyrically is where the movie really impresses me.

When you're listening to a regular song on the radio, its lyrics usually tend to be more poetic in nature, whereas in a musical, the lyrics are often more narrative- or dialogue-driven instead. Regular songs don't really translate well into musical form for this reason, since their lyrics don't always tell a straightforward story and can oftentimes be up for interpretation. They're more about creating a mood. But in a musical, the music serves to help either move the plot forward or tell us more about the characters, and so the lyrics have to be a little more straightforward in their storytelling as a result. This movie, however, manages to incorporate pop songs with lyrics that definitely work like regular songs, but which also tell a straightforward story and don't feel awkwardly out of place during the movie's various numbers. This is not an easy balance to achieve at all, but this movie finds that balance, and it works beautifully, and makes for an outstanding and unique (and incredibly catchy) soundtrack for the genre.

Oftentimes, foreign music will randomly insert English lyrics into their songs. Being an American made film, the movie is already in English, as are its songs. But it does the opposite with its songs, inserting random Korean here and there, which I thought was a nice touch.

I also appreciated how the movie handles the topic of using your art to make the world a better place. I have my thoughts on certain artists that put out very ugly and negative messages with their art, and I often find this practice pretty off-putting. This movie actually explores that direction though, as the group are putting together a takedown song, but its ugly lyrics and nasty message winds up driving a wedge between the group. Ultimately, it's a song that serves to divide as opposed to unite, and it's not until they come together to create a different song full of a more positive and uplifting message that they're able to rekindle things and pull their fans back in as well, and I think this is a wonderful message that speaks volumes.

Beyond its musical aspects, I also loved following this cast of characters. The movie is incredibly silly, with lots of visual gags that take full advantage of the animated medium. But there's also a serious depth to the characters, as they're each dealing with their own insecurities that they have learn to overcome. I liked how the demons in the film feed off of people's insecurities and shame, and it felt relatable in a way that was somewhat reminiscent to Frozen (though I wouldn't quite say this film goes to nearly such depths as those movies do). I was particularly drawn to the character of Rumi, and I liked the realistic ways in which the film shows how she goes about keeping her secrets hidden.

I was also a fan of the film's setting, and how the story plays out very similarly to a number of classic Eastern fantasy stories, but in a more modern backdrop. And being a huge fan of the band Babymetal, who get their origins from idol roots, I was certainly able to appreciate how that whole aspect and the fandom surrounding it was incorporated into the film as well, which certainly felt true to life.

Colorful, vibrant, beautiful, catchy, and clever, this movie has a lot going for it, and it delivers in spades. It features great music, great characters, and a great message that definitely hits home. It currently sits as my favorite movie I've seen this year so far, and I'd say that it's well worth subscribing to Netflix for at least a month to watch it.

Ninja Kitties – Now Available!

Sneaking up on you like a ninja, the new children's illustrated chapter book, Ninja Kitties, is now available!

Four sibling kittens are enamored by the stories of the legendary Velcro the Ninja Kat, and go out to play a game where they act out the Ninja Kat's adventures. But then the game becomes real when one of the kittens is catnapped by the villainous Fox Spirit, and it's up to the others to track their sister down and save her.

Pick up a copy for your little ones today!

www.VelcroTheNinjaKat.com