I published my first story (Two Perspectives) on SOL almost four years ago – October 2020. Since then I have posted 31 stories. The first in the Fifty Something Teenager (FST) series came in January 2022. The last story I published was five months ago, National Masturbation Month (May 2024).
Aside: After seeing the stories again as I write this blog, I am amazed at how much my writing has changed (improved?) over time!
Not surprisingly, some stories have been more well-received than others. My most successful story, as measured by reader ratings, has been Reflections of a Convalescent. By far, my most popular tales, as measured by downloads, have been the FST series.
Next week, when I publish #14 in FST, The Final Decision, it will mark the end of the series. I have started a few stories with the intention of using the same characters again (e.g., Byproduct of an Office Re-org was going to have a sequel, Byproduct of a Hostile Takeover), but while the sequel was started, I never felt sufficiently motivated to finish it. With the FST series, I knew I wanted to write much shorter stories with the same characters. I also thought that by starting a series I would not be beholden to finishing a complete story and could publish updates as independent entries in the series.
With that background, I have decided to wrap up the series. I have had neither the time nor the motivation to write as much as I did a few years ago, but FST felt like it needed closure. Therefore, I carved out the time and dedicated myself to writing an ending. I won’t say I will never revisit these characters, or start another series, but for now, I wanted at least one more story to conclude the FST universe.
A huge thank you to everyone who has read the series and sent email – encouragement, comments, and even heads-up on typos! Without your support I would never have published so many stories in the series, or on SOL in general.
Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the conclusion to the FST series!
-DF