Hey all! I know it’s been a hot minute since I last updated. But here’s just a little bit of news on the updates for Hope’s Shadow, as well as it’s sequel (and if you stick around to the end, a little bit about what I’ve been reading lately).
So, essentially, Hope’s Shadow is completed and 95% ready for publication. All my edits have been made, and my wonderful editor has told me I’m not allowed to make any more changes! She knows me well and was quite explicit about this, so I am being good and not touching it (except for making a single word change in the first chapter where I accidentally said something was on the wrong side of the empire. A minor detail, but it bugged me). All that’s left is finishing a little back end stuff, formatting, reviewing the proof, and the 1 thing I have little control over — waiting on cover art. Hopefully the cover art will be done soonish.
That being said, I have made the difficult decision to hold off actually publishing Hope’s Shadow until early next year. Why is that? Simple… I’m currently going through my dietetic internship so that I can be a registered dietitian, and at the same time still working my full time job (because I have to be a responsible adult and pay bills and put food on the table). While technically I could put Hope’s Shadow out while doing all of this, I would not be able to give my novel’s release the attention that it deserves. And frankly, I’ve put too much hard work into this book to do a rush publication with little to no time to even market for it. So I am going to wait. I should be finished with the internship by February of next year, so hopefully, by next spring, it should be out! So bear with me a little longer, please!
By the way, if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, you absolutely should! I’m sending out little sneak peaks, and the first newsletter will include a blurb from the opening of Hope’s Shadow! There’s a sign up page on the front page of my website, or you can click here to subscribe!
While I’m sad to have to push back publishing Hope’s Shadow, there is good news! I am most of the way through a third draft of the sequel, Shadow of Memories! Once this draft is finished, I’ll do a quick revision, and then pass it on to my beta readers to see what changes need to be made. With luck (and a lot of effort), I could have the second book ready for publication within a year of Hope’s Shadow. Then I’ll just have to work on the third (and final) book, which I’ve not started yet, as what little time I have has been dedicated to the second book. At some point, I would also like to write a prequel to this trilogy, but that will have to wait.
In the meantime, I have some indie books that have recently come out that I would love to recommend! First of all, my dear friend AJ Elmore just published a week ago the second book of her Fae-Cursed series. This book, The Stolen, follows a punk rock band (and journalist) who’ve all had their names stolen/given by the fae, and a certain fae who is using them to start a war between the winter and summer courts. These books are modern day fantasy and the fae are heavily inspired by Celtic mythology, which I adore dearly! If you haven’t read The Nameless, which is the first book, which follows the same cast as they start dealing with the fae, then you absolutely should! These books are phenomenal (and the second is even better than the first), and if you love watching local bands, then I especially recommend it, because these books really reminded me so much of my time photographing and going to bars to see local musicians. The punk band aspect is a wonderful part of these books, and written so well. I cannot recommend these books enough!
In July, indie authors AK Caggiano (Villains and Virtues) and Laura Winter put out the first two books of a new series they’re working on, Falling For Demons. These are cozy demon romances (I know, sounds strange, but they’re wonderful) about 6 human women who get rescued by demons, and each of these women get their own book and find love in the demon realm. I was fortunate enough to get advance reader copies of these first two books, and I was so ecstatic that I did! I especially adored the second book, though that’s because the MMC is a huge nerd, and I love nerds! So definitely check these out if you want some light, cozy romance reads with a bit of spice. Okay, maybe more than just a bit…
Keep your eyes peeled for more updates and sneak peaks while I try to survive the next five months! Cheers!