May Update
Wow, May is almost over. I don’t know if I’m excited or nervous that time seems to keep flying closer and closer to October. Golden Ruin has really come together since my last post, and it’s all starting to feel so real. The manuscript has been copy edited and lightly revised, so it’s almost finalized. I’ve uploaded ARC drafts to three different print on demand sites and ordered copies to compare the quality. I’ll be writing a blog post on all of that once I’ve been able to look them all over, as well as talk about my experience uploading the book to each service.
Once I’ve read through it one last time in print I’ll make any changes if I need to and then ARC sign ups will be open. I anticipate that step will cause a lot of mixed feelings — excitement and fear mostly. So far, only four people have read the book and I was very selective in who those four people were. Once it goes out into the world it goes out into unknown hands. They might love it, they might hate it. Honestly, I’m excited (and hopeful) for both ends of the spectrum. If everyone thinks it’s just okay then I probably haven’t done a very good job.
The last big puzzle piece is the cover, which I’m hoping to have by the end of July. A proofread will also be due sometime while ARCs are being read, probably late August.
That leaves all of June and July to sit and wait, which I am very bad at. So, while I wait I’ve been tinkering with an old manuscript I started in 2020 that I couldn’t find my footing on. I still have no idea where the story is going, but if I learned anything from Golden Ruin it’s that I trust myself to figure it out.
This book is very different in tone and subject, and could either be a standalone or a duology based on where I leave things. But it’s been exciting to come back to the world and characters that I was reluctant to let go of. When it’s time to bring it into the world I hope you like them too. I probably won’t reveal any more details until Golden Ruin is published since it’s taking up 99% of my brain anyway. But you might want to keep an eye on my Spotify and Pinterest for crumbs soon…
Until Next Time,
<3 Emma
