So Close to Finishing Book Three!
Things are moving forward again, and I feel like there is so much happening behind the scenes at the moment!
I am getting very close to finishing writing my third book, Before the Clock Stops. It feels strange to say that because this book has been such a different experience for me. Stepping into a new genre and creating a completely different kind of story has challenged me in many ways, but seeing the end getting closer is incredibly exciting.
There is still work to do, of course. Finishing the first draft never really means the book is finished! But knowing that I am almost there makes me want to keep pushing and finally type those magical words: THE END.
At the same time, Beyond Heaven and Hell: Exodus, my second book, is nearly ready to go to Becca, my editor. It is another huge step towards getting Exodus into the hands of my readers. After spending so much time inside this world and with these characters, sending the manuscript to my editor always brings a strange mixture of excitement and nerves. It means the story is leaving my hands for a little while and moving one step closer to becoming a real, finished book.
Something else exciting finally happened too: my character cards have been sent for production!
I have been working on these for a while, and I honestly cannot wait to see the finished cards in person. There is something special about seeing characters who have lived inside your imagination becoming something you can actually hold. As soon as they arrive, I will be able to start putting the packages together and finally offer them for sale. I am already imagining how everything will look when it’s all put together! Thank you Nina, to make this possible.
And because apparently I don’t know how to stop creating new things, I have also created another product inspired by Beyond Heaven and HellNatalie’s Necklace.
Natalie’s necklace is particularly special because it isn’t simply a piece of jewellery inspired by the book. The necklace itself is important to the story and to Natalie, so turning it into something readers can own feels incredibly meaningful to me. I love the idea that someone can read about an object in the story and then actually have their own version of it.
These little details are becoming one of my favourite parts of creating the world around my books. The books will always be at the centre of everything, but being able to bring pieces of those stories into the real world through character cards, jewellery, special editions, and other products makes the whole experience even more exciting.
There seems to be a lot happening at once right now: one book is almost written, another is getting ready for editing, character cards are being produced, and new products are coming to life.
Sometimes I look at everything I’m working on and wonder how I got here.
But mostly, I just can’t wait to see what comes next.