Release Came and Went

A Journey Paved in Shadows is officially out for purchase! As of this last Sunday, you can buy your very own copy and get lost in the Lennael Mountains with Rin and Zarus!

Release day came and went, and I celebrated by getting sick. Already, I have had so many people reach out and tell me they bought a copy of my book, and more inquiring where and how to buy it. I am so blessed to have such wonderful and supportive friends and family surrounding me. The more I think about it, the crazier having a book published sounds. This is something I have spent seven years working towards. Something I fought tooth and nail for to finally make happen. And it happened. And the craziest part? I barely even celebrated it. I have become so busy working on so many different projects that I honestly forgot this was a life goal achieved. In fact, now that AJPiS is finally published, I get to work harder to spread the word about it. I knew the work would never be finished once a book is out for the public, but I still feel as though I’m behind. Behind on marketing and planning post-launch events. Behind on editing the sequel to AJPiS, and other stories I’ve put on hold to work on this one. Behind on life. Publishing was always the end goal, and it seemed too unrealistic all these years to plan past it. But here we are, and suddenly I realize I need a plan.

For starters, as many already know, A Journey Paved in Shadows is the first book in its series. I don’t have a name for the entire series, and that is one thing that’s been on my mind all week. However, I finished writing the first draft of the second book a few years ago. I never progressed past the first draft because I focused my energies on publishing the first one. So now that step one, in a sense, is complete, I can work on editing book two. And let me tell you, it needs a lot of work. The continuation of Rin and Zarus’s story contains a lot of jumping around after the events of book one. Because of this, the first draft of book two is choppy. The plot of the draft is also in need of some tweaking. Two years had been long enough to think it over, and characters need developing, questions need answering, and the length needs shortening. I’m happy to finally take book two off of the back burner. Its due some good loving after so long (and by loving I of course mean hacking away at the unnecessary bits like a deranged surgeon).

Other than finally getting back into the writing rhythm, I want to start organizing events in person or online to chat about A Journey Paved in Shadows. I’ve considered doing a read along series on Instagram where I discuss each chapter of the book in stories or reels. I could go into what I was aiming for in each chapter, or simply read a bit of the pages. Holding a book signing has been a work in progress. For one, the book haul I ordered has been delayed until almost Christmas. Given this is such a busy season as it is, I think any signings will be pushed until January. There’s also the bit about falling ill. So for now, I think I am just going to relax for a bit, and plan accordingly.

Thank you to everyone who’s reached out about the book launch! I really hope you enjoy the read, and reach out to talk to me about it. My email is always open. Lue.thoughtsofagoblin@gmail.com