Book Two Updates

Above: A monarch caterpillar on the underside of a milkweed leaf. My index finger is shown next to it, for comparison.

August 16, 2024

Updates

I finished a round of editing for Mysteries of the Material on Wednesday. That, plus a couple of other things, have kept me busy over the last month. There’s some good stuff happening right now, so let’s dive in.

Mysteries of the Material is Coming Soon!

I’m excited to confirm that I’m on schedule to publish Mysteries of the Material in November. I still don’t want to confirm a date, but I anticipate later in the month. Stay tuned for more details on that!

Cover Art

What I’m most excited about is the cover. The cover artist is hard at work, and has already provided me with four options for consideration. Ultimately, I chose the one which showcases more of the fantasy/adventure aspects, but don’t worry—undertones of romance and mystery are still present. It’s coming together so nicely, and I can’t wait to share it with you all! I’ll do a cover reveal sometime in October.

Editing

As I mentioned, I finished my round of digital editing this week. I’m really pleased with the changes I’ve made, and I believe the story is in a great spot! What’s left are things that will be covered in a copy edit—grammar, syntax, punctuation, etc. Because of this, I’m opting to skip printing out the manuscript, and will save my full read through until after I’ve reviewed my editor’s comments. That way, if she finds anything relating to plot or character that needs to be fixed (I don’t think she will, but you never know), I can do it all at the same time.

This lets me move onto editing Convergence of Connection, which is a better use of my time right now, anyway. Besides, knowing how book two ends, I know you’ll want book three ASAP. I’ll do my best to get that ready for a (Northern Hemisphere) Spring 2025 release.

What Else is Happening?

I’m in the very early stages of planning book four. So early, I haven’t put anything down on paper (or my whiteboard) yet. I have a general sense of plot, and I know the ending, so that’s a good start. As I move onto editing book three, I know things will come together. I also know the title already, but I’m keeping that close to the chest for now.

I’ve also been doing some outdoorsy things. In particular, I found six (SIX!) monarch caterpillars on the milkweed along our driveway, and I’ve been watching them grow. It’s been really fun seeing how much they eat, and where they travel throughout the day. We have some grassy patches in our wildflower garden that I’ll remove in the fall, and plant milkweed seeds or plants in the spring. Being in nature helps me rejuvenate and inspires creativity, and if I can both encourage that and provide a healthy environment for wildlife, all the better.

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That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and as always, stay creative!

~Sarah