Editing - Update #2
Hello everyone! It's been a while since I gave an update on my books, so let's get into it.
The Redwater Legend
When I last updated everyone, my first book was about to be copy-edited, and it was! Lauren Humphries-Brooks did an outstanding job editing the novel, and it was a pleasure to work with her. After I reviewed the edit, I put the book aside to focus on other projects, but I recently dusted it off with renewed focus and enthusiasm.
For those who don't know, my day job is a game dev working on dating sims. It was one thing writing my fantasy books when off work from a grocery store, but when your job is creative writing, coming home to do... more creative writing is like trying to draw water from a dried-out pond.
The other week, I finished editing the first third of the book, hoping it would be my final major edit of the novel. There were some lore details I needed to add, along with contributions from my artist, that I wanted to incorporate into the prose. Not to mention, I just wanted to give it one last look before I sealed its fate. Reading it aloud to ensure it sounds pleasing.
In a future update, I want to showcase the art being created for the book, along with the incredible artist I have been collaborating with since March of last year. March 19th is when we signed a contract, which was five days after my last update. Since then, they have been drawing and working every month, helping me create the visual style and art for the Hemlock books.
As far as finishing the book, it will be done this year. My goal is to finish this current "read aloud vibe" edit and then give it over to a Proofreader who will hopefully catch those final grammar mistakes. After that, we'll just have to see where we sit with art. Our original goal was to fill the book with illustrations, but that isn't very realistic given our time and budget.
When will it be released? No clue. I am more than happy to self-publish again, but I also want to see if any publishing houses can take my artist and me. I would like to be self-sufficient, relying on creating a good community of readers and doing the work myself. But we shall see! But, I really freaking hope it's this year. I have so many books I want to write.
The Trial of the Chimera (working title)
During the last year, I did a little bit of work on Chimera. I added a prologue showing off Ruth as a child and what led her to become a Hunter. While this story takes place before Redwater, I believe Redwater is a strong start to Ruth's journey. That's why I want to workshop Chimera more, to create a solid beginning since I know people will see it takes place first and start there, regardless of what I do. So, I might as well make it a good start, too.
The biggest hurdle of this story is the number of other interesting characters it introduces, who won't return for quite some time. You meet all of Ruth's fellow Hunter friends and her professors. All exciting characters with their own quirks, problems, and arcs to go on. Going from Chimera to two stories focusing solely on Ruth might make you, as a reader, feel a bit cheated that I gave you these toys for a few minutes only to lock them in a box.
Regardless, I think that this story is good, but it can be so much better. It is currently sitting at 34k words and needs a few more drafts before I am happy with it.
The Automata of Oscilstead
The first 10 chapters of Oscilstead have been edited for this current draft, though I believe this book will take some time to finish. It's longer than Chimera and Redwater combined, so hopefully doing those two stories first will make me a better author so I can finish Oscilstead with the skills I learned.
Call for Help
I was hoping that someone knew how I could find someone who is really good with geography and how landmasses form, to help me figure out how my world should look. I have a map done, but I can tell it's wrong since I'm not very good at that. I'd love to hire someone with experience to consult on the books so that we can make this world believable!
Wrap Up
2026 will be a big year for us. I know Redwater won't become a bestseller or anything, but I hope we can start building the foundation of a community.
Stick around, we've got more coming!