Thank you all so much for your ongoing support and for believing in me. Here comes your March update. (Yay! I managed to get a picture of the TV tower in the background of the photo!)
General info
Monthly overview:
I’m going to post an update like this at the beginning of each month so you always know what’s coming up.
Writing rhythm:
Over the next few months I will be alternating between Taunus chapters (ongoing story) and Verilverse/OIGD one-shots.
The next texts will be:Vo’ren Prologue → Taunus Chapter 3 (April/May) → Vik Ichel One-shot
After two years of focusing on one story, I’m excited to experiment a little more, and this rhythm gives me the freedom to do that. I know I’m not the fastest writer, and I’m so very thankful that you are so patient with me!
OIGD:
No big news yet, but I’m beginning the next phase and looking publishers. I’ll keep you updated.
Upcoming Posts (Overview)
March 12: OIGD Audiobook Chapter 8—“Tim” (we meet Anna’s lovely roommate for the first time)
March 15: Once It Gets Dark Prologue—Vo’ren POV (zoom in on the photo above for a little preview)
March 20: Map: Volkspark Friedrichshain under Veril rule (vs. now)
March 26: OIGD Audiobook Chapter 9—“Kuchun” (Anna has to beg again… but this time it’s less fun than in Chapter 7)
April/May: Taunus Chapter 3 — Who is Fire Daddy, and where is he taking Sophia?
Later: Vik Ichel One-shot (more background on Vo’ren’s second-in-command)
Thank you all SO, so much. You’re the best, and I love you!
It's Anna's and Vo'ren's anniversary today, and in honor of this special occasion I wanted to share a deleted scene with you all, in which Vo'ren demonstrates a romantic, and, frankly, quite progressive side of himself 😂
This is a scene I cut from Chapter 10, as Anna and Vo'ren walk back from the willow to their tent, because it didn't quite fit the tone and Vo'ren already had several other lines talking bad about human men in the same conversation.
Chapter 10 of the audiobook is finally ready. I had a lot of fun recording despite the ear infection making the blanket tent slightly uncomfortable haha
I love you all! ❤️
You can listen to the full chapter here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/audio-chapter-10-159479552
Cover Design by D.A. Bergmann: https://dabergmann.de/
March/April Update: Writing, Life & Upcoming Stories
My lovely loves,
thank you, truly, for your ongoing support. The spring equinox has just passed—a time for renewal, fresh starts, and gentle shifts forward. I hope it brings you clarity, softness, and a little new energy for whatever you’re carrying right now.
And speaking of fresh starts—yes, you may have noticed (hehe), I’m a bit behind my original schedule. So this is me taking a breath, resetting, and sharing an updated plan with you. I hope these updates don’t feel like too much—I just want you to always know what’s coming and what to expect from me.
I also wanted to give you a more personal glimpse into my life right now, so this is a slightly longer post 😅
TL;DR: 6–8 week posting schedule for stories/chapters. Alternating releases between Taunus + Verilverse one-shots, OIGD publishing progress ongoing (querying stage)
You can find my stories here:
-Patreon
-Literotica
-Inkitt
-AO3
My Life at the Moment
Right now, my life is shaped by four big projects: my family, my writing, finding a publisher for Once It Gets Dark, and my “normal” job.
Last year, my health wasn’t the best—and since some of those issues are chronic, that’s something that will likely always be part of my life. But I’m really happy to say that I’m doing much better this year (fingers crossed).
That also means I’ve been able to return more fully to my regular work. It has been lovely to be among people again and to see my wonderful colleaguesand not only via video. But it does mean I have a bit less time and energy for writing than before.
Now that the weather is getting warmer and the trees are getting green again, I am able to sit in my favorite spot on the balcony, with some tea (or coffee in the morning!) and watch the neighbor’s chubby cat stroll around the patio as I write. I currently write every single day: one hour in the morning (while everyone else is asleep), and two hours at night.
Even if it doesn’t always look like it from the outside—I am making progress. Just… more slowly than during the time when I literally couldn’t leave my bed all day 😅
Writing, it turns out, is a very time-consuming pastime.
Because of that, a 6–8 week publishing rhythm is what I can realistically commit to right now. Anything faster just isn’t sustainable for me at the moment.
Current Writing Projects
Taunus (Main Project)
Taunus is the big overarching story I’m writing at the moment, based on an idea that I’ve had for many years already.
I originally planned to take a break from large projects after finishing Once It Gets Dark, but while writing those final chapters, this story began begging me to be written down.
So here we are.
Compared to OIGD, Taunus has a slightly more fairytale-like atmosphere, but just like OIGD it is an urban fantasy / dark romantasy.
We’re leaving Berlin and moving to the Taunus—a mountain range near Frankfurt. The heart of one of the most densely populated regions in Germany. The birthplace of Goethe, the home of the biggest bookfair in the world. A city known for its banks and redlight district.
If everything goes well, I’ll actually be traveling there in the coming weeks—and I’d love to share photos and little behind-the-scenes impressions with you, just like I did with Berlin.
Verilverse One-Shots
While I was writing Taunus, I almost got a little homesick and missed the Once It Gets Dark world. I think that there are many more stories to be told in this universe.
So I’ve started planning a series of shorter pieces—standalone stories set in the same universe. I’m not closing myself to the possibility that some of them might turn into a longer story in the future, but I only have the mental capacity for one long-form-story at the time.
Some ideas I’m especially excited about:
Vik Ichel – The Colonel on a mission that doesn’t go according to plan
Anna & Vo’ren (post-OIGD) – An intimate scene, unfolding on the soft furs of their bed, exploring their relationship after the story… and the very important question of how many children Vo’ren expects 😅 (I have already started writing this when inspiration struck me on my last vacation on the Canary Islands)
The 12 Wives – What happened to the twelve women given to Veril officials? This one might grow into something bigger over time (there are twelve of them after all), but for now I have plans for the POV of a particularly important one amongst them, and the man she is given to.
There are more ideas too—like a young Veril soldier exploring a new and dizzying world on a night out in Hamburg.
All of these will be part of the Verilverse Standalones Collection:
stories that can be read on their own, but together paint a wider interconnected world.
Publishing Schedule
I’ll be alternating between formats:
Taunus chapter → Verilverse one-shot → Taunus chapter → and so on
This helps me stay creatively fresh and keeps things varied—for all of us.
As mentioned, expect 6–8 weeks between major story releases, sometimes a bit longer if life gets in the way.
Once It Gets Dark—Publishing Update
Not much news here yet.
The manuscript is in good shape, and I’m currently polishing my query letters. I’ll absolutely keep you updated the moment something exciting happens.
Smaller Bonus Posts
As always, I’ll continue sharing smaller extras alongside the main stories—these don’t take away from writing time, since I create them from research I’m already doing.
Coming up:
A map of Volkspark Friedrichshain under Veril influence
A character overview for Taunus
A breakdown of the Veril writing system (possibly as a video!)
Audiobook
I’ve been having so much fun recording the OIGD audiobook.
I’m following the shorter chapter structure from Inkitt, and interestingly—it’s also helping me refine and revisit the story in new ways.
And: Lovely Fee is currently designing the audiobook cover, which I’m very excited about 🥹
Please let me know if you enjoy these more detailed, personal updates—I really want to find the right balance between keeping you informed and not overwhelming you.
And truly, thank you. I’m endlessly grateful for your support. You make all of this possible.
I’m currently sitting at the kitchen table in the house of some lovely relatives. The dishwasher is humming, the sun is filtering through the windows, and all the trees and flowers in the garden are beginning to bloom. I’m very happy about my decision to have exchanged the chaos of the capital with remote work from a small town somewhere in the heart of Germany—my little spring break escape.
The Park Map
While I was writing, I realized that I needed a clearer overview of the park so as not to get everybody’s movement tangled up. The picture you see above is a nicer version of that very map I was working with while writing.
How to read the map
At the top, you’ll see numbers that reference key story points on the map. For example, Nr. 9 is the route Anna and Vo’ren took when they escaped the FMD’s tunnels, or number 5—the enchanted willow where they had a very romantic encounter.
I think the colors are relatively self-explanatory: Green for forest and grassy areas (darker green denotes elevated areas) and gray for streets, cement, and buildings. Open fields without grass, like the Training Field (Nr. 4) are brown.
The arrows point in the direction where other scenes take place, for example the Veril Embassy or the infamous Brandenburg Gate (don’t worry, I left the punished terrorists out of my drawing).
The tents are concentrated on the two sides close to the main gates, but I imagine the Veril soldiers to be having their tents all over in a mix of military organization and what might seem like disorder to us, but actually follows a structure that we don’t understand.
Map background
It wasn’t as easy as I first suspected to find a good map of the park online, so I went to Volkspark Friedrichshain and took a photo of the park’s map they have on display at its entrance. I printed it and drew in all the changes, the Veril have made.
One of the main changes is the structure of the roads crossing the park. I imagined that the Veril, while building and dwelling, blended in with nature and would need some decent roads to be able to mobilize their troops. I loosely used the structure of a Roman military camp as the base for the layout and then followed the trajectory of existing footpaths.
The park's layout is intrinsically linked to how the story played out, since I always had the map at my side for reference, and there were several moments where I had to rewrite entire scenes because the layout simply didn’t allow them to work. For example, at the beginning I actually imagined Vo’ren’s camp at the eastern side of the park, but because we have so many more fun locations on the other end, I ended up switching them.
Taunus writing update
I am currently making pretty good progress with the next Taunus chapter and already have a little over 3,000 words written. I’m especially excited because I finally get to explore the dynamic between Sophia and the MMC in more depth, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they will interact with each other.
Upcoming Posting Schedule
I am planning on posting a mix of content weekly (usually on Thursdays).
If you want to see everything planned for April, you can find it here.
Chapters will be published every six to eight weeks.
Today is Maundy Thursday, which is called Gründonnerstag (Green Thursday) in German. In the part of Germany I’m currently at, this requires a special dish containing seven green herbs and lots of chopping. So that will be my activity for the early afternoon.
Let me know if you enjoy these kinds of visual snippets—or if you would prefer more about my writing routines, language creation, or controversial opinions 😂
Thank you all so much for your support and help!
I wish you a wonderful day!
