Hi all!
As promised, I'm going to talk about my feelings after setting up the pre-order for Cinder and Fire.
When I first starting writing Blood and Water when I was seventeen, I never imagined I'd get this far. I never even considered the fact that publishing might become a reality rather than a dream. I just wrote because I felt like it, and wanted to write something about dragons. I had no plans for the series at that point, I just started writing based off of rough ideas I had. After three months, the first draft of Blood and Water was finished.
My first book.
The first book that I had actually written all the way through, beginning to end. I couldn't believe it. I left it for a month before starting the edits on it, researching word counts and the best way to edit. It was round 90K at that point, so I knew I had a lot of tidying up to do.
Fast forward two years and hundreds of Blood and Water drafts later, I started my second one. I didn't start it straight after Blood and Water because I honestly had no idea where the story would go. After years of not touching it, the urge to continue became too much and I finished Venom and Earth in eight months. I had just started my apprenticeship and was at the height of my depression, so it took a lot longer than what I wanted.
The first draft of Glass and Ice was completed in one month for NaNoWriMo 2018. I averaged 2771 words a day, and knew that I wanted to take writing seriously.
So I started querying.
I sent out about eighty in total, each of them rejections. One of them begged me to pass the book onto someone with more 'experience' and a 'better writing style'. I refused, and so my self publishing journey began. I also wrote the first draft of Cinder and Fire during this period.
Here I am today, three books under my belt with the fourth one coming out in two months time, and I couldn't be happier. In July I'm also planning on releasing a boxset of all the Elemental Dragons books, the cover is here:
So, how do I feel about publishing the last book in the Elemental Dragons series?
Over the moon that I managed to accomplish what I set out to do, but also sad that it's coming to an end. These were my very first books, and I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them. I'm going to keep writing and keep publishing, as that's what makes me happy. I hope that I can inspire others to write or even just help them get through the dark period in their lives. If I can help just one person, it would mean that I've done something right.
On another note, the proof copies of all four books will not be staying on my bookshelf. The first three belonged to my Grandfather before he passed, and I don't like the thought of them just sitting there. Instead, I'm going to set up a raffle for them and donate the money to charity. He loved cats, so I am going to go with a cat charity. I'm not sure when I will set this up as it is a painful process, especially to pass on the books that belonged to him, but I want to do something in his name. Something he could be proud of. Once I'm ready, I'll get in touch with the cat charity that I would like to donate the winnings to and set it up. I will make posts about it, so keep your eyes peeled.
That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! Next week I have treat for you all - my bookplate reveal! I received them this week and they look absolutely gorgeous, I'll do a giveaway on a few of them too! See you next week!
