Book Update: Finding My Way Through the Forest

Book update! It’s been a daunting journey, but I’m excited to share that I’m about 80% finished with a major developmental edit of my novel!

This stage of the process has been one of the most challenging and most rewarding parts of writing so far. Every chapter, every scene has asked for more care, more honesty, and more patience than I expected. There have been days it felt overwhelming, like wandering through a thicket without a clear path, but slowly, step by step, the story is becoming stronger.

I’ve been focusing on these areas during this revision:

• Clarifying the Stakes: Making it unmistakably clear what’s at risk for my characters, what they stand to lose or gain, and why it matters.
  
• Strengthening Character Agency: Ensuring every choice feels deliberate and meaningful, showing that the characters drive the story rather than just reacting to events.
  
• Raising the Trials: Sharpening the obstacles, making them more dangerous, personal, and transformative.
  
• Deepening the Growth: Paying close attention to the emotional arcs, and making sure the characters’ growth feels earned, not easy.
  
• Refining the Point of View: Tightening the narrative perspective to draw readers deeper into the characters’ emotional worlds.
  
• Balancing Worldbuilding with Pacing: Weaving in the magic and history of the world without slowing the momentum.
  

In the midst of all this, I also made two huge decisions:
I officially changed the book’s title to Whispers of Fire and Shadow.
I designed the new cover myself, though it’s still a tentative cover.

These changes feel right, more true to the heart of the story and to the atmosphere I want to share with readers.

It’s been messy, exhilarating work, and though there’s still more to go, I’m finally beginning to see the shape of the finished novel on the horizon.

Thank you to everyone who has been cheering me on from the sidelines. Your encouragement has made more of a difference than you know. I can’t wait to share more soon!

Book Blurb

Whispers of Fire and Shadow is a haunting tale of hidden magic, secret destinies, and a kingdom on the brink of ruin.

Autumn Ashwood has always walked alone. But when an ancient enemy resurfaces, cloaked in charm and devastating ambition, she’s forced to reckon with the truth hidden in her blood and the power others would kill to possess.

Dragons, sorcery, and betrayal entwine as Autumn stands at the crossroads where past and destiny collide. The fragile legacy that runs through her veins may be her salvation or the catalyst that reduces everything to ash.

Themes of identity, loss, and betrayal bleed into the bones of this world, and survival demands more than mere resilience. It means learning how to burn.

Whispers of Fire and Shadow is a dark, atmospheric fantasy for adult readers who hunger for emotional depth, ancient magic, and the dangerous allure of power.

Book Update