Okay, it’s only late October, but these last 12 months have been intense (and there’s a reason for the snow)! As I moved from the aftermath of The Luke Bright Series into the world of The Signs Are Coming, so much changed. Then there’s been the other books I’ve been working on in the meanwhile and also delving into a brand new social media platform. It’s been fantastic, but tiring!

It’s strange to think in Luke’s alternate reality, things were so different for him a whole year ago. In fact, three years ago, things were even more different. A lot went on in his life, and I hope that now, things are much more settled. Well, anyone who’s read the epilogue to A Long Lost Time will know exactly what his plans are. And my goodness, does he deserve it.

Admittedly, leaving The Luke Bright Series behind has been quite an adjustment, and I haven’t actually re-read the published series in full since – I will do someday, when I’m brave enough to go back to it, but my focus has been elsewhere. However, I do feel like things have changed for me as a person having let that part of me go, and I definitely feel having worked so hard with him this year, I’ve adopted more of Dark’s personality than Luke’s. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I don’t know! But I’ve loved spending more time with Dark and Paul – and most of all seeing how other people have enjoyed them too.

Because…I joined TikTok this year to promote my books and my God…authors, if you haven’t tried it, you’ve got to give it a go. It boosted interest so much and it’s the platform I did the best on, for sure. However, that success has been limited – it didn’t last too long as the algorithm started slowing views, but that’s just not for me, that’s for all authors who got popular. It also feels like you’ll do better there if you’re a fantasy or romance author, and I’ve learnt a lot from my time there. For now, I’m taking a break as promoting there means churning out a lot of content which isn’t always met with a massive response, so we’ll see what happens when I return.

So, what’s been going on in the background? Well, other than the promotion of The Signs Are Coming and all of that – I’ve been working on my new series. And even though it’s needed quite a lot of work, it’s in fact shaping along really, really well. I’ve got the covers, it’s going off to the editor early next year and I’m sorting out the promotional side behind the scenes. I’m genuinely really excited about these books because they’re so relevant but also so meaningful – and funny, which is something I’ve been meaning to delve into for quite a while.

But most of all, I’m just amazed at how quickly it’s all come together. Two years ago, I hadn’t written a single word of these books. I was getting to know the characters in my head, but I was just preparing for a potential failure of a Nanowrimo. I wasn’t actually expecting it to work and to be able to do it thrice over successfully (even if one was in July). Now, they’re three novels in very good condition, and actually, dare I say, probably the most important set of books I’ve written. I just need to make sure not to peak and promote too early, because even though I’m hoping to publish next year, there’s a heck of a lot to do still before I can!

So, as the end of the year approaches, it’s going to be more of the same. Preparing for the next adventure. Maybe the last adventure for a while? Because even though those three books were technically completed in Nanowrimos, I have no plans to do one this year. I haven’t got an idea that’ll work as well as those, so I know it’s not going to happen this year. Plus, I think I need some time to recollect and see where I’m heading next as an author after these books are published.

But as soon as there’s more news, I’ll let you know. For now, I just want to say thank you for all your support on The Luke Bright Series and The Signs Are Coming. And I hope you’ll love the next lot as much – they are quite different though!

Until next time!

The Signs Are Coming and The Luke Bright Series are out now! Check the links to the side to grab your copies. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K.