So, I finally have a major update about the Shadows series for both books 1 and 2! Book 2 has a release date!
Book 1 update:
Back in April, my lovely book cover artist, Ryan, gave Where The Shadows Lie (Shadows book 1) a huge makeover compared to the original cover I used. However, due to technical issues, I ran into problems with KDP accepting the book cover’s file. After fighting with the cover’s dimensions for weeks, I finally got the cover accepted, only to find out when I went to order an author copy that the image had become distorted. Weeks went by, and I tried so many combinations on this file to solve the distortion issue. I can finally say, as of May 28, 2026, that I managed to fix the distortion issues (which were all due to my not being tech-savvy), and KDP has officially approved the cover. Only one snag left: I spent so much time working on the book cover’s sizing that I forgot to edit a couple of pages in the book. Although the new cover is officially live, I would still suggest waiting a couple of days before buying the paperback so you can get a copy with fewer errors. Manuscript changes usually take only a couple of days to be approved, so I can easily say that if you wait to order the paperback till approximately the second week of June, your copy will be better.
Book 2 update:
Lingering Shadows (Shadows book 2) is officially being released! The story follows Rowan and Grant’s relationship. Rowan and Grant were side characters in the first book. Their story was completely unexpected, but I’m glad their story came alive. The story is more relationship-focused than in the first book, with less emphasis on achieving a goal and more on Rowan gaining strength and overcoming his past.
Now that I’ve fixed the first book’s cover, I feel more confident that I can finish this book’s cover quickly. I’ve already submitted the first version of the cover to KDP, and hopefully it will be accepted. Whether the paperback cover is accepted immediately or not, the ebook version will be released on June 9, 2026. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of using 69 as the date. (Yeah, I know it’s childish, but I needed a laugh after all the stress.)
General update:
As for writing, I honestly haven’t done that much lately. I’ve written a few poems, but I haven’t really made any progress on my other projects. My current poem anthology is 19 poems long, with a hopeful, unrealistic goal of 250 poems, so that the pricing will be worth it. I hate that my poem anthologies have been priced so high just to earn a few pennies in royalties. Even I wouldn’t pay the recommended listing price for a proper royalty that KDP suggested.
Project Soul Shifter is currently only 13 pages long, and I haven’t even started on Shadows 3. However, I think what’s been paralyzing me was the book cover issues. I love writing, but boy, do I hate dealing with KDP. Now that I know how to make the cover sizes, I’m hoping that the blockage will ease.
Oh, I did have a very brief idea for a Sapphic (FF) romance, but I have nowhere near enough details to start it. I’ve also been debating for weeks on revisiting a project called Cottage Witch, which is also a Sapphic romance. Honestly, I think my mind is grasping at straws, so it’s jumping from one genre to the next in hopes of sparking something. The only thing I know for certain is that, whether I continue with MM romance or dip into Sapphic, it will feature supernatural beings like witches, werewolves, and vampires.
Anyways, I should probably get back to writing. (More like stare at the Word document for an endless amount of time until I cry lol.) Hopefully, I can give a better update soon. One last thing- I will start posting the promo quotes for Lingering Shadows on June 9th. I can’t wait for you all to be drawn into the world of the Shadows series.
