Hello Everyone!
I want to try and have regular updates again on the book release schedule to both let you know what to expect but also to hold myself accountable to stay on track. 2023 was a lot more chaotic in terms of posting regularly and I’d rather avoid that again. Not just for the sake of consistency, but also for helping to keep a regular schedule. That being said, this year I’m hoping to have a bit more complex set of goals aside from “finish writing book 3” (that is already a complex goal as it is).
The current publishing date for book 3, The Legend of Nariko: Hellfire Rising looks to most likely be in April so relatively on schedule. I’m almost done editing the final draft for book 3. I do, however, want to take a look again at certain parts of the plot to make sure they align with the worldbuilding established in book 2, The Goddess Prophecy. Book 2 was so massive for not just the sheer amount of story and character development, but also because it cemented the world, the history, and set rules for how things work. I think it should be ok but I’d rather triple check than accidentally contradict my previous books.
There’s also the new editions of my first two books that I’m currently working on and, hopefully, releasing by the beginning of April. Something I recognized in 2023 as I was doing some reflection was that 2023 had a heavy emphasis on fan art and, in a sense, consuming more media than creating which might explain why it felt like not the most productive year. I did become a better artist which I’m very happy about but I also recognize I sort of lost my focus on what I consider the main purpose I have in life, to write and tell stories.
I still plan to try and finish the first draft of book 4, but I do recognize the challenges that come with that. It was already an ambitious goal I had set for myself and I still want to try my best to achieve it as I don’t like how long it takes me to publish a book (roughly about three years which is way too long). However, there are some things that occurred to me that I have to now consider while planning out how book 4 plays out. It might potentially affect the entire series as I’m writing it.
I like to do my best to learn from the books and the series that I’ve read to try and improve my own writing. Sometimes it’s taking very positive lessons to incorporate into my own work, but sometimes it’s also knowing what to avoid. One of my earlier articles this year, The Importance of Story Length and Series Structure, actually made me take a moment to carefully consider how the story is unfolding. The way I’ve written the series, every two books is planned to be a sort of duology within the series so that there is easier pacing for my readers to follow along. The main issue that I’m considering now is whether or not books 5 and 6 are really necessary. I have to take some time to decide if there’s enough plot, character, and world development that can occur in books 5 and 6 that justify their inclusion. With that in mind, it affects how book 4 is written, what it sets up, and how it ends.
The main focus is to still finish the first draft of book 4 this year and hopefully publish it in the second half of 2025, but after book 4 I’m considering potentially writing another book series to give me some time to consider how I want The Legend of Nariko series to go while also setting up the next series to work on. Is this a for-sure thing? Not entirely, it depends on how book 4 shapes up and if I feel confident in jumping straight into book 5 right away. That would be the ideal goal, of course, but also writing more stories with new characters is the inevitable goal.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read my work and I hope to keep on track this year. 😊
– Raphael
P.S: I didn’t forget about updating the blog! It will happen eventually this year.
Raph's Cozy Musings 