Dear Writing Diary Entry #31
New Illustrated Novella in Fall 2025 & What Do You Want to See From This Newsletter?
Before I get to the Dear Writing Diary entry, I wanted to bring your attention to Indie Author Month! I had no idea until recently that April is now a month dedicated to celebrating independent/self-published authors. To join in the fun, I am offering my debut fantasy paranormal novel THE FATED for only 99 cents in e-book form on multiple retailers from now through this upcoming weekend, so find out where to grab your discounted copy here while you can!
Even if you don’t purchase from me, please consider buying a book from an indie author this month. We take so many risks and invest so much time into getting our stories in your hands all on our own, so your support truly means the world to us!
April 9th, 2025
Dear Writing Diary,
I am thrilled to officially announce I will be publishing another project in the second half of 2025! I became inspired to write a short story late last year. Yet with every week, it continued to expand into a longer and richer project until it ultimately became a novella spanning over a hundred pages long. Here are a few things I love about this project and hope my readers will too:
✨It’s my own spin on the origin story of my favorite mythological creature, the phoenix 🐦🔥
✨There will likely be illustrations. This is my first time illustrating a book, but I love designing my covers and drawing graphic art, so I’m ecstatic (and a little terrified) to bring my characters to life by both words and illustration. See this time-relapsed clip of me designing a new character from this novella below (with all my mistakes and experimentation included):
✨At its core, this novella is a romantic and magical story that explores the topics of immortality and sacrifice, and it is told in the style of a folktale/fairytale with elements of adventure, angst, suspense, and romance.
✨The story has an atmospheric winter setting, so I’m planning for a fall or early winter release.
✨It will be available as both an ebook and paperback.
So, there it is! The latest scoop! My not-so-secret secret. There will be more updates in the coming months, such as the cover reveal, ARC sign up information, and additional sneak peaks of the artwork to be included 🤗!
To whoever is reading this, I also would like to open up this newsletter series to your suggestions! Throughout the Dear Writing Diary’s first 30 posts, I’ve touched on a variety of topics, such as my general writing updates, my move from traditional publishing to self-publishing, my publishing tips, my current reads and tv/movies I’m watching, and more.
However, are there other topics YOU, my valued reader, would like me to write about? Are there any subjects I’ve briefly discussed in the past that you would like me to delve into deeper detail on? Some possibilities include:
· the technical aspects of self-publishing (e.g. interior design tools, cover design tools, platforms for self-publishing, etc.)
· the inspiration for my fantasy works and style
· writing elements (e.g. story pacing, creating tension between characters, character development, etc.)
· general publishing (both traditional and indie) news with links to relevant articles
Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or to email me with any suggestions you have!
Also, I’m currently entertaining the idea of moving this newsletter to a monthly rather than bi-weekly occurrence. But before I make a decision, can you let me know your preference?
I know this Dear Writing Diary entry is a bit unconventional. But I wanted to give you, as my readers, an opportunity to tailor this newsletter to your personal interests and insights.
Here's to seeing what the future of this newsletter holds.
-K
P.S. Whoever’s reading this, if you’ve enjoyed these glimpses into my writing life, could you please hit the subscribe button? I would love to share more of my writing journey with you in the future. :)