It’s been a long time coming, yes. But I’m finally able to say these words.
SUNWILD IS HERE. My second novel lives and breathes in the world now.
It feels like a long time coming but maybe it is, in fact, right on time. Because all the ups and the downs, the fears and the oh noo moments, the excitement and the lessons, led me right to this exact place. I really don’t think this book could have come out a second sooner. It really is all in the timing, ya know?
If you’ve read Heartsand, you’ll know there’s more to the story. That’s where Sunwild comes in. It’s the next chapter, the next summer, the space where all the pieces are picked back up. But the thing is, the picture they are putting back together doesn’t quite look the same anymore. Change is inevitable but sometimes change is too hard to process in a place that has stayed the same throughout the characters’ entire childhood.
It’s a lot. I’ve asked my characters to navigate a lot. But it was also so so fun to write.
How did I get to this place? This space where I’ve written two books and get to mentor incredible ladies on also achieving their writing dreams, too? Persistence. Instinct. Following the internal nudges that always, without fail, guide me.
I remember, as a small child, I always loved stories. I would devour books. I would write short stories in my little notebook, having some innate knowledge that I would do this all for real one day. My young self knew something that my older self had a harder time believing. But I stayed the course. I tapped into the genre, the setting, the experiences that I found most intriguing, most moving. And wrote from there.
If you’re in the space of wanting this too, the advice I have is to keep writing. Keep writing. Keep at it. On the good days, on the messy days, on the awful days and the best ones. Keep with it because all those days do add up and before you know it, you’ll have your book. You’ll hold it in your hands and thank yourself for showing up, for giving it your heart and soul and energy like you did. Trust me, it will all be worth it. You’ll see.