April 19, 2020 was the day I finished my first draft of Ranger’s Odyssey. I’d dreamed of being an author for most of my life, and after so many years with the dream in the shadows, I thought it was lost forever. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime feeling to pick it back up, to actually work on it for a year, and to finish the first draft!
Ten days earlier this year, I finished the first draft of Realm of Chaos. Today, a day under a year since I finished the first draft of Ranger’s Odyssey, I finished the first round of revisions for Realm of Chaos. It’s more of a feat for a few reasons, really. First, when I was working on Ranger’s Odyssey, that was really all I was working on. Yes, I had many other things going on in my life, but that was the only writing that I was working on in the year.
This past year, half of the time was actually spent finishing up Ranger’s Odyssey rather than working on Realm of Chaos. Not only did I finish the first draft of Realm of Chaos, but I also made three rounds of revisions to Ranger’s Odyssey, completed the worldmap, completed chapter title illustrations (which ended up being unusable), recorded the audiobook, created a website, created other materials, published Ranger’s Odyssey, worked with the cover artist on two covers, and laid out all of the books in the full story arc of Ambergrove.
I’ve done so much this past year, and I’m so proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.
Second, there’s a lot of pressure for the second book. Not only is there this fear of disappointing the readers, but there’s also this idea that I may not be able to do it again. That one book is all I’d ever be able to write. But now I’ve written a second book, I have dozens of other books planned, and I am chomping at the bit to finish my rounds of revisions for Realm of Chaos so I can get started on Wheel of Fate. So I can finish Mara’s series and move to the Hammer and Flame trilogy, which follows the events of Mara’s story.
I was concerned about this book not being as interesting as the first. I was really concerned about a lot of things relative to the first, but I am so happy with how Realm of Chaos is turning out after my revisions. This second book was the trickiest one, not just because it was the second book or the middle in a series, but because there were set events that had to happen the way they do in order for all of the other books in the Tales of Ambergrove to be possible. Even with the restrictions, I really think that this turned out to be a good story with lots of good elements, and I always have trouble tooting my own horn (part of why I don’t do marketing of any kind). I’m so happy with it, and I’m so excited to finalize it and give the readers a chance to experience it—and all the emotions that are sure to come with it!
I already have all I really wanted from the experience of being an author. All I want is for my stories to be read and enjoyed. These past few months have given me more confidence in myself and the world I’ve built that I love so much. The plan for the Tales of Ambergrove is a dream come true for me. Now that I’ve written my second book in a year, I know it can be done. I know I can write a book a year. I know I can publish a book a year. I’m so excited for the adventure, and I hope that at least some of my readers hang on until the very last book in the main arc comes out, so you can see how it all was meant to come together.
Do I hope that my books will be picked up by a traditional publishing company, so I can be an author full-time as my occupation and write more than one book a year? Absolutely! But whether that happens or not, I will be putting out Ambergrove books for decades to come. Stories I love so very much. And I hope that you love them too.
Lots more to do in the next five months before Realm of Chaos comes out, but for now I’m taking a break before my next revision and reading one of my childhood favorites—and giving my helpers a break too!
Until next time, adventurers!
Tales of Ambergrove 