I have some updates!

Hello!

I haven’t shared anything the past few weeks as there really wasn’t much to share, this week there is.

First, I have finalized the front cover with my cover artist! I thought the process of finding an artist, figuring out what I wanted and getting it done would take forever, but I lucked out and found a great artist that is so easy to work with and was available. We will have to revisit it to finalize the wrap once I finish writing the book so I know the dimensions. And have a blurb.

I also got back my first round of feedback by way of my developmental editor and it is so helpful. I am full of ideas for how to make character arcs stronger, clarify world building (the thing I knew I needed outside help to see, I just know too much to know when I didn’t share something), strengthen my writing style and a million other little things.

While I have been awaiting feedback, I have also been scribbling out scenes and ideas for the second book and that document is over 16k words now and I think I am closing in on the basic structure enough that I might be able to start drafting it while I wait to get the rest of my alpha feedback in.

I would absolutely love to have a clear idea of when I will be finalizing book 1 as well as a beginning of the first draft for book 2 by the end of the year. That feels doable.

Having the cover is adding extra motivation to get it done because I don’t want to share it ridiculously early but also it’s so pretty and I want to share it.

In the mean time, here’s a little snippet from my book 2 scribbles:

[Context: This is from a scene where Zuriel is with Pyre who plays the memory for him. I have to redact what the memory was and what triggered it for spoilers.]

A smile tugged at his lips at the memory.

The smile slipped somewhat as the sight before him shifted and he could see it play out before him from the dragon’s point of view.

“Don’t.” He breathed, unable to tear his eyes away despite the pain the sight sent radiating through his chest.

The scene vanished but the ache remained.

“I’m sorry. It brings me comfort to picture Corban. [redacted], too. I forget it does not do the same for you.”

Zuriel pushed his hands into his hair, tugging at the roots as he closed his eyes and breathed through the pain. “It’s alright. It just…hurts.”

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,

Michelle R Bowen

Update

Hello!

I have been working on The Shadow of Vale this past week. I am taking a different approach now in the third draft, I am trying to create stronger scenes to tell the story rather than just getting the story out. As a result I am still on the first scene after a week. I did get about three scenes in at one point, but came up with a stronger opening scene and started over. I probably wrote about 3,000 words in it, but have only kept 500 or so.

I probably will not be able to update as regularly as I have in the past, I will try to keep you updated and leave some snippets as I go.

-Michelle

Update

I have been rather unsuccessful in setting this book aside. I however, have done nearly nothing that I have wanted to keep.

I made part of an outline for the prequel story, Fall of the Shadow, and then decided it was far too complex and scrapped it. I have been working on ways to roll that story into the main story since I remain unconvinced it is necessary to tell the prequel story in detail.

However, this has left me, again, without a firm idea of where to begin the story. But I am scribbling out different scenes and playing with ideas. I have rewritten a lot of the early scenes between Aila and Zuriel because I don’t believe I built their relationship up well. I have struggled to capture actual human reaction to the chaos that is involved in being brought from earth into a realm of magic.

In short, I am working on it, but I have not reached the point of beginning a third draft. Or an outline frankly.

Thanks for reading! Blessings!

-Michelle