Hello lovely readers! Another milestone has passed! My book baby, Heart of Mist turned 2 months old last week!
So how does it feel? Well, since you asked… It feels completely and utterly surreal. These 2 months have flown by, and Heart of Mist continues to surpass all my expectations.
As always, let’s dive into the nitty gritty…
My Books
Heart of Mist, Book 1: The Oremere Chronicles
I never allowed myself to imagine that HoM would break the top 100 on Amazon. But it did. As many of you know, it became a #1 bestseller in under 24 hours. It was incredible, however, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
I told myself that it was a fluke, a welcome one, but a fluke nonetheless.
Over two months on, HoM is still topping the charts. Believe me, I have to pinch myself every morning…
I signed with a literary agency!
This is the biggest news of the last few weeks, and I’ve had to keep a tight lid on things but…
A literary agency from the US contacted me.
They’d read Heart of Mist and loved it. Since then, they’ve offered me representation, and you’ve guessed it, I signed on the dotted line last week. I’m officially an indie author with an agent now!
A massive thanks to my publishing bestie, Ben – who was an incredible help with the contract 🙂
More details to come.
Launch party video
My incredibly talented friend, Lisy put together a wonderful video of all the highlights from the launch party of Heart of Mist.
I’m so grateful to have something that allows me to look back on what was a truly magical night…
Book II: The Oremere Chronicles
I’ve been busy chained to my desk writing the final chapters of Book II in The Oremere Chronicles. And I’ve finished!
I’ll tell you what – never underestimate how hard it is to market an existing novel, meet freelance deadlines and write another book. It’s been a long, hard road.
Book II is due to be sent out to beta readers early December, which means November is all about the structural edit and rewrites.
*Deep breaths, Helen…*
I’ve also already booked my editor in for early next year, and the wonderful Alissa will be designing the cover again!
If only I’d decided on a title…
Other works…
There are three more prequel e-shorts planned, and while I haven’t actually put pen to paper yet, these bad boys will be released before Book II in The Oremere Chronicles.
I’ll be in the UK for all of December, so I’m hoping that the wintry weather (and the castles of Edinburgh) will spark some fresh inspiration.
What I’ve read
I’m really struggling to get into anything at the moment. I need a new, easy-reading series if anyone has any recommendations!
- Online Marketing For Busy Authors by Fauzia Burke (this one wasn’t nearly as in-depth as I had hoped!)
- The 6-Figure Author by Chris Fox (again, a little glossed over but Chris Fox is a new discovery of mine!)
- Remind Me How This Ends by Gabrielle Tozer (loved it)
I’m still working my way through the Outlander series by (the queen) Diana Gabaldon. I’m onto The Fiery Cross now, but it’s just not as fast paced and high stakes as the previous books have been, so it’s taking me longer than usual.
***
And that’s about it folks. It’s going to be an insane month trying to get everything done before I fly out, and I’m desperate to get my manuscript to my fabulous beta readers asap.
So much to do, so little time, hey?
One final thing…
For those of you who haven’t read Heart of Mist yet, I’m currently offering the first chapter FREE for those who subscribe to my mailing list! If it tickles your fancy, sign up here.
Happy reading, folks!
– Helen