Verath the Red (Dragonwall Series #3)

AUTHOR'S NOTE

My dearest readers,

Wow. What a journey! I began writing Verath the Red in late summer of 2019. It has taken me a full year to get this draft down on paper (of the digital sort). I am beyond blessed that so many of you have stuck with me on this journey. What a wild ride. Not just bringing this to life, but the many struggles I have faced throughout my own life over the last year. I think 2020 has been insane for most of us. I'm glad that this story kept me grounded on some level. It felt like something I could (figuratively) come home to. A safe place. A familiar place.

Today is a monumental day. Finishing a first draft is always something to celebrate. It feels surreal, having just finished my final words of Verath's story only minutes ago. Can someone pinch me, please?!

So, what's next?

Well, there's a few things. I need to set this draft down for a few weeks and let it...ripen. This gives me time to think about everything i've written and how I can improve it. Once I do an initial edit (which will take a few months of effort) I would like to go through all of your comments and suggestions thoroughly. Having fresh perspectives, specifically YOURS, helps make my story well-rounded. 

The editing process for a book is lengthy. It will take close to a year to get this baby edited, polished, refined, and formatted for a physical book. I would LOVE to have it published by Summer 2021. But it could be as late as Fall 2021. Hard to say.

I've got other projects in the works too. For example: it's time to start planning book four!!! Claire is going to train with the Sprites!! Hell yes! I'm struggling between two titles: Bedelth the Orange and Koldis the Green. They both have bigger roles coming up, and I can't yet decide who will get the biggest. That will become more clear as I outline the next book. I probably won't begin posting chapters for book four until winter. Perhaps not until January 2021. It really depends on how long it takes to plot/outline it. Plus, i'd like to get a good chunk of it written before I start posting, that way I don't have to live week to week, chapter to chapter. That can be very stressful for me.

I also have a brainstorm of another Dragonwalls Royals story, fresh characters, that takes place long before Talon's time and dives into the Woodport Rebellion up near Misport. I'd like to get that down on paper.

Plus, i'm about 30,000 words into a fresh draft of a BRAND NEW story outside of Dragonwall, a steampunk assassins series, which I plan to query, find a literary agent for, and traditionally publish. That is actually what i'm turning my attention to, first and foremost, over the next few weeks. I hope to have the first draft done by November. I don't think i'll be sharing it here on Wattpad, since I plan to query it. But perhaps some day.

So as you can see, i'm just inundated with so many projects. If you'd like to keep up with updates, feel free to subscribe to my website newsletter or go over and follow me on Instagram (handle: melissa.nicole.mitchell) where i'll be giving regular updates on all my progress.

Once again, thank you all for your support, your votes, comments, and reads. I am SO lucky to have you. And even luckier to share Claire's journey with you.

All my best,

Mel