Hi everyone!

I’m writing this from my couch, where I’ve spent the last two weeks wrapped in blankets and taking it easy. Nothing quite says “indie author life” like sickness hitting exactly when you’ve got a newsletter to send and a release announcement languishing in your drafts folder. The cruel irony? My two cats, Zen and Tigger, offered their support by snuggling close and keeping me company all day, every day. Very soothing. Very warm. Not at all productive.

This is the thing nobody tells you about being a solo operation. The freedom is real. I control the stories, when they release, and how I connect with each of you. No committees, no red-tape, just me and my imagination. Some days I feel like a queen of my own tiny publishing empire. Other days, like last week, I remember that I am also the one person who has to do everything else besides the writing. 

When I can’t work, nothing happens. The newsletters don’t send themselves. The books don’t edit themselves. Zen and Tigger certainly don’t shoulder any of the burden except by providing what they believe is “comfort” in the form of sleeping cats.

So here’s what fell through the cracks.

The Wyrmseer’s Eyes: The Year Between released and I completely botched telling you about it.

Book 2 of The Heart of Norland Series is now live on Amazon. Just… sitting there. Existing. Available. I’m genuinely sorry for the radio silence. That one stings. If you’ve been waiting to see what happens in the year after Edward defeats Carisian Hexer and the Darkbane Guild, you can grab it now. Really. Go get it. Consider it my apology wrapped in a book cover.

But the show must go on, even when I’m full of regret. I’m feeling better, and there’s a lot going on here. 

Book 3 is currently brewing in my brain with a lot of note taking going on. I’m in those early stages yet. A major points outline, a mostly solid subplot, and a few key chapters and scenes written. (The subplot character keeps being wishy washy about what he want’s to do!) It’s still a little chaotic, and I’m spending a lot of time making sure I’ve got the plan exactly right. The story is nowhere close to being ready for you, but I wanted you to know it’s happening.

While Book 3 simmers, I’m elbow-deep in editing a four-part middle grade magical mystery series. Say that 4 times fast! Come on! I dare you! 

All four books are completely drafted, which felt like a miracle when I finished, but now the real work begins. I checked my files, and I’ve been working on these mysteries between other projects since March of this year when I first had the idea. They’ve been my on the go, hand writing in a notebook kind of project. Now I’m editing them one at a time, and honestly? I love them! 

But here’s the reality check. 

Don’t expect these to release until 2026. 

I know. I know! It sounds like a long time to me, too. 

But the holiday season is barreling toward us like a cat chasing a laser dot, and I’ll be juggling family visits, hosting friends, and honestly, taking some time to remember that I need rest, too. My editing hours per week are about to get slashed in half. Maybe more. And I’m reminding myself that’s okay. These mysteries deserve careful attention, not rushed edits between cookie decorating sessions, holiday movies, and hot cocoa.

Being blessed enough to be able to write full time now gives me a lot of creative freedom, but it’s also meant I’ve had to unlearn some old productivity habits. When you’re one person wearing a lot of hats, you have to learn when to take your time so that you can produce work you’re proud of. Words on a page aren’t enough. My end goal is always to write stories you’ll enjoy, and I promise I’m working away here. I just don’t want to promise them sooner and fail to deliver.

Before you go, I have two curiosity questions:

Which of my characters would you want to have cocoa with, and why?

Are you a one-cat person, or do you believe in the chaos of multiple cats like I do? Or are you a dog person? (I love them both!) 

Drop your answers in the comments. I promise to read every single one while my cats judge me from their sunny spot under the window.

Talk to you soon,

Arden Wren-Shade