Hey there, book lover,
You know that feeling when you've rewritten something so many times you start questioning if words even have meaning anymore? Yeah, that's been my life for the past two months.
🐝 TLDR: THE IMPORTANT STUFF
• CHORD OF WAR AND LOVE: Finally dropped TODAY! Grab it in KU
• BONUS CONTENT: Deleted spicy chapter heading to our secret page this week 🔥
• Puck & Play: Hotshot (on preorder) news coming soon
• SECRET PROJECT: Maybe working on some short stories (shh!)
• THE TRUTH: Sometimes you just have to let your book baby go
💕 🫖 THE FULL STORY
CHORD IS FINALLY HERE (AND WHY IT TOOK FOREVER)
Chord of War & Love dropped today, and I'm having all the feelings about it.
Full disclosure: my perfectionist heart is still not 100% happy with it, but that's just how it goes sometimes with book babies.
I rewrote this thing so many times it was absolutely bananas. I questioned every scene, every line of dialogue, every steamy moment (and there are several).
I even have a whole chapter that got the axe because it just didn't fit the narrative arc I was going for.
But here's the thing—that deleted chapter is spicy and yummy and definitely too good to waste, so it's going up on our super secret bonus page this week for anyone who wants the extra Sean and Jade content.
THE DELETED SCENE STORY
Here's the thing about being a perfectionist writer: sometimes it gets the best of you!
At one point, Sean and Jade went through approximately seventeen different emotional crises before I finally picked one that didn't make me want to throw my laptop out a window.
The deleted chapter I mentioned?
It's from Draft... honestly, I've lost count. Maybe Draft 9? Ha.
In this version, Jade's breaking point came from bombing a performance instead of getting dragged on social media.
Beautiful moment, wrong story.
Turns out I was right to change it (took me long enough to figure that out) - the social media attack worked better for the narrative flow.
But this chapter has some of my favorite intimate moments between these two disaster humans, so to the super secret bonus page it goes.
Consider it a peek behind the curtain of my chaotic revision process. Or just enjoy the spicy bits. I'm not judging. And yes, the mirror thing is a kink I might explore more in future books. You're welcome.
WHY I MISSED LAST WEEK (AGAIN)
Life happened. Migraines happened. Preorder deadlines happened. And honestly? I'm still recovering from the heavy stuff happening in the world (you know, if you read my last email).
Sometimes you just have to give yourself permission to not be "on" all the time, even when you have newsletters to write and readers expecting updates.
SEAN AND JADE ARE FINALLY FREE
In any case, real talk: there are times you never feel like a book is quite ready. Sometimes you rewrite until your eyes bleed and you still find things you want to change. But at some point, you have to trust that you've done your best work and let your story find its people.
So, after a two-month delay, Sean and Jade can finally tell their complete story. I hope you love them as much as I do. I hope their chemistry makes you forget you have responsibilities.
I hope Sean's emotional growth makes you believe in second chances, and I hope Jade's journey from running to staying reminds you that sometimes the thing you're most afraid of is exactly what you need.
Still believing in happy endings (even messy ones),
