After eleven Suns of work, I am over the Moon to announce that, on May 1st 2026, Aurora and Luna will be published in its entirety! Aurora and Luna is a character-driven new adult quest fantasy and the FIRST BOOK in my high fantasy epic, The Sun and Moon Saga. Over the course of these last two Suns, I have published the story as a serial (The Misfit Princess, The Rebel Coven, andThe Near Impossible Quest). But now, for the first time, Aurora and Luna will be published as the one book it was always intended to be…
On March 9th of 2026, I finished the first draft of the V: The Solar Queen—the sequel to IV: Aurora and Luna, the first instalment in The Sun and Moon Saga (which will be rereleased on May 1st, 2026!). And of course, I vlogged my finishing the first draft…
In the vlog, I talk about both the process of drafting V: The Solar Queen, and the plan for revising, editing, and finishing it—because, while yes, the first draft is now complete, there is still much work to be done!
The manuscript currently sits at 173,941 words. I started drafting around the Summer Solstice of 2025. I wrote all that in less than nine months!
Mostly I feel relieved to have the first draft scribbled down. I tend to do my best work during the developmental edit, so I like to sort of vomit out my first draft, but take my time with the editing. Actually, I wish I had drafted the book even faster… This is my sixth manuscript, and through all of these projects, I have learned my process: draft quickly, and then do a very thorough edit.
Going forward, the challenge will be doing that very thorough edit, without getting stuck in ‘perfectionism’ the way I did with IV: Aurora and Luna. (I put ‘perfectionism’ in quotations, because it really is procrastination in disguise!) To be blunt about it: while I don’t regret spending a decade on IV: Aurora and Luna, I don’t want V: The Solar Queento take that long. It can’t take that long. I need to push myself to, yes, realise the book’s potential—but also, I need to push myself to realise my own potential—and to do that, I must finish and publish more books! It will be a tricky balance to strike, but I am up for the challenge.
Now that the manuscript is drafted and this vlog is up, I am going to take a well-earned week off of all things creative. I love creating, but rest is vital. Both as an artist and as a human being. I will spend the next week reading, gaming, and eating carrot cake. (A very merry Ostara to all my fellow pagans!)
It feels good to reemerge from Winter with a 173k manuscript in my hands.
P.S.: I caved and bought Final Cut. (Can you tell by the fancy new effects?!) I love YouTube and will be continuing to pursue it, both as a platform for marketing my work and as a creative outlet in and of itself. I have lots of videos planned for this Spring, so be sure you’re subscribed!
My, oh my, I can hardly believe we are nearing the end of February already!
With the exception of the five days you see in this vlog, 2026 has been incredibly busy thus far. I have been working hard, scrambling to get everything together for both the rerelease of IV: Aurora and Luna, as well as finishing the first draft of V: The Solar Queen, and working on a secret project—which, if all goes according to plan, should come out later this year! Alongside this, Ghost of a Girl has not only been writing the next album, but we’ve also gone into the studio to record an EP of cover songs.
The rest I take in this vlog was very much needed! As I go forward in the year, I intend on pacing myself a bit more wisely. I love creating! But I also need to remember to take care of my health—physically, but also mentally and spiritually. Working hard is important, but so is taking care of the artist. If you take care of the artist, the art will come—that is the motto I am learning to live by!
This vlog is long, and believe it or not, it was even longer before I did my final edit! I posted the outtakes to the Lunar Coven. (Join us today on Patreon or on Substack!) I am working on editing my vlogs down more, as it’s a good skill, and I think it will help the success of my YouTube channel going forward.
I hope you’ve been getting through Winter alright. Remember, Spring is just around the corner! (Unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere—in which case, I am jealous, as you are about to head into Autumn, my favourite season!)