Release Day!! (Or the aftermath thereof, plus a little extra)

After years of sweat and tears, (no blood, thankfully) my debut novel is finally available for sale!

It all feels very surreal, honestly. I remember sitting in this very room in 2020, finally deciding to give this story the chance I felt it deserved. And four years later there’s a copy on my shelf!

A dream come true

As part of my launch day marketing, I decided to do my very first Instagram live session! It was a bit nerve wracking as I was going into it, but I actually had a lot of fun! I had a question about the scene that was the most fun for me to write, and honestly it was one where I can pinpoint the exact location that inspired me to write it. I told that story, and thought about the other places and things that have inspired me to write this book, so I thought I would take a few minutes and go over that here! SPOILERS AHEAD- so if you haven’t read Wake of the Huntress you might want to stop here until you have. Or maybe you haven’t read it and you don’t care about spoilers, in which case you can do whatever you’d like :)

Firstly, I’d like to actually write down the story I told in my live session. A few summers ago, my husband and I visited one of his sisters in Alaska. She lives in a small island town that runs mainly on the cruise ship industry, so at that time of year the city is very busy.

Fortunately, we had lots of opportunities to venture out and explore the stunning landscape that is Alaska. One gray, misty day, we visited a small, wooded lake. It was perfectly calm and beautifully reflected everything around it. There was a path worn all the way around, with lots of vegetation and the coolest trees lining the way. The arches formed by the roots made me feel like I could crawl through and find another world.

I was absolutely mesmerized and let my family go on ahead, taking the extra time to enjoy the beauty around me. I immediately decided this place needed to be in my story, and it needed to be someplace sacred. So that’s what I did. After a series of…shall we say, unfortunate roadblocks, Xanya comes to this place for some peace and clarity, searching for something she’s sure she can only find here. And she finds it. This is the place where she learns who she is and who she is meant to be. Writing this scene was amazing because I remembered how I felt at this lake and I was able to channel that sense of peace into Xanya as she finds her powers and her purpose.

So, that was the most memorable moment of inspiration I had during my writing process! However, there are lots of other places I’ve been that have gotten the creative juices flowing. I’ve noticed that even though I’m not a super outdoorsy person, I seem to be really inspired by nature and landscapes. I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel throughout my life, and two of those opportunities took me to the UK, which, in my humble opinion, is home to some of the most beautiful places in the entire world. Scotland, Ireland, and specifically the Lakes District in England were all flowing through my head as I created Enderhail.

Lake District National Park, England

Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott- Scotland

Melrose, England

Stirling Castle, Scotland

Unfortunately I don’t have any of my Ireland pictures at the moment, but the Giant’s Causeway is amazing and I plan on using that kind of landscape in book two! Side note- if you don’t know what basalt columns are, you’re really missing out. I also have yet to visit the Isle of Skye in Scotland, but it’s on my bucket list and definitely inspired some of my own landscapes.

Lastly, I am fortunate enough to live in a place where I have mountains right outside my window and can give me the “write” vibes (sorry, not sorry) any time I need them. Enderhail is, frankly, my ideal climate; just enough spring, short summer, and the rest of the year dominated by fall, and especially winter. I thrive in fall and winter. Many people say that they get seasonal affective disorder at some point during this time of year, specifically because of the lack of sun. I am the exact opposite of that. I’m done with summer in mid-July, longing for gray clouds, rain, and snow. The sun and heat zap my energy, and in a way, my creativity. I lived in Arizona for two years, and even the monsoon season in summer wasn’t enough to satiate my need for rain and clouds. Thankfully, I now live in a place where I can see this:

View from my window

For books two and three, we’re going to be exploring some different climates and landscapes. But Enderhail is my dream location. Provided I was able to somehow get access to a mall and a good bowl of ramen, should the need arise :)

If you’re wanting some more info on my character inspiration, we’ll cover that in another post! For now, I will just say this: find whatever inspires you most and run with it. You never know where it will lead you!