Let’s go back in time, shall we? To be more specific, let’s go back to 2012. Somewhere in early June, I read an article challenging authors to write a novel and publish it within six weeks. At the time, I’d been toying with the idea of experimenting with the independent publishing process and decided to give it a go.
The end result was a short paranormal romance novel called Aislinn’s Shadow, which I published it on July 22nd, 2012 – almost seven years ago to the day. It was a fun experiment. The story was nowhere near as polished as I wanted but it was never intended to be anything serious, just a little something to keep my creative juices flowing while the kids were young. I think, in total, about ten people read it (and if you’re one of those people, hello, yes, I remember and appreciate that you did) before I ended up pulling it from sale and shelving it as a thing I did in the name of learning.
Funnily enough, though, it wasn’t that simple.
Since then, I’ve had a few people contact me and ask about book two. One lovely lady in particular (Sharon, I’m looking at you!) asks me every couple of months, in fact. I realised that even raw and in experimental stages, the characters had hit home, the story had reached people.
Half way through writing Sorcery and Stardust, I made the decision to do it. I wanted a second project to work on at the same time (it’s one of the best ways to deal with writer’s block) so I dug out my manuscript for Aislinn’s Shadow and read through it, with the view to starting book two.
I realised a few things very quickly.
One: Aislinn’s Shadow was first draft quality and as such, nowhere near a standard I was happy with.
Two: my characters hadn’t changed, but the thoughts and plans I had for the ongoing storyline gained detail and direction in the years which had passed by, meaning the book no longer contained all the information it needed.
Three: because I’d originally set myself (and stuck to) a six week deadline, what I had was an incomplete overview, rather than the full story I held in my heart.
There was no way I could start book two. It’d do a disservice to not only the people who’d been asking, but also to the characters. Whilst Sharon disagreed with me (and I love you for it), book one was far from perfect and I knew, in my heart of hearts, it needed to be done properly if there was to be any hope of moving forward.
So I started. In fact, I’m almost finished.
The new, definitive edition of Aislinn’s Shadow will be released later this year – I haven’t set a date yet, but I promise it will be before Christmas. For those few of you who read the original, I highly encourage you to read this newer one too. It contains a lot more information that was missing in the first, which will be vital once the series continues – and it will continue.
To be very clear, whilst Goodreads retains a record of the original Aislinn’s Shadow, I still consider it first draft material, and those who read it to be beta readers. With that in mind, when the time comes, I will be offering complimentary digital copies to anyone who read the first draft, along with my eternal gratitude for your support. Whilst I’m calling this the ‘definitive’ edition, I don’t consider it a re-issue or an update; this is an entirely overhauled book. So, if you read the first iteration and you enjoyed it, buckle up – this is about to get far more real.
The Kin Chronicles series will run concurrently with The Weaver’s War, so if you’re worried Arcana will be taking a back seat, don’t! Book two of Sorcery and Stardust is called Sorcery and Sandstorms and, unless I’m kidnapped by a herd of rabid unicorns, is due for release some time next year. Once again, no hard dates because I have a life and sometimes it happens to me, so my schedule needs to be fluid. Book two for Aislinn’s Shadow is called Tobias’ Spark, and that will follow the release of Sorcery and Sandstorms.
If you’re a little curious about Aislinn’s Shadow, or if you’re an old friend looking for a bit of a trip down memory lane, click here for the book description and a sneak peek of chapter one, to whet your appetite.
Enjoy!
Samantha Marshall 