when the cookie crumbles.

With summer fast approaching, I had a tight schedule in place to have my much anticipated (by perhaps mainly myself) second novel to be released at the end of August 2025, but life—as it often does—has thrown a bit of a financial curveball my way; a proverbial cookie has crumbled with rather unfortunate timing. 

That being the case, I have made the difficult decision to postpone the release date of Before the Lotus Blooms. 

While self-publishing doesn’t have to be expensive, there are certain areas that can be for quality’s sake, and they’re areas I don’t want to compromise just to get it published sooner. I had hoped to get this book out this year, but with the added monetary stressor (and because I’m wanting to publish the book under certain calendar and seasonal conditions) I’ve ultimately pushed the release date farther to accommodate both my finances and my particulars, despite there being a likelihood that I will be able to budget to publish in the winter months. 

I believe the wait will be worth it, however, and at the end of the day, pushing the publish date just gives me even more time to perfect the book and build up my savings to possibly do physical ARCs, something I was unable to do with Dance on the Sun. It’s a bit disappointing to have to delay the delivery, but I’m making lemonade where I can.

In the meantime, I’ll begin drafting my next project, which, in a positive turn of events, could release before the second installment of Tales of Angaride. When the cookie crumbles, the best solution is to get another cookie, right? 

More on that to come. Maybe once I’ve had a snack.

For those that have been following my updates about Before the Lotus Blooms on social media (follow me on instagram & bluesky), thank you for your continued support, and I’m sorry to make the wait even longer. But you can look forward to adding it to your shelf or your e-reader in March of 2026!