Notes From Double Deadline
Plus She Haunts Me Still updates!
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It’s been a minute since we talked craft and process on here, and since I’ve been on double deadline for most of this year so far, I thought I’d chat a bit about what I’ve been up to!
If you follow me on socials, you’ll know I’m in full promotion mode for my upcoming dark academia theater novel, She Haunts Me Still (more on her in a minute). But behind the scenes, I’ve been working on my next two books. A quick rundown of what’s ahead:
Coming in Summer 2027 is A DEATH KISSED SONG, an upper YA dark fantasy about a cellist at a prestigious music conservatory who joins a secret society led by her childhood-best-friend-turned-academic-rival. There, she learns that her classmates are using a dangerous magic to enhance their talents—magic that just might claim the life of the boy she still can’t help but love. You can add ADKS on Goodreads here.
Then in Spring 2028, there’s THREE OF SWORDS, an adult dark romantasy that follows three magicians who form a reluctant alliance in Revolutionary-era France. But when one commits an ultimate betrayal, they inadvertently invite an ancient evil into Paris that’s primed to devour the city whole. Goodreads info to come!
So what’s the status of each? A DEATH KISSED SONG is currently in copyedits, meaning all the major edits are done, and now it’s time for fine-tuning before formatting the interior art and layout.
To paint a picture of this book’s life-span, here’s a timeline from pitch to now:
A DEATH KISSED SONG’s Timeline
September 2024: A DEATH KISSED SONG was sold on proposal to my YA editor, aka my editor acquired the book based on a synopsis and three sample chapters. Because ADKS wasn’t slated to publish until Summer 2027, I had a lot of time to draft.
April 2025: I turned in my first draft. I knew there were a lot of things to fix and flesh out, but I was excited about what this story could become.
July 2025: I received my first edit letter, which consisted of broad developmental notes on structure, stakes, world-building, and character arcs.
November 2025: I turned in my second draft, which was my first huge revision on this book. During this time, I rewrote a lot of scenes to elevate the stakes and streamline or reshape plot threads. I struggled a bit during this edit because something kept feeling out of place to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. It clicked during a drive one night, and I immediately had to voice note myself an idea for a new plot thread. This ended up solving my vague “I don’t know what’s wrong” problem, and it’s become one of my favorite elements of the story.
December 2025: I received my second edit letter, which consisted of smaller scene-based edits rather than sweeping developmental notes. This felt like a crucial turning point in the editing process, because it meant that my last revision really worked, and we were closer to this story being book-shaped.
March 2026: I turned in my third draft, incorporating all the edits.
April 2026: I did line edits, which is my favorite part of the editorial process. This is when I get to polish the prose and make sure all the sentences flow the way I want them to. I also tried to trim my word count as much as possible, because ADKS is chonky.
May 2026, aka NOW: Copyedits are next, followed by pass pages, which is when the book is formatted into its pretty interior with all the artwork and fonts, etc. Then after that comes the cover reveal and everyone’s favorite: ARCs. There’s lots happening behind the scenes for this one, and later this year, I’ll start talking much more about it.
As for THREE OF SWORDS, I’m currently in the midst of my first big developmental edit, so I’m quite earlier in the process. I submitted my first draft in March of this year, so much of my drafting deadline for SWORDS was spent simultaneously revising ADKS. Navigating a double deadline can be tricky, especially when they activate two different parts of your brain: drafting and revising.
With that, here’s some things I’ve learned from a year of double deadline, along with some things that have kept me sane!
Thoughts on drafting and revising:
Before a book is a book, you have to make a mess. When it comes to first drafts, we’ve all heard it before: “just make it exist, you can make it good later.” This can be challenging if you can sense that something is off with your draft but you just don’t know what, or if you struggle with connecting with your characters right away. Whenever I sense myself stalling out because I don’t immediately love my draft, I know I need to write through it. Something I’ve learned about my own process is that I need to write a messy zero draft simply to tell myself the story, and then I backtrack and rewrite, using that zero draft as a skeleton. There’s always a gem or two there that makes it through to the final draft, which I think is cool.
It’s okay to deviate from an outline that doesn’t serve you. I used to be a really detailed outliner, but as I’ve written more and more, I’ve started writing broader outlines. With every first draft, I find that I discover new plot twists and ways to elevate the stakes as I write, and I almost always abandon my outline or end up changing it. A strategy that’s worked better for me is to write a broad outline, and then create detailed outlines two to three chapters ahead as I’m writing. This way, I always have a clear idea of where I’m going next, with room for the characters to surprise me later on.
Sometimes, the answer is to make it weirder. There were a couple times with both SWORDS and ADKS where I found myself struggling with conveying a piece of exposition or moving from point A to point B in the narrative, and the only way to un-block that creative hurdle was to just get weird with it. To have fun with the prose and structure, and maybe write something a little strange.
Some of my essentials while drafting and revising:
Coffee. This one is self-explanatory. I cannot work without coffee, and also a good-smelling candle.
Instrumental music. I have trouble listening to music with lyrics when I’m writing, so I usually opt for film + TV scores or classical music. I compiled some of my favorites in an Instagram post earlier this year.
Items to help me focus. Focusing can be a challenge sometimes, especially when there’s so many things going on, and I’ve found that the best way to stay on task during word sprints or editing sessions is just to gamify it. I keep a timer on my desk, and I also am a big fan of the Focus Friend app. Basically, you set a timer and while you “work,” there’s a little cartoon bean who is busy knitting. The more the bean knits, you can decorate his little habitat. Is it random? Yes. Is it adorable? Also yes. And for some reason, it works for me! TBQH this little bean deserves a shoutout in my acknowledgments.
My revision spreadsheet. If there’s one thing to know about me when I revise, it’s that I need a spreadsheet. This is my lifeline when I’m doing developmental edits, and I’ve used it for every book so far. It’s honestly quite simple, but it helps me every time. It consists of four columns:
Column 1: Chapter numbers
Column 2: A summary of everything that happens in each chapter
Column 3: All my goals and plans for revising that chapter
Column 4: This stays blank, and I take notes in it as I revise. Then this column becomes my “to-do” list after I make it through the manuscript—things I want to circle back to, things I need to streamline or review for continuity, etc.
I’ll put a blank one below in case you’d like to download it! And you can read more about how I use it here.
Lastly, a change of scenery (sometimes). I love my writing office, but occasionally I get tired of the same view. If I find myself stalling out or reaching for my phone a lot, I’ll pack up my laptop and head to a coffee shop for a change of scenery (and more caffeine).
She Haunts Me Still - Updates and Coming Soon
If you’re still reading (hello, welcome to the last portion of this newsletter), here’s a quick roundup of some recent updates pertaining to She Haunts Me Still!
Preorders
You can find every preorder link for She Haunts Me Still by clicking the button to my author website below!
Signed Copies & Overlay Art
If you preorder from Kiss & Tale, you will receive a signed and personalized copy of She Haunts Me Still, along with page overlay art depicting the three main characters.
ARC Giveaways
Be sure to follow me on Instagram, where I’ll be posting another physical ARC giveaway next week! This one will come with an art print.
Coming Soon…
Be on the lookout for the following exciting things in the final three months (!!) until launch:
Tour Announcement - I’ll be visiting some bookstores along the east coast on a tour to celebrate the publication of She Haunts Me Still in August. Details coming very soon.
First Chapter Teaser - Newsletter subscribers will get the first look at the ENTIRE first chapter of She Haunts Me Still later this month.
More Art - I have more character art to share between now and launch, including some gorgeous gothic portraits of our main trio.
UK Preorder Incentives - UK readers, stay tuned! We are planning something special for you too.
And more! Until then…
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