An Update + Announcement

Have you ever done something that scared you, yet excited you and you knew it had to be done?

That’s how I’ve been feeling a lot lately. Things have happened in my writing life and it’s been a little scary. Every step forward is new and unknown when it comes to the journey of writing a novel for the first time.

I’ve only taken a few steps in the overall process, but this is where it gets real. This is where you can’t turn back and you have to push through no matter how hard.

I am referring to the process known as alpha reading. 

Up to this point, I’ve kept my writing under wraps–behind a curtain–hidden only where I can see and play with it. 

But the time has come to release it to actual, judgmental people. People who will shoot down ideas and scrap entire characters. I’m referring to the alpha reading team, ladies and gentlemen. I know they’ll do a world of good for my novel, but I’ve also never been critiqued at such a level before. 

It’s a hard pill to swallow–that my writing isn’t perfect and it has to be picked over and readjusted. I know it’s not perfect, but when people actually start saying so, it’s going to sting. 

As you can tell, I’m not ready. So why not just dive in head-first and…come what may?

But this is not all! After reviewing my outline and preparing to start my second draft, I discovered that my plot was…weak. 

So I brainstormed, reevaluated, and came out on the other side with a plot I’m much happier with. It wasn’t that I completely changed it, just cut an unnecessary chunk out. 

That lead to me having to redo my synopsis which I thought I’d share with you. Enjoy my revised synopsis!

They say it takes a monster to kill a monster. Most humans are protected by the emperor—Kami Seim, supreme ruler of nineteen galaxies. But the few that wander by choice outside of his safe cities and reservations have a reputation. 

Erin Shadows is one of these humans–becoming a monster to simply survive. Kami would gladly ask her to rule at his side, but she’s been in survival mode ever since she became one of few humans who escaped during Earth’s demise. She has become the secret service’s most deadly agent–not for the sake of justice but because Erin has what some might call a death wish. Kami has tried to lure her out of a life of adrenaline and violence with the offer of the universe. But Erin runs free outside of rules with no need for public greatness.

Just as Erin believes she is at her prime, an attempt is made on Kami’s life before her very eyes. Livid that she failed to do what she’d spent her life perfecting—the art of offense and defense—she sets out to unveil the elusive attacker.

But she soon discovers that the offender might be closer than she realized. Normally she has the edge on the culprits she’s tracking, but this time they know she’s onto them. And they want to make it very clear she needs to abandon the search.

Or else. 

Erin starts walking a very fine line by putting the people who care for her most in danger as she defies the threats.

No one dictates her life. 

She would win. At any cost. 

A new synopsis is not all, my friends. After some reevaluation of the plot, I realized I had to cut the whole part of the story that included the novel’s title: Course to Earth.

It took a while. It took some brainstorming. It’s still taking some getting used to since I had this original title for over five years. But, I settled on a new title. 

Let me know what you think. The new title is…drum roll please:

Invisible Crowns.

Thoughts? I’m still not used to it but I believe it gives the story justice!

Remember how at the beginning of this post I said the story was about to enter the alpha reading stage? Well, you have a chance to be a part of alpha reading!

If you’d like to help make my novel amazing, you can sign up to alpha read here: SIGN UP FORM. 

Since my second draft is a little behind schedule, I’ll be writing while the alpha readers come behind me and do whatever alpha readers do. 

Hehehe.

So if you do decide to sign up, you won’t receive the full book at once. It’s going to be fed to you a chapter at a time. Which should hopefully keep pressure on me so I write more…

And that concludes the update on my novel + the announcement! Please sign up to alpha read and I’ll see you at the next blog post!

Bye! 
~ Abi