“The hard part about writing a novel is finishing it.”

– Ernest Hemingway

Here I am again, at the surreal interlude after typing those deliciously satisfying words “The End” on the last page of my draft document.

I love this feeling. It’s so mentally satisfying and rewarding. The sweet spot between completing (the first part) a difficult, long-term project and diving into the next stage (the revisions) of chopping and trimming and tweaking and (sometimes) physically and emotionally deflating due to facing a different type of difficult undertaking.

To catch you up on the sequence of events leading up to this point (for those who don’t follow me on Facebook or Instagram), I’ve been working on a new novel—something that’s been a long time coming, and quite divergent from my previous (big) writing projects.

Let me elaborate: my last major writing projects were the creation and publication of my illustrated children’s book, Lonely the Wolf, as well as completing and publishing the fifth (and final) book in my Noble Bright Fantasy Adventure series, Dragon Calling.

Both of those projects were published back in 2020. And since then, I’ve written a short story and had an illustrated piece published in an anthology, but it’s been years since I’ve actually worked on a major writing project.

That was, until inspiration for a novel finally overtook my long spells of creating artwork, and this new, evocative project took root.

And it’s nothing like my previous works.

From creating Children’s and Upper Middle Grade stories, to diving off the deep end into New Adult Gothic Suspense/ Horror genre … that’s quite the genre shift.

But it’s also an accurate showcasing of my eclectic tastes and range.

And as of September 3rd, I’ve officially finished the first draft!

I’ve spent the better part of this year focused on writing this book. So, a good seven months of being in full-on “writer mode”. However, it’s a little more convoluted than that.

I actually started this book back in June of 2022; I was chipping away for a long while before hitting a mental snag and stalling out in October 2023, around the 38k word mark. I knew where I wanted to take the story (for the most part). I just … ran out of creative gas.

And so, I temporarily shelved the project and focused on other things. Artwork. Commissions. DnD antics. But all the while, I knew that one day I wanted to return to the story. I relished the setting (enormous Gothic mansion stuffed with dark secrets—I mean, COME ON, YES PLEASE!!!). Loved the characters. Found the level of evocative and figurative language style both challenging and gratifying.

I really wanted to finish this story.

And then finally, finally, I got my writing mojo back. Around September/ October of 2024.

After finalising some art projects and moulding back into my writer’s mode, I officially went into high gear in January/ February of 2025. And what I mean by “high gear” is:

• Falling headfirst into passionate enthusiasm for the project.
• Constantly being in the story’s headspace (this must have been annoying for my family members, lol).
• Putting off every other creative idea and focusing only on this story.
• Burrowing down a dozen rabbit holes of Writer/ Book/ Publishing YouTube channels and vids to help keep me motivated.

And now, I have a delicious, complete first draft! I know for some writers their first draft is a rather mangled-looking pile of, well, whatever unpleasant metaphor you’d like to insert. But that’s not how I work with my first drafts. I actually find myself more inspired and focused on the story if I make the effort to edit as I go. Obviously, they aren’t extensive edits, and certainly that method is not highly recommended (especially for newer writers). But it works for me, and it worked especially well for this story, since it is much more upmarket in tone and style than my previous endeavours.

Here’s a breakdown of the novel (at this, it’s First Draft stage):

• Its working title is “Blithesoth Manor“.
• The Inciting Incident is right off the bat (within the first few pages).
• The genre is New Adult Gothic Horror/ Paranormal Suspense.
• Out of the seven popular Story Structures, it fits within the Three-Act Structure framework.
• One of the story’s themes is “the corruptive and transcendent power of art and obsession”.
• The first draft has come in at approximately 106,000 words.
• There are 24 chapters.
• The story is written in the third-person limited past tense.
• There is a romance element that plays a key role in the story.
• The story is a stand-alone … although I have a feeling people might foam at the mouth about that after they’ve read it.

Here is the Hook:

Invited to a once-in-a-lifetime art retreat, socially anxious Lilibet Hargrove hopes to prove her worth at the mysterious Blithesoth Manor. But as she and the other guests delve into the works of an infamous, reclusive genius, they discover that his art may hold a power that transcends the canvas, trapping them in a terrifying reality.

So, there you have it, the latest update regarding my creative endeavours!

I plan to spend the rest of the year working on revisions and getting the book ready for submission to literary agents. I don’t know what that timeline will look like yet. It would be nice to have things ready within the next couple of months, but honestly, I’m in no rush.

I also plan on doing at least some OC art before the year’s out. Maybe even some fan art, too; we’ll see. OCs for the story take precedence.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts!

Readers: Does this sound like the type of story you might be interested in? Subscribe to my website’s blog posts and follow along with any and all updates!

I intend to use Beta Readers while working through revisions. So, Hello there, Inter-web Beta Readers! Are upmarket Gothic Horror books part of your reading list? Would you be interested in offering your thoughts on Blithesoth Manor? Head on over to the Contact Page and shoot me a message (as an initial expression of interest).