The Source of Storms

My debut book release and why you don't need to know what you're doing to begin

I am very excited, and nervous, to share with you that my debut book, The Source of Storms, will be released on February 22^nd.

At 105,700 words, The Source of Storms is one of my proudest accomplishments yet. It’s also the first in a series of three that I am calling The Stormbound Series, and I am extremely grateful that I get to spend more time existing and writing in that world. I sincerely hope that you find it just as enjoyable to be in as I do, if fantasy is your jam.

I began writing this book over a year and a half ago. I was still working full-time as a biologist in consulting, and most of the first draft of this book was cobbled together in little stolen increments of time. Evenings after work and the gym, weekends, my precious vacation days, any little moment of time quiet enough to get into the mindset.

Piece by piece, Halja’s story came together, until I finally made the leap to leave that job and focus on this book full time. I finished the first draft within weeks after that.

Writing this book was truly a beautiful experience. It was one of the most fun things I have ever done. Immersing myself in the world and getting to know the characters has been so special. I loved pulling out little memories from my childhood, specific details of my home and places I have traveled that I didn’t even remember I still remembered. Weaving them into a fantasy world of harsh storms, fierce and beautiful nature, and one wild woman finding herself in it all has been an incredible experience.

I learned, surprise surprise, if you want to write, you really just have to write. The only way to do something is to do it.

I truly had no idea how to write a book when I first started. I knew nothing about properly plotting, about all the little tips and tricks people on the internet talk about. I knew about character creation, and I knew about abstractly about good storytelling, in that I watched others do it, and I hoped I could emulate the ways I have seen others weave good stories.

I followed my own flow and focus most of the time. I didn’t write in order, as they say to, but jumped around to different scenes as they came to mind. I didn’t think about tropes or worry about what was popular (which actually cost me a big and stressful last-minute change that I will tell you about another time). I didn’t even have the plot outlined before I started writing. I just had one scene, and two characters, and I went from there. (Later, I went back and created a detailed outline scene by scene, which guided most of the writing.)

I am not advocating for this style - it’s very inefficient and wasted lots of time - but it is true that you don’t need to know everything about doing something before you just start doing it. You can follow your gut, your intuition, and you will figure out the details along the way.

Now, six months after leaving my job and flinging myself into this, after many rounds of revisions and agonizing decisions, the final version is complete and formatted, ready to get out into the world.

I originally intended to go the traditional publishing route, and spent months querying agents. I have now received almost 90 rejections or non-responses from agents. At first, those rejections stung, but now I have a better understanding of the publishing world from the outside, and have gotten much better at getting rejected - a useful skill I think everyone should develop.

So I chose to pursue self-publishing, and I am so excited that I did. I have loved learning about this new world. There’s so much to discover, and so many different options and opportunities available for self-publishers now. The fate of my book is completely in my hands, and will be whatever I can make of it.

Self-publishing can feel a bit lonely at times, though, and scary. This big process that I hoped to be shepherded through by an agent and a team of professionals from a publisher I am now doing entirely solo. Except, of course, for my copy editor, and all of you.

The amount of support and encouragement I have received from everyone during this process has been astounding. From my closest friends and family to complete strangers, everyone has met the idea of this insane venture of mine with enthusiasm and care. I am so grateful for you all.

I will get back to sharing my short stories and nature contemplations, but there will also be a little bit more on the fantasy author end of my life in this newsletter moving forward. Leading up to the release, I will share some excerpts and teasers from the book here and on my Instagram, and I will also share the cover as soon as it is finalized.

For now, if you’re interested in my book, it will be released on Amazon on February 22^nd 2025. The pre-order for eBook only (Amazon’s rules, not mine) will open on February 15^th. I will also be working to print the paperback through another provider so that I can get them into bookstores. I understand that most of us don’t want to have to order from Amazon, but for now, it is really the best (only) option for self-published debut authors that nobody has heard of, such as myself.

Thank you all for your support in this over the last year and a half. Even if you are just here for my Substack and had no idea I was even writing a book, writing to and getting to know you is a wonderful exercise that I really enjoy. I appreciate you all more than I can express.

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I create a playlist as I’m writing each book. If you’re interested, here’s the playlist for The Source of Storms.