Welcome, and Mind the Gaps
THEN:
I started this Substack over ten months ago at the urging of the marketing team at my publisher. I truly had the best of intentions—promote my then-forthcoming book A Feather So Black well before its March 2024 release, share a little of my life with interested readers, dole out behind-the-scenes tidbits and writings-in-progress. Well, nearly a year has come and gone. My book came out six months ago. I am now promoting the sequel, A Crown So Silver, and drafting the third book, Title to Come (nice try!). Best laid plans, etc etc etc.
I say all this less as a warning than a promise: consistency is not my strong suit. I originally intended this Substack to act as a monthly newsletter. That may actually happen! That may also not happen. But I hope you’ll subscribe anyway, for all the chaotic overthinking, mild panic, and unfinished stories my haphazard brain can manage.
NOW:
Autumn is in full swing here in New England, and it’s a glorious one—brilliant colors and crisp mornings that bloom into warm, golden afternoons. This is easily my favorite time of year, but sadly I am mostly experiencing it through a window as I am still recovering from my medical procedure in September.
We are officially just three months out from the release of A Crown So Silver, Book 2 in the Fair Folk trilogy and sequel to A Feather So Black! In case you missed it, the book got a pretty great review in Publishers Weekly. (I’m still a little salty about the “no big ideas on offer” line, but consoling myself with the bit about fairy dust and Freudian mating rituals. I mean, that deserves a moment and possibly some slow claps.)
The book is also available to request on NetGalley in the US (not yet in the UK, but soon!) If you’re a reviewer or Bookstagrammer/Book-toker who’d like an early copy, go forth and request! ACSS on NetGalley US
I’m also about 6 weeks out from my deadline for Untitled Book 3. Well, it has a title but I’m not allowed to tell you yet! This stage of the drafting process is always utter mayhem—battling the mushy middle while grasping at plot threads that still need to be woven together and realizing I just totally dropped a character from Act I. I keep reminding myself that a first draft just needs to exist. All the fine tuning is for my future self to deal with, and honestly, she’ll be thrilled. She loves revising!
Honestly, though, it hasn’t been a total slog. Part of that has been a change in my working style. I used to be a die-hard linear drafter: start at the prologue and work chapter by chapter right on through to the end. With this book, I’ve been trying something a little different. I call it dopamine drafting—basically, I pick whatever scene in the book is most exciting to me, and no matter where it takes place in the plot, I write it! It’s so chaotic but so so satisfying and fun, and it’s brought back a lot of joy to my drafting process that I’ve sometimes worried was lost. It also means that in approximately two weeks I’m going to be left with all the boring scenes, connective tissue, and exposition, and I’ll possibly loathe everything again. But again, that’s a problem for my future self to deal with. (Are you sensing a theme?)
LATER:
I’ve got a few fun things planned leading up to the release of A Crown So Silver, including giveaways, character artwork drops, and launch event announcements! Outside this Substack, make sure you’re following my Instagram, as that’s where I do the bulk of my announcements! Instagram | Lyra Selene
And for now, I’ll leave you with an exclusive teaser scene from Crown. Mild spoilers for AFSB, so avert your eyes if you haven’t read Book 1! This lighthearted scene is for my Firian stans—for about a week, Fia has been forced to wear Irian’s clothing (because reasons) and is started to get tired of it. Look at me letting my MCs be happy for approximately 5 minutes before throwing them back into the muck!
That’s all for now! See you next time <3