2024 ended up being my second-best writing year since I started publishing in 2015. Financially. As for the writing itself, I think it was probably my best year, so thanks for everything you did to make 2024 great!
I’m going to try and outline my 2025 plan for you, but you might want to take it with a grain of salt since my plans ended up changing a lot last year. Actually, maybe we should start with that.
I started 2024 with every intention of finishing several series I had published a few books in but ultimately ended up scrapping that idea. Why? I can’t exactly remember, but I think the reception for Expose Me was a factor, if not the factor.
As a whole, Expose Me was not well received. I have several ideas as to why, having read some reviews and having had months of separation from the story itself. Expose Me was, in my eyes, a romance. On the one hand, the story spends a lot of time on a relationship. On the other hand, it spends a lot of time on a video game. Readers wanting one of those things don’t seem to like the other and find the one they wanted lacking. And, if we want to really strip the story down, Expose Me isn’t even about either of those things. At its core, it’s a story of loss, grief, forgiveness, and healing.
Not a romance after all, huh?
I think I understand the general disappointment readers have had with this series. That isn’t to say there aren’t readers who enjoyed it (and new readers who are enjoying it), but sales are abysmal. Expose Me is my worst-selling series to date, which, yes, felt like a terrible way to start 2024.
The problem with Expose Me comes down to reader expectations. I’ve brainstormed how I might go about fixing this, from making new book covers to writing new blurbs, but I fear the story itself is too much of a blend of multiple things, and I can’t figure out how to present it so expectations are met. I’ve made some tweaks since the series was first published and feel the blurb for Stranded IRL specifically teases the story and sets up expectations the best way I know how—you know, without telling you all the twists and ruining the entire experience.
For the record, I absolutely love this story, but maybe this just isn’t its time to shine. Awash with Summer Roses went through a similar spell. I had a lot of difficulty selling it. I tried a bunch of covers, blurbs, but nothing worked until I unpublished the original book then republished it as two books with the first one free. This breathed new life into the story, but it wasn’t until I narrated and published the audiobooks that it attracted more readers than I ever thought possible for it—several of them even going out of their way to email or message me how much they loved it.
A story hasn’t proved its worth until it’s found its readers. Therefore Expose Me and all my unfinished series haven’t proved themselves. Expose Me is complete and published, so it will have the chance to find its readers someday, but I can’t say the same for some of my other series, and now I’ll explain why. (I promise this is all going to come back to my plan for 2025, so stick with me.)
I’ve been wanting to change my brand for a while—or at least refine it. Fantasy is my love. I want to spend most of my work time writing it. I want to write for a general adult audience (PG-13 books). I want found families, magic, heartfelt love stories—the kind of stuff you’ve already seen from me but focused.
Which brings us to Thornapple Valley.
If all goes well, 2025 will be the year of shifter romance. Yes, yes, shifter romance isn’t anything new from me, but these will be a little different—mainly because they aren’t going to be SPICY. I’m proud of all the books I’ve written (because I worked really hard on them and made them the best I could!) but I only started writing SPICY (or as spicy as I’m capable of) books because I convinced myself that doing that was the only way I could make a living as a writer. Spicy romance readers are voracious. They love their books, and that’s awesome, but I think it’s time I left SPICY to the authors who burn to write it. They’re probably much better at it than I am anyway. That goes for romance, too. Thornapple Valley is my last attempt at writing romance. If things go well, I’ll continue writing it on the side after 2025. If it doesn’t, I’ll officially close the door on writing romance.
Yes, in 2024 I discovered I’m a love-story person, not a romance person. It took me that long to realize the difference. A romance is always a love story, but a love story isn’t always a romance.
My love stories aren’t going anywhere, regardless of whether Thornapple Valley does well or not. Slowly but surely, we’re going to sink deeper and deeper into fantasy, but characters will always come first. These will still be Kestra Pingree stories. I’m excited about what’s to come, and I hope you are too!
I’ve nearly completed the third Thornapple Valley book, which means I’ll get to narrate it soon. I promise you four short and sweet shifter romances this year as both eBooks and audiobooks, but the plan is to get you ten. That’s the part of the plan you should take with a grain of salt, though. I’ll keep you updated.
By the way, did you know you can get a jumpstart on reading Thornapple Valley? Click/tap here to dive in.
Thank you for all your support. It means the world to me.
