At about this time of year in 2023, I was hurrying to get all my ducks in a row as I prepared to publish the first two novels of the Book of Roses trilogy. Setting up this website, connecting to social media, wrangling with retailers to make sure my publishing accounts were working, getting covers made, purchasing advertising, formatting everything correctly, and agonising over whether anyone would even like my stories were just some of the stresses I was juggling as publication day drew near!
Well, it’s been a full turn of the seasons since then, and all in all, it’s been a wonderful start. To everyone who has read the Book of Roses novels, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The response has been more positive than I could’ve imagined. Every time I read a message, post, or review from someone who’s enjoying the series, it gives me a little lift for the rest of my day.
My initial goal for the first year was to get all my novels edited, published, and to gather some reviews. I didn’t expect to turn a profit, but I hoped to at least recoup the money spent on covers and advertising. Fortunately, it looks like I’m on track to achieve exactly that, and as a bonus I’ve managed to write an extra novel and a half in between!
This year was a real deluge of novels, but it was a deluge I’d been building up for years beforehand, so my publication schedule for 2025 is going to look a bit sparser. Everything published in 2024 was written prior to Elizabeth of Rosepath’s release, while everything in 2025 will have been written after. The year’s going to begin with Mender of Monsters releasing on January 5th. I expect to release 1-2 more novels over the course of the year, with the first coming sometime in the spring. These will be the first two volumes of The Song of Silver, which is looking to be another meaty trilogy similar in length to The Book of Roses. I’ve currently written the first half of volume one, and it’s already longer than Mender of Monsters and Lavender’s Wolf.
Looking forward to the future, I anticipate the entire Book of Roses saga wrapping up with The Song of Silver. It’ll be nine books long by then, two trilogies and three standalone side stories (although those side stories may wind up having important roles to play in The Song of Silver), which I think is a good length for a series. That isn’t to say I’ll be putting The Book of Roses on the shelf forever, but I’ll probably be ready to turn my focus to a new setting at that point. It’s too early for me to talk about what I plan on writing next, but I have a few ideas percolating.
I expect to publish a more detailed article on what to expect from The Song of Silver after Mender of Monsters releases, but those who want a sneak peek will be able to preview the first chapter at the end of Mender of Monsters.
It’s been a good year of writing, and I’m hopeful that 2025 will be even better. I hope everyone who celebrates the festive season has a wonderful time, and my best wishes for the year to come.
Happy reading!
Kelly River 