6 Years in the Making ... "Skin Like Dawn", the sequel to "When You Come to Me"

Here's the thing: I've been working on the project for years.  And each year that I didn't put my heart and soul into it, I pissed my friends off even more.

Do you remember this novel called, When You Come to Me?  Read it yet?  If not, stop reading this post now because I feel some spoilers coming on...

The novel itself is marked by major events between the couple that fall on Brandon's birthday (August 15th) each year.  In the final chapter, Brandon is celebrating his 28th birthday, a year after he and Natalie tied the knot.  They had a rocky first year of marriage, and are finally adjusting to their new life together once his birthday arrives.  They've both realized over some time what caused their emotional disparity and have each decided what needs to be fixed without telling the other: Brandon impulsively quits his job while Natalie drops out of medical school. And there's another kicker: Natalie is pregnant. 

See where the cliffhanger lies?

I started writing the sequel at the age of 21, but I didn't like it.  It seemed juvenile.  And who could blame me?  At that point, I'd never been in a serious relationship nor was I married with a baby on the way.  How could I know what it felt like to deal with such a thing?  The desolate, fragile nature of Brandon and Natalie's relationship at the end of the first book deserved quite a bit of evocative language in the sequel, which is something that I had no clue of in my early twenties.

Now that I'm a little older and have experienced quite a bit of romantic pain in the past few months, I'm approaching this new sequel with a fresh mind.

So I present to you Skin Like Dawn in its early stages, based off of the poem "Passing Time" by Maya Angelou

Your skin like dawn Mine like musk

One paints the beginning of a certain end.

The other, the end of a sure beginning.

The book highlights a much bigger chapter in Brandon and Natalie's remarkable story, and those close to me who have read the outline of Skin cannot believe where the story is going to go.  I can't either - but it's a realistic depiction of two young people fighting for love.

I'm excited about this one; because my own maturation needed to happen before Brandon and Natalie's did.

I had an amazing weekend! Here are a few reasons why...

[gallery columns="4" orderby="rand"]

The Fall will be a busy season for this young writer...

Why, you may ask? Well this time last year, I was still reeling from the high of publishing my first novel, When You Come to Me, which, since it's release last year has sold somewhere over 2,000, perpetuating my legitimacy as an author.

The reality of how far I've come in a year's time still hasn't settled in, so while I'm still riding on Cloud Nine, I'll milk the experience for all it's worth in the interim.

I've been working on a number of projects this summer, and reading excessively, getting myself geared up for a pretty exciting Fall season.

Earlier this year, I started writing a novella entitled The Trail's End, which I initially intended to release on my birthday (October 1st), but got a pretty great surprise in June: I was invited to Whidbey Island, Washington, for a week-long Master Class and creative writing residency.  I will be working on the novella at length, getting advice from the experts, while enjoying an amazing view of Mount Rainier.

Go ahead and click that thumbnail :) 

And if you haven't read it yet, When You Come to Me ends with a cliffhanger that have angered a few of the readers because they've become so attached to Brandon and Natalie's story.  So, I've started work on the sequel of which is called "Skin Like Dawn", which chronicles their story after the honeymoon phase is over.  I've already shared the outline of this story with a couple of my closest friends and they love it so far.  While it doesn't have a release date yet, I'm hoping to put it out there early next year!

My main focus in the meantime is making sure "The Trail's End" is perfect and ready for release at the end of this year -- just in time for the holidays!

I sincerely thank everyone for joining me on this journey.  I can only get better from here!