Today, I wanted to share the surprising history behind Blanc LaBelle. It’s been quite a journey and it seems fair to share it with all of you in the wee hours (yes hours!) before the release.
This book started back in 2020 (the world’s most uneventful year). At that time, I was focused on self-publishing my collection of novellas. It was an experiment for me, trying to figure out how this whole self-publishing thing worked. It was a fun experience and I had an absolute blast leading up to it! Found Mysteries was published on May 29, 2020.
Then, came the wait. Like I said, it was 2020 and I wasn’t working at the time, so I couldn’t really do much beyond sit and wait. I was checking the various places for reviews and it became an obsession. I knew I needed something to occupy my time or I was gonna go bonkers waiting.
A few days earlier, on May 12, 2020, I had written a silly little story about a half-troll in a yellow raincoat needing help with an escape. I liked the character a lot and wanted to explore more of her story. If you’ve read the Chapter 1 Sneak Preview (or even the Blog Snippet), you can probably guess where her story ended up going.
While most folks were making sourdough or picking up a new hobby, but Blanc LaBelle and the Troll’s Daughter became my focus. Then, the following books became my focus. It was something to fill the hours and became my main focus in the final hours of my Seattle chapter of life.
I moved back to Connecticut in September of 2020. I have vivid memories of working on these books while flying on the plane wearing an N95 mask. What started on one coast, ended over the other. I finished the first draft of the complete series in my parent’s house between looking for a job. I was starting to shop it around, but that quickly got eclipsed by the rush of life. Eventually, it moved to the back burner.
The decision to finally pull the trigger came in therapy. I had been talking about the joy I felt at releasing my first book and I realized that was when I was truly happy. It was something that was made with my own hands and doing it again made me excited. So, I did.
I found a few friends with various skills (people from college, Seattle, online, wherever I could find them). I got a team together and we went through the process of building my Covid Baby.
Now, we’re sitting on the eve of the release and it feels so surreal. It’s such a joy to be able to finally set my story free into the world. Mira, LaBelle, Matt, and so many others are going to catch a lot of attention and so much excitement. I hope you all enjoy this world I created and the characters I created. They’ve been with me for 6 years now (May 12, 2020 to May 12th, 2026) and I can’t wait for you to explore it all!
Thanks for everyone who worked with me on this project, pre-ordered the book, or just listened to me while I was excited about the release (you know who you are). The journey is just beginning, but this is everything it took to get to the starting line alone. See you all in the Under!