Writing Update #19: Everywhere You Look... More WIPs

 I am nothing if not unhinged. So let's dive right into what I've been working on since our last writing update. 

Emerald Knights (Reclaiming Wonderland #3) is still in progress. I am hoping to have it done before the end of the year for an April/May 2026 release. In the meantime, Code White: Frosted Wonderland (Reclaiming Wonderland #1.5) is releasing on December 5th, 2025. I had to give the people a little something to tide them over until the final book releases. That's right... Reclaiming Wonderland, my debut series, is almost completed. I think that's part of the reason I've struggled to finish Emerald Knights, once it's done I won't be revisiting the main characters again. Alice, Hatter, March, Caterpillar, and Cheshire have been a part of my life since May 1st, 2017. Their story coming to an end is bittersweet. 

The Austral Witches series has grown even more since my last update. In July, I wrote a prequel novella in 12 days. It released on September 1st. Two Shadowed Hearts also released on August 13th. The next book, Three Little Doves, will be out February 14, 2026. I'm currently working on the fifth book, which I plan to release in May/June (if not earlier) next year. In 2026, I'm planning to write at least two more of the books in that series, though most likely I'll be aiming to write 4. 

For those who don't know, I announced this week that I am doing a co-author project with Allena Scott. This book is still under lock and key, so I can't give too much more information, but trust me it will be in my reader's hands very, very soon. Doing a co-writing project has been an absolute blast. Especially since Allena is just as passionate about her work as I am. Getting together with another author who is always looking to challenge themselves was so refreshing. 

I am also hard at work on my next full length series. The only information I have revealed so far is that it will be called the Mercy Valley Series. I'm hoping to have book one done before the end of this year, so that it can also release between January-July of next year. 

I have two standalone fantasy books that are started. My goal is to publish one of them in the fall of next year, so expect that y'all will be hearing about even more new projects very soon. I sat down recently and realized that between all of my works in progress I have at least 50 books planned. My goal currently is to have at least 20 of them out before I turn 31 in 2029. I beleive we are on track to actually have 25 books out by then. 

I can't tell you all just how thankful I am for everyone that reads my work. Writing has been my primary passion for a very long time. Every reader I talk to, convention I attend, and book I finish is another piece of my dreams coming to reality. I truly cannot express my unending gratitude for the opportunity to share my stories with the world. 

With that bit of sappiness... Taila Out. 

The Impending Nuptials

Warning: The post ahead is extremely emotionally vulnerable. Some of the things I say are more about how I feel than reality. Do not take offense if you are one of my lovely friends. Your efforts to be a part of my life are deeply appreciated. 

 I may be a romance author, but I have never wanted to have a big wedding. I was not one of the teenage girls dreaming of my "big day". For many years, I never wanted to get married at all. Not an unsurprising take from someone whose parents had multiple (not great) marriages. My grandparents were married for nearly 45 years before my grandmother passed away, but I wouldn't say their marriage inspired any desire for the same in me.  Of course, that feeling changed when I met my finace. Unlike me, Tyler grew up in a home with two parents who very clearly loved each other. Having spent quite a bit of time over the years with Andrea and David, it was always very obvious how much the two of them truly did love one another. Because of that, Tyler views marriage and weddings far differently than I do. 

Now here we are, pushing nearly eight years together. Our wedding is planned for October 25, 2025. I wish I could tell you all I was looking forward to it. The truth is... I'm not. When we sat down to discuss exactly what our wedding would look like... Well to say the least, we had diametrically opposed ideas. I wanted a quick and simple ceremony, possibly a courthouse wedding with only our families (or parents) there. Tyler wanted what he'd spent his entire life seeing. Big ceremony, big reception, normal and traditional wedding. Ultimately, we chose to have a ceremony and reception. We have invited maybe forty people. For a traditional wedding that is pretty small. We selected our wedding party, we booked our venue, and we've been to several lunches to work on planning. I purchased my dress (it is beautiful), decor, and more. 

Here's the problem. We are 45 days from finally tying the knot, and I regret everything about what we've planned. I don't want to have a wedding party, I don't want forty people to watch while we say our vows. I don't want to spend another penny on wedding expenses. I just want to be married to my best friend. I don't care about anything else. We could elope today, and I would be over the moon. Is that the beautiful romance that most people dream of? No, I'm sure to most of you reading this I sound absolutely insane. 

The real problem is the glaring reality that no one in my life is as invested or interested in this as I am. Unlike most people, I don't have a mother fawning over the idea of her little girl getting married. I don't have friends that are really excited for me. Now, in all fairness, my mother in law and my maid of honor have done a lot to help. It isn't that there is no support. I can't pretend that that is the case. It just isn't the same. I mean hell, I can't even get my maid of honor and bridesmaid together to try on their dresses and test out makeup. Lord knows, that is more because all of us live extremely busy lives, but it doesn't change my feelings being hurt. It doesn't change the frustration of doing something I never wanted to do without the type of support other people would generally have.

It is the problem with being motherless. Moments like this. Feeling adrift in a sea of grief when I should be overjoyed. It's not often at nearly 27 years old that I still feel that. The wedding has truly brought up some intense remembrance of the grief I have carried my entire life. I have no idea how to even begin to process my true feelings about it all. I know avoidance is never a good choice. So I will push forward, I will force myself to enjoy the wedding regardless. It won't be easy, but in 45 more days, I'll finally be married to my best friend. I never have to do it again.  

I don't care about the wedding. I care about the man I'm marrying. That is the important part. The wedding is just one day, but our marriage is the rest of our lives. It is tying us together in name and in spirit until long after we are dirt in the ground. Hopefully, that'll be enough to get me through all of these complicated emotions. 

And on that especially depressing note... Taila Out. 

The Art of Writing #1

 I've had this blog for a very long time. Approaching a decade actually. I like to think that there are a few souls that have followed my journey, or at the very least, can track the changes in both my life and my narrative voice over time. The one thing that no one can say is that I have not had a passion for the art of writing for a very, very long time. I don't care about fame or fortune. I didn't write and publish books with the belief that I would one day be the next Stephen King. I wouldn't pretend that I am the most poetic or perfectly poised author. I lack a professional editor. My debut novel, Code Red, could desperately use a second edition with some line editing. I don't lose sleep over that fact. I am still proud of that story, the one that truly made me an authoress. What no one will ever tell me is that I am not improving on my craft every day. I work, research, and adjust with every word I write. Any good author does. I consider myself more than a hobby author. This is my obsession, my world, the air that I breathe. There is not a moment in time that some book related thing isn't occurring in my mind. Some story forming and reforming until it takes shape in a way that cannot be ignored. My desire to share my stories with the world is an ever-burning flame, scorching me until another book and another book and another book is created. 

Here's my problem. There is a lot of conflicting advice and colorful advertisement in the world of indie authors. Quite a few predatory people have entered this industry more than happy to take advantage of a person with a dream to share their story with the world. Even more well-meaning people see editing, graphic design, and even writing as a way to make money. I am happy that there is so much access for small businesses to grow on the internet, but like many things in the internet space it is a double-edged sword. A few online classes don't give a person true talent. In fact, I know many amazing authors who never took a writing class of any kind. Education may improve an ability, but it cannot grant you talent that is lacking. 

I'm going to give an example of bad advice that I have seen online. "Said is dead". This has been circulating for quite a while. The idea behind it is that using "said" too much as a dialogue tag is monotonous or bores readers. While I can agree that too much of anything isn't enjoyable, the word "said" is invisible to readers. They think nothing of it as they're reading because it is supposed to be there. Using dramatic dialogue tags will take the reader out of the story and can absolutely make the writing seem more immature. That doesn't change this advice being heavily pushed. Baby authors and aspiring writers shouldn't listen or worry about these details when they are in the beginning stages of writing their first novel. I don't even recommend listening to advice (especially paid advice) unless it is coming from a very well-known author, a professional editor (not an indie author that took an online class), or your publishing company. The only other opinions that I'd ever recommend listening to is your readers! This is why alpha, beta, and ARC readers are so important to indie authors. These are (hopefully) people who want your book to thrive. If they tell you something in the manuscript is taking them out of the story, then it's worth considering. Especially if the feedback is the same again and again. 

I actually made the personal choice to move away from entering the editing business. Instead, I will provide my feedback and advice at no cost (or with a trade of skills). Supporting one another without the expectation of money changing hands is more valuable. Someday I will probably start making TikTok or YouTube videos to inspire baby authors to keep trying. This choice grants me freedom and gives me a ton of space to grow in my craft even more. Maybe one day I'll decide to truly open myself up for editing, but writing is my passion, not editing. 

My specialty is in world building and story crafting. It is the part of the craft that I am most involved in. I was just blessed with a brain that imagines worlds in such vivid detail that I can't help to try to put it into words. I have authors that I help with their world building, and I am more than proud to say that their books are doing phenomenally well. Is that because of me? Of course not, these are talented individuals, but I get to take the credit of being part of their team. My grammar is decent but could certainly use improvement, describing scenes and characters is something I'm improving on. There isn't a day that I am not working on my skills as an author. And that is truly my advice to every author out there: fall in love with the art of writing, consume every morsel of research on it, take half the advice online with a grain of salt, and ultimately? Write the stories in your heart. That is what will impress readers the most, the emotions you can evoke in them. Never let someone tear your work apart when they don't have quality work to show themselves. 

And yes this is just the first rant I'm going to go on about the art of writing. Prepare yourselves to hear my never-ending thoughts on my greatest passion, my mistress even. 

Taila Out. 

Friendship & A Pinch of Sappiness

 Yall just love it when I get philosophical… right? Today I wanna talk about friendship. This is clearly a fairly common topic for me, since the last post I actually published was talking about losing a friend.  

I have never considered myself to have many, if any, true friends. I’ve certainly had a few people that got the title of “Best Friend” over the years, but as we sit today, those people don’t speak to me anymore. Did I do something wrong in those friendships? Of course. Did they? Most likely. Am I upset with those friends today? No, because part of growth is often shedding the people in life that hold you back. I hope my former friends have grown into the amazing people I saw them to be. I certainly have grown so much in the last few years. 

My circle is very small, if almost nonexistent. I’m currently planning my wedding (I’m sure you’ll get a blog post on that soon enough) and I’ve realized just how few people I want to share that day with. 

I don’t consider this to be a bad thing. The couple of amazing people I have as friends now have been supportive of me through my failures and my successes. They have the pleasure of knowing me as a healed version of myself. Past friends have not had that same experience. It often makes me sad that I have virtually no one that has seen my journey and stuck by my side. Other than my family, the only person to see the best and worst of me is Tyler. Our relationship is built on the very best foundation… friendship. We will always be best friends first. That is probably why even in the worst of our relationship we’ve stuck it out. Our companionship comes before our romance. I am so thankful to have someone in my life who has seen me suffer in most every way I can and still stood by my side. To be walking into this healed and beautiful journey that is my life now with him is something I could not have imagined in the darkest days of my life. Is he perfect? Hell no, he’s a man… A mid-twenties man at that. He makes mistakes, drives me crazy, but I wouldn’t trade it away for all the gold in world. 

Okay wow now that I’ve gotten past the sappiness, I’m going to say something crazy. I think that it’s good to lose friends. Not all people are meant to stay in our lives forever. We should enjoy the time we have with our friends, appreciating them for the unique, individual that they are. If that time comes to an end for some reason, then we can look back on those memories with fondness and accept that that was the time we had with that person. People grow apart, especially when we are young. It is normal and healthy to allow those connections to fall away. It allows space for new, valuable connections into our life. I would never have put as much energy into my current circle if I was still giving energy to the past. 

I also think that time alone is extremely important to emotional growth. Not only does it allow us to appreciate the people in our lives that are truly putting in the work, but it allows us time for deep introspection. Why have the people I've chosen to have in my life not stayed? Have I chosen them badly or have I done something that is driving these people away? These are deep questions that are important to know if you have a bad pattern of personal relationships. Knowing why we do things or maintain harmful patterns is the first step in making changes to improve our lives. 

I think that's probably deep enough on this subject for today.

Taila Out.

Writing Update #18: Tails Tales Edition One

Let me tell you about my boooooks. (Read to the tune of 'let me tell you about my best friend'). 

Blue Dreams (Reclaiming Wonderland #2) released on March 15th. It was the hardest book I've written so far, taking me eight months to complete. After I finished it in August of 2024, I worked on several projects without finishing anything. In January of 2025, I buckled down and finished my first dark romance. An urban fantasy, dark romance novella, One Bloody Night, will be the first book in the Austral Witches series. Each will be a standalone following a different set of characters in a different Southern state (mostly). It will be releasing on June 13, 2025, on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon. 

In February, amidst so many things happening, I wrote Two Shadowed Hearts. It is the second book in the Austral Witches. I absolutely love it, it flowed so easily, and I truly look forward to it releasing on September 13th, 2025. 

In March, I focused on a Reclaiming Wonderland project that will be releasing later this year. It is not book three. It will be releasing on December 5th, 2025. At this time, I won't be releasing anymore details. 

Speaking of Reclaiming Wonderland, I did announce the title of book three... Emerald Knights. It will be releasing in Spring of 2026. I'm hoping to have it done by August, but we shall see. That's a lot for just the first few months of the year, but I don't intend to slow down. On top of finishing Emerald Knights this year, I intend to also finish the third book in the Austral Witches series. I'm currently having an easier time writing it than Emerald Knights. The characters in the Reclaiming Wonderland series may be a bit mad at me for the way that I ended Blue Dreams. We are at a standoff currently, but I'll win the battle soon. Emerald Knights is probably the book I'm most excited to release into the world, I've been imagining this book for years. Of course, it's morphed and changed as the series has grown, but it has roots in fantasy deeper than the first two in the series. Exploring deeper into this world is both exciting and nerve wracking as readers continue to pick up Code Red and Blue Dreams. 

The Austral Witches series has morphed a lot since I started One Bloody Night in September 2024. Originally it was going to be a one off, then Larissa walked onto the page and demanded her own book. I think that is why Two Shadowed Hearts was so easy for me to write. It didn't stop there though; I will tell you that I have sat down and plotted out this series... thirteen novellas. So many amazing stories to tell in this world. I'm aiming to have them out as quickly as possible. 

Do you really think that's all I'm working on? Of course not. I've got two standalones that I'm hoping to have out in 2026 and 2027. Y'all my WIP numbers grow every year, at last count it was looking like I have about fifty books planned out across about twenty-two series. That doesn't even include every little prompt and idea that I've jotted down over the years. I'm aiming to have twenty books out before I turn 31 in 2029. I hope that y'all will continue to enjoy my journey in the indie author world. I have no intention to stop sharing about it anytime soon. Even if I am a little inconsistent on when I post, can you really blame me? 

Taila Out. 

PS: If you're interested in grabbing any of my works find me on Facebook (Taila Cantrell Author) or  Instagram (tcantrellauthor) all my links can be found there! 

Loss, Love, & Lessons

 Today I am exhausted. Emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically drained. In nine days my fiancé's father and grandmother have passed away. This all started the day after our seventh anniversary. I've gotten a promotion at my job (yay! But also less sleep and more on my mental load).  I don't think anyone would blame me for being a bit of a frazzled mess at the moment. The universe always takes the chance to teach me a new lesson when I am drained. Probably because it is the easiest time to get through my thick skull.

Today I lost a friend. I went through a huge purge of my social circle in 2023. Not in any angry way, but I grew up, things happened, and I lost contact with some people that I cared deeply for. I still wish them the very best in life. I would talk to them again if the opportunity presented itself. I've worked hard over the last couple years to rebuild my friend group. I want to surround myself with people who give as much as I do. I want to surround myself with intimacy and love and growth. I work my ass off everyday to become better, I demand that in the people that are closest to me. I am understanding, because the Lord knows I have bad days, I fail, I make mistakes. We all do, we're human. 

I lost a friend, because I chose honesty over holding my tongue. I'll admit when I decided to be completely honest with my friend last night, I knew it would be harsh. For months, I've coddled them emotionally, given advice, and been exceedingly kind and understanding. Even as it bothered me, hurt my feelings, or didn't meet my expectations. I hold myself to unreasonably high expectations, I try to lower them for others, because I know I need to. But I remembered something last night as I received yet another message asking me to do emotional labor (read: not getting paid for the therapy I provided). I remembered that sometimes when I was acting in a similar vein someone I cared for was honest with me. They said the thing that hurt and I spent time thinking about it. I didn't always appreciate the painful truth, but it always was in the back of my mind. What we think about, we change. The reality is, I was a little too harsh. I should have been just a bit nicer than I was, but I'm a human being who should be allowed to make a mistake or have a bad day. Especially considering that they know what I've been going through the last few weeks. 

Instead I was met with insecurity, fear, and immaturity. I wasn't met with someone who considered me their friend, especially not an equal. Today, when I realized just how much being left on read had bothered me I reached out. I called out the behavior. And I was floored by someone who views me as the bad guy. I find this role surprisingly comfortable. I have played the villain for many, many people in my life. At times I have even strived to be seen as dangerous or intimidating. I will play the role that a person puts me in as if I was made for it. And so I made my exit. I removed that friend from my life. I accepted in a single moment that my friendship was never as strong as I thought, and I let it go. Or at least I began too. Writing this blog post is the final step. 

The truth is there had always been signs that this was not a person I could truly be close to. Not only the obvious one's I've mentioned above. This person was deeply judgmental of others. Everyone else was always a problem. That's a huge red flag, but I ignored it out of love for them. I follow the 'don't throw stones in a glass house' idea very closely. I certainly don't judge anyone if my life is worse than theirs. Frankly, judging anyone is wrong. It's something I am working to be better about. I wasn't judging them when I told them the observations I'd made about their situation. I was trying to give them a different perspective. That wasn't appreciated. The reality was, they wanted me to be on their side against someone else. I don't want to play that game. Sometimes we are wrong and we need to be told that. I want people in my life who will tell me when I'm wrong. Clearly, this person didn’t feel the same. That’s okay, but it doesn’t mean I should have to lower my standards of friendship for anyone. 

This is another form of loss. When Death takes someone we love, it is heart wrenching. There is no amount of time that makes that loss easier. We only adjust to it, find ways to cope. Death is a part of life though. It is expected that we will lose our parents or grandparents, especially as we get older. Losing a friend is a different kind of grief when it is over avoidable drama. I may not have lost a true friend, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. I hate that my love for this person is ultimately what ended our friendship. Love for me involves honesty. When I provided honesty out of love for them, as a way to help their constant inner turmoil I was met with ridicule. The truth is some people can’t face their fears and insecurities head on. I should have considered that more before I answered. 

Ultimately, the universe has given me another lesson. For that I am grateful, even if I hurt from it. I will be a stronger person and better friend from this. That’s all I wish for anyone in my life. Happiness, peace, and growth to our best selves. 

Taila Out. 

The One Where I Talk About The Big Scary

 What is the big scary in 2025? Some of you probably have guessed correctly... politics. I don't discuss my political or religious beliefs often, but sometimes I just have something to say that I can't help but blog about. This is a conversation in good faith, so please don't bring bad-faith arguments into the comment sections or my inbox. I block and delete hate and lies without a second thought. 

Most anyone who knows me in my personal life knows that I am a left-leaning person. I believe that people of color deserve the same rights, respect, and lives as anyone else. I believe that immigrating to America should be easy and extremely common. I believe that women should be allowed to have abortions or whatever other healthcare they want. I believe that gay and trans people deserve to live their lives without being attacked or belittled. I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe the prison system is just the newest form of slavery, which is why more POC are incarcerated. I believe that marijuana should be legal federally. I believe that we need socialized medicine and a universal basic income. Call me a dirty liberal or a socialist all you like, I care about humanity. All of these things benefit humanity. 

Now here's where I'm going to lose some of you. I like guns, I do not want my handgun taken away because it keeps me safe. I don't think people under eighteen need to have permanent surgeries, hormones are fine in most cases. Haircuts and clothing changes are absolutely important. Children don't need to make permanent changes to their bodies. We don't allow kids to get tattoos, so I think waiting until adulthood to get gender-affirming surgeries is reasonable. I also do not care for people using very weird pronouns (fae/fe as an example). I'm all for he/him, she/her, they/them. I can even get on board with xe/xir, but I think trying to escape reality too much is a sign of some serious mental health issues. I don't care for cancel culture at all. It's gone too far. Everyone is human, everyone makes mistakes. Cancel culture has lost all meaning, and we need to stop. I don't think anyone under sixteen should have access to social media/the internet. It's extremely damaging to young minds. I do think entitlement is a huge problem in today's culture, and because of how the media has treated Gen Z and Millennials it's something that won't be easily fixed. No one owes us anything. Everyone still has to operate in the world today, whether they like it or not. Mental illness isn't an excuse for everything. 

Okay, so we've pretty much established that both sides have every reason in the world to hate me. But you know what, that's the whole point. EVERYONE has feelings like this. The world is not a black-and-white place. Two things can be true at the same time. Most people have very complicated lives and beliefs. If we treated each other more kindly, the world would be a much better place. In my real life, as I move through the world I rarely ever have bad interactions with people. Because I treat everyone with respect and kindness, even if I don't agree with them. There will always be hateful and horrible people, but if we spent more time looking for the good in others and less time trying to pick them apart I think we'd find we all have more similarities than differences. We all want to be able to afford rent and groceries, we all want to feel safe, and we all want our families to be safe. Let's focus on what we share, and work toward those goals instead of letting the rich people and the media tear us even further apart. Someday we will need our communities to survive. 

Cancel me if you want to, but it won't stop me from continuing to be kind to everyone I come across. 

Taila Out. 

Hello 2025

 Yes, maybe this post is a wee bit late. It might be January 11th, but let’s ring in 2025. 

First we gotta say goodbye to 2024… 

I got six new tattoos. 

I read 96 books. 

I published my debut novel, and completed (and edited) the sequel. 

I went to my first convention as an author. 

Code Red surpassed 100 copies sold!

I made some amazing friends. 

My fiancé and I are celebrating seven years together in thirty four days. 

2024 may not have been all good, but I’m thankful to have made it through another year. 

What is Taila going to be doing in 2025? 

First off I am going to do a LOT of writing. My goal is to have five more books written by the end of this year. My hope is that you will see four releases (one of these will of course be Blue Dreams in March). I know this is an ambitious goal, but I believe with a lot of hard work and my amazing support system I think I can do it. 

I am going to get at least four more tattoos. 

I want to spend more time with friends. I want to get out more, I need to remember to balance my time better. 

Investing more into experiences (ie concerts, events, etc). 

I’m going to try to read 100 books this year, including branching into more genres. 

Saving money! This is something I really struggle with. I aimed in 2024 in gain more financial discipline, I’ll be continuing to work on that in 2025. 

Grow and be Better. As always, I want to continue to expand my understanding of myself and others. I want to never stop learning and growing. 

This is an ambitious list of things I’m aiming for. I don’t expect to do everything on my lists (I certainly didn’t list all of my goals here), but progress is progress. 

Now I better get back to writing these books, for some reason they refuse to write themselves. 

Taila Out. 

Becoming A Professional

There’s lots of parts of publishing a book and working on building my career as an author that I didn’t expect. Many lessons have been learned since April, but the one currently being shoved in my throat is definitely among the hardest. 

I haven’t entirely made an official announcement, but in January 2025 I intend to open my publishing company. I have been working through the idea and ways to do that for several months. I’ve consulted a tax professional. I’m working on making sure I’m organized and ready for things to truly take off in the new year. It’s exciting, and far more terrifying than publishing a book. I knew my novel could fail, I was prepared to simply let that failure exist and keep trying. Opening my own company is a little different, but I’m going to do it. 

Here’s the problem. The lesson that I am currently having the universe stuff down my throat isn’t an easy one for me. I am having to learn to let personal issues and emotions be secondary to maintaining my professionalism. I’m pretty good at the slightly cunty professionally toned lecture. I am not as successful with simply allowing myself to be disrespected without action. I don’t take personal attacks well at all. Especially from people I view as having no right to speak down to me.

This has come up in a big way for the first time as an author. A “friend” of mine posted an extremely bad and rather rude review of Code Red. They didn’t take the time to come to me about what issues they found, they didn’t even have the balls to tell me anything about it directly. Frankly, this was entirely a petty move due to a personal disagreement that had nothing to do with my novel. I have stewed on it on and off for weeks. I simply cannot let it go. Not because I care that Code Red has a bad review. Frankly, the fact that Code Red has such amazing reviews is a blessing. One bad review shouldn’t get to me. In reality, were the review from a stranger I wouldn’t have been bothered at all. The fact it was from someone I knew, who didn’t have the wherewithal to discuss their issues with me? I want desperately to be unbothered by that. To be an unemotional professional. In truth, I have been thinking of all the violent, horrendous ways I’d like to see them suffer for their disrespect. Clearly, I have issues right? Eh, I am human and my books are my babies. I poured seven years of my blood, sweat, and tears into Code Red. Is it perfect? Hell no. There is going to be a second edition in the near future. I’m just prioritizing getting more novels out first. The reality is anyone in my position would have been bothered by someone claiming to be a friend choosing such a petty and underhanded thing to do. It’s okay for me to have feelings about it. I know I’m not going to truly respond or do anything about it. (For legal purposes I’m totally exaggerating my horrible violent plans for their untimely demise). I am better than that. I will get nowhere I want to be allowing other people’s disrespect to cloud my vision. 

I have no doubt this isn’t the end of this lesson for me. I am a proud person, it is a flaw of mine that is hard to contend with. Allowing anyone (but especially people I know) to disrespect and belittle me is extremely difficult. However, I would much rather focus on the good aspects of my career, on all the things I have planned, the places I want go than let someone have any form of emotional control of me. 

I want to extend my highest appreciation to each and every person that has encouraged my journey. I can only hope your kind words and actions will be the voices ringing in my head the next time someone chooses to forget their lane with me. If not hopefully the people who love me keep bail money on hand… I’m kidding… (for legal purposes)

Sometimes I just have to let it out in a blog post guys. Not sure this said much more than a vague rant, but if you read this far… Blue Dreams is releasing March 15, 2025! It’s available for pre-order on Amazon right now. 

Taila Out

Genre Discussion #4: Dark Romance

 I spent some time checking out my old posts, because I'd really like to revive the blog as my main method of talking to my audience (GRRM does it, why can't I?). In that peruesal I found a little series I did that I'd like to bring back. Let's talk about genres! Today’s genre is one that has gained a ton of popularity over the last year or so: Dark Romance. 

What is dark romance? Well according to Google: “Dark romance books are very different from the run-of-the-mill, everyday romance novel. This more mysterious genre often this includes themes of abuse, violence, trauma, and morally grey main characters” 

Overall I’d agree with that general description. Dark romance books aren’t the same thing our mothers and grandmothers were reading twenty years ago. They delve into deeper, more triggering content. Many dark romance novels also explore bdsm and other kinks that may not be easily found in a regular romance novel. Characters are more complex, and the romance isn’t the classic ‘hero gets the girl’. Now, not every romance novel with a morally grey main male character is going to be a dark romance. Nobody would ever claim A Court of Thrones and Roses as part of the dark romance genre. 

Why is Dark Romance gaining popularity? This is just my opinion, but I think it has a lot to do with how much readers can relate to the trauma and experiences some of the dark romance characters have. It’s a way to safely delve into dark subject matter, packaged in a nice story. And of course no one is going to complain about the smutty goodness. 

As always, books are a place to explore ideas, just because someone reads a dark romance novel doesn’t mean they have any interest in experiencing a relationship similar to that in real life. The separation of fantasy and reality is always important to remember. I recommend always checking the trigger warnings when looking into any dark romance as novel as there can be many triggering topics addressed. Such as stalking, SA, bullying, brain washing, and other forms of abuse. 

Now for the part everyone is really here for. What Dark Romance novels would I recommend to you? 

• Butcher and Blackbird (and it’s sequel Leather and Lark) by Byrnne Weaver
• Psycho Shifters by Jasmine Mas
• Den of Vipers by K.A Knight
• My Dark Romeo by L.J Shen and Parker S Huntington
• Losers Part One and Two by Harley Laroux 
• Queen of the Reapers by Jesse Halliwell
• Cruel Prince by Jillian Frost

I’ll admit there’s quite a few popular dark romance novels I am not interested in reading due to their content. I’m sure they are fantastic novels, but they simply are not for me! This genre is growing larger and larger every day so there are tons of books out there. 

Writing Update #17: What I've Learned

 Code Red has been out for close to six months now. I've got to start off with a couple brags of course. Below are some reviews I've gotten: 

Okay now that we're passed the minor ego trip, I want to share some of the steps I took as I figured out self-publishing. I don't believe that authors are in competition with one another and if anything about my journey can help another author figure out exactly how they want to go about self-publishing I'd love to help. I'm still learning so trust me I'm sure a year from now I'll look back on this post and have better information. I learn something new about the process every day. 

• What platforms did I work with? There are a couple options when you have a book to self-publish. A popular option is going to Amazon, using KDP to be part of the KU program. However, this limits where your ebook can be available. You make a few cents per page read. I did not choose KU for my first novel. I had always imagined my books being available everywhere. So with some good advice from a friend, I published Code Red on Amazon, Kobo (And I was able to enroll in Kobo Plus), B&N/Nook, and later down the road Google Play. I am still working on figuring out how to meet Apple's requirements, but I'm sure eventually I will. I have not yet used Draft 2 Digital, after a recent situation with them involving their opinions on AI I am unsure if I will. I also use IngramSpark for physical copies. IngramSpark has far better print quality than Amazon, I highly recommend using them for your print copies. You can do an ebook as well, I have not yet broached that option. 
• How do you market? Well let me be honest, I'm still figuring out marketing. I did hire a PA (if you're interested in working with her, please feel free to reach out. She also did the cover art for Code Red and Blue Dreams. She's very talented with fantastic prices). Social media is not my forte so I knew I needed someone that could handle that for me. We're still working to grow my platforms, and I hope with time I'll start to see better numbers. I have not started investing my money in ads yet. It is on my list, but I feel that until I'm seeing a larger profit margin paying for ads is a low priority on my list. Facebook book groups are my best friend. 
• ISBN’s? If you are only planning to enroll in KU and use Amazon for getting all of your physical copies you can absolutely use Amazon’s free ISBN numbers. However, if you intend to use any other platforms for publishing please consider investing in ISBN numbers through Bowker. While it isn’t cheap to do so, you can use their ISBN numbers on any publishing platform. 
• How did I format? I want to be honest with you. I am not the tech wizard that formatted their novel themselves using word. I also didn’t go the free route and use Reedsy. I want to mention both of those before I tell you about what I used. When you are self publishing and paying for each thing out of your own money it’s important to consider where you invest. If you are comfortable using Word and already have a Microsoft subscription go for it. If you need something free Reedsy comes to me highly recommend from other indie authors. Personally, I write in Word, but I didn’t feel confident enough in my abilities to format myself. I purchased Atticus. This was a long term investment, a commitment that I was going to continue writing and publishing. Atticus is fairly user friendly, with plenty of turtorials on how to use all of its features. You can also use it to write your novel as well. I am still partial to Word when writing. 
• Editing? It’s easy enough to follow along on my journey from writing Code Red at eighteen to finally releasing it at twenty five. Editing was a very long and arduous journey for me. I didn’t hire an editor. Instead I had a number of people read Code Red at every stage, taking their notes and critiques to improve it. I’m sure if I cracked the cover of Code Red today I would find plenty of mistakes, but I think the product that I released can hold its own. My suggestion to those of you unable to hire an editor is to reach out to as many people as you trust with your manuscript. Keep your feelings and ego out of it, and listen to what help they try to offer you. Once I was pretty confident in the quality of my work, I ran it through Hemingway Editor. This allowed me to take care of run on sentences and other mistakes that this website catches. I am not a huge fan of Grammarly, but it might be helpful to others. 

I think I’ll stop the post there. It’s a lot of information to absorb. If you’re interested in asking specific questions or learning more about how I handle the writing/editing/publishing process please feel free to reach out to me. Remember to follow your dreams!

Taila Out. 

Character Interview #1: Reclaiming Wonderland

Welcome Readers! Author Taila stopping by for a quick introduction. The characters of Reclaiming Wonderland have been begging to answer some questions for y’all. Only Alice, Caterpillar, Cheshire, Hatter, and March made time for us today. But I’ve been told any of the other characters will appear if they’re asked a direct question. Enjoy!

 

Question: Can you start by introducing yourself today?

 

Alice: Alice Young. Not a code name. I’m twenty-five, living in Wonderland. Is there really anything else they need to know?

Cheshire: Cheshire Cat, happy to meet all my fangirls. I’m twenty-six.

Hatter: I’m Hatter. I do all the groundwork for the Resistance. I’m twenty-seven.

March: H-hi, March here. Not really sure why I was invited. I’m twenty-seven.

Caterpillar: *silent staring* (Alice: That Caterpillar. He's an old man.) I’m only thirty-five.

 

Question: What or Who is the greatest love of your life.

Alice: Chocolate cake or mac and cheese.

Cheshire: Don’t get in the way of her eating. I’m pretty sure Caterpillar still has a limp. The greatest love of my life is sleep.

Hatter: Alice and March.

March: Hatter and Ali.

Caterpillar: Alice. (Alice: Are you sure it isn’t brooding?)

 

Question: Who is your best friend?

Alice: Dina

Cheshire: These idiots.

Hatter: March.

March: I guess since they’re more my partners my best friend would be TweedleDee.

Caterpillar: I don’t have friends. (Cheshire: I’ll remember that.)

Question: What is your favorite weapon?

Alice: A dagger.

Cheshire: My perfect pearl handle pistols. My precious, deadly weapons. (Author Taila: Yes he has pulled them out and is petting them. It’s only slightly disturbing.)

Hatter: I can work with anything.

March: I prefer not to use weapons at all.

Caterpillar: My fists. (Alice: Big guy, are you good? You’re gonna creep out the audience.)

 

Questions: What is the first thing you noticed about your partner(s)?

Alice: With Hatter, it was his eyes, the green is just so vivid. March’s lips, they’re so full. I was honestly jealous at first. Obviously, for Cheshire, his hair. I was too pissed off at Caterpillar to notice much about him, so I guess his douchebag personality.

Cheshire: Those pretty blue eyes.

Hatter: With March, we were just kids, but it’s just his energy. It's soft but so strong. Alice... you can’t help but notice her. I was like a moth to a flame. Couldn’t even focus on the job I was sent to do.

March: Hatter’s h-hair. It’s always been so thick and beautiful. Ali, her hair, it shone like spun gold in the light.

Caterpillar: Her fist hitting my face.

 

Question: What is your favorite color?

Alice: Blue

Cheshire: Violet.

Hatter: Orange, like a sunset.

March: Light green, it reminds me of spring.

Caterpillar: Red (Alice: Like blood?) Yeah.

 

Question: Have you ever questioned your sexuality?

Alice: One time Dina and I kissed to see if we liked women. I don’t.

Cheshire: I’m down for whatever is fun.

Hatter: I struggled with it for a long time, but I’m bisexual.

March: I just like people for who they are. Whatever they have in their pants doesn’t matter to me.

Caterpillar: Straight as a rod, but comfortable. (Author Taila: With what?)

 

Question: Do you have any living relatives?

Alice: Obviously Lily, but I think anything else would be a spoiler. (Author Taila: Saying it’s a spoiler, spoils the spoiler.)

Cheshire: Not that I know of.

Hatter: I was an only child. Mom died when I was a kid, Dad disappeared years ago.

March: Unfortunately yes.

Caterpillar: No.

 

Question: Are you a dog or cat person?

Alice: Both. I like animals.

Cheshire: Ah, I actually prefer dogs, but I like cats too.

Hatter: Dogs.

March: I’m allergic to dogs, so I prefer cats.

Caterpillar: A big dog is useful for guarding.

 

Question: What is your full name? Do you have any nicknames?

Alice: Alice Evangeline Young. Ali and Al are my main ones. But these four call me all sorts of things.

Cheshire: I hate you for this question. Sinclair Eugene Malone. If anyone calls me by that name I’m getting the pistols back out. Ches or Cheshire only.

Hatter: Hayden O’Hare. I don’t really have any nicknames.

March: Maxton Danara. A few people will call me Max or Marchie.

Caterpillar: Roman Ainsworth. Alice calls me Cater but what she should really call me (Author Taila: Woah woah woah, take it down a notch sir. That’s not safe for work.)

Question: If your childhood had a smell, what would it be?

Alice: Chocolate chips cookies fresh out of the oven.

Cheshire: Flowers. Can’t tell what which ones, but my mom this floral perfume. The whole house always smelled like it.

Hatter: Sandalwood and aftershave.

March: Tobacco and rubbing alcohol.

Caterpillar: Motor oil. I liked working with my dad on his bikes.

 

Question: Is Wonderland a real place?

Alice: Well I’m standing right here talking to you aren’t I? Wonderland is just a nickname, we’ve forgotten what the city was called before the world ended.

Cheshire: Only as real as you believe it to be.

Hatter: I wish it wasn’t sometimes.

March: Far too real.

Caterpillar: That’s a stupid question. 

That is the end of today's interview. Please feel free to drop any questions you might like to ask in the comments or reach out directly to Author Taila on any of her social media. 

Writing #16: Updates!

 So you have to forgive me for a prolonged absence. As y'all know from my last post 2024 was kicking my ass. Well not long after that I quit my job. I've started something new now, but no one cares about that. Y'all want an update on my writing. 

First update, Blue Dreams (Reclaiming Wonderland #2) is finished! This one took a little longer than Code Red when it comes to finishing the first draft, but I have high hopes we are on track for an April 2025 release. My beta readers have a deadline of September 30th. I'm hoping to have the biggest of the edits done by January. No more seven years of editing lol. 

Second, I will be announcing the title of my next project very soon. I'm currently sitting just under seven thousand words on it. Once it's gotten to ten, I'll announce the title. I plan to have this finished before Blue Dreams releases, so hopefully this book will be done and released in the Fall of 2025. 

Third, the title of the third Reclaiming Wonderland novel is decided. I have begun plotting, but I don't intend to start really focusing on it until spring of 2025. Obviously aiming for a spring 2026 release. 

Fourth, I can't say much more than I have another project that will be released next year. I've just started on it, but I'm extremely excited to get this one out. 

Four books in one year is the goal from now until next year. I expect Reclaiming Wonderland #3 will still be in the works at that point, but we shall see! Ultimately, I am loosely following the idea of 20 books to 50k. I'll be testing all sorts of ways to publish on this journey. Writing is my passion and finally getting to share that with the world has been such a joy. This week I'll be attending TBR Con, my first time with my own booth. If you're located in East Tennessee and can make it on September 6-7th to the Knoxville Expo Center come out and see me!

Taila Out.