I think I’ve changed my mind again…

If you’re a regular reader here on my blog you will already know that I tend to juggle multiple writing projects at the same time. I cannot seem to just focus on one book until it is published and then start the next one. Instead, I’ll have one ‘priority’ book which is closest to being ready for release, one that is written and going through various edits and drafts, and usually one I am writing fresh…

This often proves to be a huge headache and mildly stressful but I’ve accepted it. I think I am mostly driven by a haunting fear of dying before I write and release all the books in my head. I’m just trying to get the job done.

Anyway, my most recent release was The Dark Finds You – a gritty crime thriller connected to lots of my other books. It was supposed to be the final book in a shared universe, a crossover book which would pull together and tie up various character’s storylines with a brand new plot.

That was all great until I started reading the paperback proof just to check it and suddenly got a whole new idea for a part two! I could not resist and ended up penning that book over Christmas. It’s now awaiting its sixth draft, and of course, part two led me to part three… The Dark Finds You has become a trilogy. So much for tying up that universe! I guess I just love these characters too much.

That led me to a dilemma. The next book due to be released after The Dark Finds You was Black Hare Valley Book 1. I had planned to release it on May 1st 2026 and then spread the 5 book series out over a year or two. But it suddenly felt weird, interrupting one now unfinished universe to introduce a brand new, and very different, universe.

So, I decided to delay releasing Black Hare Valley for now and concentrate on getting The Dark Finds You trilogy done. Part Three has just been finished in the first draft and I figured within a six to nine month period I could get them up to scratch and publish directly after The Dark Finds You.

That seemed to make sense!

But last weekend I had another wobble and found myself doubting that decision. And I think I have changed my mind again…

The reasons for doubting the decision are as follows:

• I’ve really been missing Black Hare Valley! I think this was acerbated by book one coming back from my editor with lovely comments and not too much work to do re editing my end. I just kind of want to get stuck in now and get it done. I’ve been thinking about these characters and missing them. I am genuinely looking forward to doing the edits.
• I’ve had various doubts about The Dark Finds You parts 2 and 3… I think it’s just because they’re still quite new. I’ve 99% happy with part 2 and about 80% happy with part 3, but I’ve only just finished the first draft, so that’s to be expected. Usually I do the second draft and like the book much more than I expect to. This is probably just a little confidence crisis, but it makes me want to go back to Black Hare Valley until I can figure it out…
• Towards the end of the first draft of The Dark Finds You part 3 I started to slow down. I just wasn’t feeling it the way I wanted to and I am still not sure why. A reluctance to write is unusual for me and normally means something is not quite right somewhere and I just need to figure out what it is.
• I wonder if it really matters what order I release them in? Black Hare Valley is nearly ready to go, so why wait? The Dark Finds You trilogy might now be trickier than I imagined to get right and I don’t know how long that will take.

So, with all that in mind, I think I have decided to postpone release of the rest of The Dark Finds You trilogy and just get going with Black Hare Valley instead. I am not sure yet whether I will release all five books in the series and then go back to The Dark Finds You, or whether I will go back and forth between the two very different worlds!

I will, of course, keep you updated!