October, and everything I’ve been working toward

Happy October!

I can’t believe September is already over. It was an incredibly busy month, and now I’m heading into October with The Crystal Princess coming out in just a few weeks. There are still last-minute touches to finish, and I’m somewhere between wanting more time and wanting release day to get here already.

In September, I published my first book under my pen name, Cleo Rosevale. I also announced the preorder for The Crystal Princess and the second Rosevale book, redesigned my website, and continued working on my first interactive game. Writing all of that down makes it a little easier to understand why the month went by so quickly.

And now, Chosen After the Fall, the second book in my Blood After Ruin series as Cleo Rosevale, is available! It’s exciting to have another part of this story out in the world.

This past year, I’ve dedicated more time and energy to my craft than I ever have before. But so much of what’s happening now started long before that. I’ve been working on The Crystal Princess and my books for years, and being able to move toward publishing them, after spending so much time writing and revising, is exciting in a way I’m still figuring out how to describe.

There’s a lot that goes into getting a book ready to leave your hands. Even when the writing is done, there are decisions to make, details to check, and things you want to look at one more time. I’ve been busy with all of it, but I also feel energized. These are projects I care about deeply, and getting to share them gives me more reasons to keep creating.

Having The Crystal Princess coming out alongside my Rosevale Studios projects has made this season especially exciting. There are different stories I want to tell, and working on an interactive game has given me another way to explore that. I’m learning as I go, and I’m looking forward to sharing more when it’s ready.

With everything going on, I’ve also been trying to be intentional about spending time with my family and enjoying the season.

Recently, my girlfriend and I took our dog, Nadja, to her first corn maze. It was also the first time my girlfriend and I had gone to a corn maze together. I’m glad we made time for it, especially during a month when there was always something else I could have been working on.

I want more of that in October: time to work on the things I’m excited about, and time to go somewhere with the people I love. The leaves are turning, the season is changing, and I have books getting ready to make their way into readers’ hands. There’s a lot to look forward to.

Thank you for following along, whether you’ve been here since the early days of The Crystal Princess or found my work more recently. I’m excited to finally share these stories with you.

Preorder The Crystal Princess

Explore my Rosevale Studios books

Here’s to October.

Maritza