Recalling The Magic

For the past month, I have been moving my blog posts from Wix to Squarespace in preparation for the unveiling of the new home of KAYLA KING BOOKS. And in doing such, I have taken myself back in time, recalling the magic of my life as a writer. 

Now I don't use the word magic to mean perfect, because many of my older posts detail the difficulties of writing, from the seedling of an idea to the editing phase and beyond. But through it all, I am astounded to see a certain sensibility toward continuing on, and not giving up. And it's nice to know my stubbornness has not surrendered through rejection and the every day calamities of life. 

If anything, I've seen a change for the better. Past Kayla would be so proud to know that one word could encompass so much of her journey. But this version is always astounded to see just how much the day to day of writing is still the same, though I, myself, have changed.

You see, there is still a blank page. There are still words. At the end, there is always a story to be told. But in going through my blog posts, which began back in 2012 after I'd finished writing my first book, I was most interested to see how that once idealistic writer has changed into someone much more pragmatic, though a dreamer all the same. 

I think it's strange to think back on moments of our life; always trying to recall the biggest times. But most often it's the small moments, which garnered my own desire to commit memory to blog post. And I think we often forget just how important those smaller moments are to our much bigger journeys. 

So as I recall the magic of finding stories, finding my voice, and most importantly: finding myself along the way, I hope to leave a bit of a goodbye for the old blog, with a sense of excitement for what will come to be in this new phase of my writing life!

Next week will be the first official post over at the new home of KAYLA KING BOOKS, and I am so excited to share a slightly dark and stream-lined aesthetic, which better suits the writer I've become. No longer do I wish to hide behind complicated designs, because I know my words are enough. And my words will be the biggest showcase at my new website. 

For those who've followed along with me the past six years, I thank you. I hope you will continue to follow me on this journey and beyond. And I hope you'll check out the new website next week, and fall into my world of writing. 

The Decision To Believe

Tonight, I am leaving this here as proof that I've made it a third of the way through writing my BOOK TWO!!! It sounds so weird to say that I am writing my second book, because that means that I actually wrote a first book.

Current updates on BOOK ONE:

I finished revising with the best friend; nineteen hours worth to be precise. I've had various BETA readers giving wonderful feedback, and a few more who still need to read. I've been actively researching agents as well! So what's the next step?

Here is my breakdown for the journey to becoming published:

1.) Wrap mind around the fact that there is actually a book to be published

2.) Get over fear of sending work out and dreading that everyone will hate it

3.) Collect critique forms from valued BETA readers

4.) Write a summary for the series

5.) Write a summary for BOOK ONE

*Side Note: Writing a summary is actually much more difficult than it seems. Writing 311 pages? No problem. One paragraph? The hardest thing in the world!

6.) Write query letters directed to each individual agent

7.) Send out query letters

8.) Pray to the literary gods that someone will like my work

From what I've gathered, the journey to traditional publication is a waiting game, and it starts with finding an agent. In the meantime, I have plenty of homework to keep me busy. Homework, might I mention, that is not getting done to the best of my abilities because my characters can be extremely persuasive in convincing me to write instead.