January, Blackthorne, and the Great Snowpocalypse

January came in loud, cold, and determined to humble me.

We don’t really do snow around here, so when it showed up anyway and decided to linger, the entire household reacted like it was the apocalypse. Everyone suddenly needed five extra blankets and hot chocolate at all times. Unless it was time to play outside. Then the tween and teen were determined that coats simply don't exist. At one point they had me standing on the front porch hollering at them "Where are your shoes!" while they tromped through six inched of icy snow barefoot. Needless to say, things may be moving again like normal, but I'm ready for the snow to completely melt.

Naturally, while the snow has been doing its thing, the tween, teen, and Mr. Dunn took turns bringing home what I can only describe as every single cold and virus in existence. One after another. No breaks. No mercy. If it was circulating within a fifty-mile radius, I caught it. At this point, I’m fairly confident my immune system deserves a medal and a long vacation.

And yet… somehow, January was also one of the most meaningful months of my writing career so far.

On January 16th, Blackthorne Academy Year One officially released on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, and I am still trying to fully process what happened next.

This was my best release to date, landing at 74,130 page reads. That number doesn’t feel real some days. It represents readers showing up, staying up late, texting friends about scenes, and trusting me with a story that means a lot to me. I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who picked it up, recommended it, reviewed it, or screamed about it on the internet. You turned this release into a milestone I’ll never forget.

Behind the scenes, I’ve also been deep in Blackthorne Academy Year Two. I was about 75% of the way through a draft that technically existed… but didn’t feel right. The pacing was off. The emotional beats weren’t landing the way they needed to. And after trying to force it longer than I should have, I made the decision to scrap it and start over from scratch. Was that decision slightly unhinged? Yes. Was it necessary? Also yes. The rewrite is going so much better, and I’m genuinely excited about the direction the story is taking now. Sometimes the only way forward is to burn the draft down and rebuild it stronger. Very on brand for Blackthorne, honestly.

January may have tried to take me out with snow, sickness, and chaos, but it also brought a release I’m incredibly proud of and solid momentum heading into the rest of the year.

As always, thank you for being here, for reading my books, and for supporting this wild journey. More soon.

XOXO,

Zoe