Exciting Updates on my Untitled Gothic Romantasy, ACOAAD (#2), and my Shadowthorn Series!

Happy New Year! I hope the end of your 2025 was magical and restful. I'm glad I took December off from admin stuff so I could rest up for the year ahead, because oh boy, it's a big one!

I’m thrilled to share some news regarding some of my writing projects. Let’s jump right into what’s new and what you can expect soon!

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What’s Happening with the Shadowthorn Series?

I want to start with something important and perhaps unexpected: I'll be unpublishing the Shadowthorn series so that I can revise and re-release it in the spring.

The bones of this story have always been strong, but I originally wrote Shadow Crusade, Blighted Heart, and Immortal Return during a difficult period in my life, and when I was less certain of my voice as an author, let alone the direction I wanted my career to take. With some distance, growth, and clarity, I know I can make this trilogy so much stronger.

My plan is to:

⚔️ Add new scenes

⚔️ Rewrite the ending

⚔️ Give the books new titles

⚔️ Relaunch the trilogy with new covers

The tentative re-release schedule is:

Book 1: March

Book 2: April

Book 3: May

⚔️ Final Chance to Grab the Current Editions ⚔️

As a friend expressed to me recently, some readers might want the opportunity to grab these books as collectibles before they're gone completely—and if you're one of those readers, now is your chance!

If you already own part of the series, or want the full originally set, I've dropped the paperback prices to nearly print cost for a very limited time. This series will be pulled from the market on Tuesday, so you have until Monday night to order them if you'd like to keep the original editions on your shelf.

I'm incredibly excited to bring "Shadow Crusade" and the rest of the trilogy back into the world in a form that truly reflects the story I meant to tell.

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Progress on the Untitled Gothic Romance Story

In other writing news, my untitled gothic romantasy continues to fill me with an immense amount of joy!

What I love most about writing this one is getting to immerse myself in the gothic atmosphere of it all—storm-lit corridors, cursed towers, and dreams that feel a little too real. The story is steeped in forbidden yearning and shadowy magic, and I'm having an absolute blast exploring the growing romance. It's lush and haunting...and I can't wait to share more soon!

Updated word count: 58,000 🎉 

I'm about to start working with a cover designer, so in order to give her some ideas of what I'm envisioning, I put together some mood boards on Pinterest of both the female MC and the male MC. Check them out below!

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Updates on A Crown of Ashes & Death

Now the updates you've been waiting for: A Crown of Ashes & Death, book two in the Grimtol series, is coming along steadily.

Current word count: 55,600 words!

I was hoping to be closer to 70k by now, but December required some deeper, big-picture plotting work that slowed drafting in the short-term—and strengthened the series immensely in the long term.

Because of that, what I once hoped might be a spring release is now looking more realistically like June—just in time for Pride month! 🎉 And I know delays can be frustrating, but I'm confident this will result in a richer, more emotionally grounded sequel.

As a token of my gratitude (and proof of bookish life), here's a small snippet I was working on just last night:

"It was the greatest relief Elora had ever known and one she had to keep reminding herself of: she could not hurt Kestrel. Could not hurt her. Could not hurt her.

For once, Elora's power was not deadly. It was beautiful."

That's all I have for now! Don't forget to grab your collector's editions of Shadow Crusade while they're still available!

Until next time, happy reading!

~ Jessaca ⚔️🩵🦇