What I’ve Learned from Writing My First Book (and What It’s About!)

After nearly three years of on-and-off writing, bursts of inspiration, and slow but steady progress… I finally finished the first draft of my novel. And for the first time, I want to share a little more about what it’s actually about.

Here’s the blurb:

Destiny needs Death to die.

And Rune is starting to see things more clearly—especially where her loyalties lie.

After centuries of divine murders, the killings stopped—on the very day Rune, the God of Fate, was created. Fearing the unknown force behind the deaths, Rune and Destiny fled to the mortal world, where they’ve lived in hiding for over a millennium. Rune was meant to stay quiet. Unseen. Powerless.

But when she’s pulled back into divine affairs, Rune finds herself entangled in a conspiracy of divine agendas, stolen power, and buried truths—truths that may explain why her abilities remain fractured and why her very existence may not be an accident after all.

Now, as secrets unravel and her connection to Death deepens, Rune must choose between the god who’s always stood beside her… and the one who makes her question whether loyalty is worth the cost.

The story is an adult romantic fantasy with open-door scenes, divine drama, slow-burn romance, and a hefty dose of secrets and betrayal. It’s currently sitting at around 108,000 words, and it’s part of a planned trilogy.

I started the book before moving to South Korea, but the real momentum hit in the fall of 2022. That said, it still took about a year and a half after that to finish the draft—and editing has been its own marathon. I’ve completed a full line edit for grammar and sentence flow, and now I’m knee-deep in developmental edits—patching plot holes, refining character arcs, and reworking the early chapters that were written back when I was still figuring out what I was doing.

Writing this book has always been a side hobby, and my progress was definitely inconsistent. Some months I wrote a lot, and others I didn’t touch it at all. One thing that did keep me going? Café hopping and coffee—lots and lots of coffee. Something about cozy corners, warm drinks, and a low hum of background chatter helped me find my focus, especially during the trickier chapters.

Looking back, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the value of a consistent writing schedule. It would’ve made the process so much smoother, and it’s definitely something I want to implement for the next book in the series.

Thanks for following along on this chaotic, caffeine-fueled journey. More updates soon—including sneak peeks and some behind-the-scenes posts!