So I'm officially shelving my first book, Spirit Rider: The Royal Problem -- but I'm not sad, no woe-is-me stuff!
I knew there were a lot of points that didn't make this story trad-pub-friendly. But I still think I've made a good go of it. I've scrounged for all the agents I thought might fit. Maybe I'm being dumb - maybe that very next query is the magic one? But I don't see it.
The great thing is, with Spirit Rider shelved I'm now free to put my full focus behind my other projects. The feeling of having the story sat in limbo has really weighed on me, so that's a load off!
But Spirit Rider ISN'T DEAD! This is still my 'magnum opus'. After half my life working on it, I still think about the world and story every single day. If my main or side project aren't working I can freely hop onto writing a new Spirit Rider book, if only just for me!
So one of two things will happen:
1) There's a market boom for this type of story and I re-enter the query pit.
or...
2) When my ducks(😉) are in a row and finances are good enough to do everything as I've always wanted -- I'll self publish.
Until then, the adventures of the Spirit Rider carry on forever in the world of dreams. When the right day comes, Sam, Grim, Acheron, Legio, Mr. Cinnamon, the Queen, the DUCKS, and the world of Paralex will be waiting!
🦆💀✨🧙🫅