After an enriching year-long process, I’m finally publishing the first book in "The Land of Muya" series, The Kingdom of Truth. When I began writing it, I had no idea what I was getting into. One thing that made it easier was having no expectations. I didn’t have a set number of chapters or pages, and I didn’t even have a title. The only thing I was clear about was the central idea of the story, maybe some of the characters, and a word count goal (50,000 words, which later became 80,000). I let the story breathe on its own, allowing the characters to start speaking to me. 

Planning your first book is like planning for your first baby—you have a vague yet wishful idea of what it will involve, but it’s not until you’re holding it in your hands that you truly understand what it means.

I’m still basking in the joy of publishing the first book (available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and other online book retailers), but my mind is already drifting more and more toward ideas and possible plots for the second book in the series.