The End In Sight - Dec. 27, 2024
a look back over the last year in the dream as I look forward
Dear Reader,
As 2024 draws to a close, I look back at the growth of the dream. I know how the Draoithe Saga ends just as I knew three years ago. I didn't have all the scenes in between back then, and I still don't have them written now. In fact, I've added a new spinoff miniseries with Kings Wilde. It's been a long crazy ride since I started writing in 2016, and I still haven't written The End on the Draoithe Saga. Maybe I never will. Why should I if I'm having fun and my readers enjoy the tales?
The entire catalog is on sale for Half Off through the end of the year! Visit Smashwords and get the best deal of the Season! Sorry, I just had to say that before I forgot. Where were we? Oh Yeah, looking back.
I still can't write full time, or I might have finished the main storyline in the Draoithe Saga by now. I doubt I could publish it all so fast, but I can dream. Since the Great Take Down in early 2023, things move incrementally forward. As of the end of 2024, I will have edited, formatted, and published or republished 37 titles in ebook, paperback, digital audiobook, and some hardcovers and serials. I gave up on box sets and learned to make book bundles instead. I'd only done 9 as of the end of last year, so to say I worked overtime is a colossal understatement, but considering what I took down, it's still not at the halfway point for getting the stories back in print.
I'm still publishing, but because the day job intervenes, I'm still only a part-time author. So, as fast as I went, it could have been faster if I didn't need the pesky day job. Sigh...
I know some of you want the entire story back all at once, but it's hard to edit that way. And re-publishing the entire backlist after posting the edited chapters to Read the Draoithe Saga takes time.
I promise to re-publish the back list as fast as I can. I was hoping to have more of it back on the shelf by now, but it is what it is and takes what it takes. There are stories left to write and new formatting and editing tools help. AI audio, videos, and more are in the works. All the extras are slowly publishing in the different miniseries at OpheliaKee.com. And I adopted novella, short stories, and short novel lengths to speed up the process. I'd say it has worked well.
The Mystic Dark Miniseries made an epic launch in early December 2023. It's hard to believe it's been live for a year now!
I still can't believe an entire trilogy came from the nightmare of Kindle Vella and the exclusivity that haunted me. A bit of irony? The book spawned from the Kindle Vella catastrophe outlived the fall of that doomed platform.
You can read the chapters in the different miniseries. They update as fast as I can add content. The muse is fickle and does what she wants, so I still recommend, for those who love to read as the writing unfurls, to choose Read The Draoithe Saga. You can read it all no matter where the muse winds up next.
OpheliaKee.com updates often. Ophelia Kee Speaks has become a weekly Friday message. It still posts to Ophelia Kee, but it now posts to Substack first to take advantage of the scheduling features there. I post story and research videos as often as I can. Have you visited lately? I'm always writing, posting sneak peek episodes, and adding random bits of creative stuff. The more visitors, the better the dream.
Writing the story as the scenes come to me, I don't write to the market. I tell stories I want to read. I never use a plot guide (?) or a story arc. My background is in social science, so I don't know how to story outline and most of the terminology for writing fiction still eludes me. I've remained true to my chaotic pantser style. I still write all my stories myself. AI is a tool to improve my stories and make them more accessible to readers or craft covers within my limited budget. But write? No, it still can't write good fiction.
I'm picking up pieces of the lingo as I go, but I need to write my stories more than I care about all the terminology. Things on that front changed little over the last year. If you recently stumbled over Ophelia Kee's stories from the Draoithe Saga, allow me to extend your formal invitation. Welcome to the dream...
Publishing and Marketing?
Learning how to handle all the publishing has been more than a full-time job and has been fun, but takes time. I have a handle on publishing, and I think I know how to make it all a success, eventually. Sadly, I lack the funds to make it all happen overnight, so I'll do it as I do everything. One thing at a time, and I'll do it with no money because I have no other option.
Maybe when it's all done and the last page has published, I'll finally have the money and the time to devote to advertising it properly. To all of you who've followed me faithfully since you stumbled into the dream, a most heartfelt thank you. I promise not to quit until it's quitting time. Along with the back list, there are other stories in the works!
From the reader's perspective, the story is a long way from the end. It's longer now than it was a year ago. From my perspective, it's better than it ever was and returns to the shelf in grand style, albeit slower than I'd like. If I can, I'll have it all done and published by the end of time. It's going to be epic. From the readers' perspective, I know it's taking far too long.
The Vampire King will help, but he's dark and twisted. Whether he's an ally remains to be seen. Peter Elliot, Meid Breach, and Bushyasta, along with a few other minor shadowy evil characters, are going to get theirs, though. I promise! I wrote the demise of the Eternal Partners already. Some of you may have met them at Tantalu. That story and the end of their evil will come.
And I will finish the Gods of the Dream epilogue tales for my Newsletter Friends. I promise. But putting a date on it is impossible with my muse. The stories have progressed, but they remain incomplete manuscripts. The muse wants to write in Kings Wilde, so I don't argue. I just write.
Behind the Scenes
It's been a long haul since Christmas 2021, after I finally got everything working on Payhip. The Draoithe Saga now lives and thrives there, and the site has stood me in good stead for the last three years. It's better than ever now!
The Newsletter had a recent alteration. In case you haven't noticed, it now drops into inboxes at 9:15 on Fridays at the same time the post goes live on Substack. I hope everyone has joined and downloaded the free stories. That made it easier for me to stay on track.
I'm still dating the posts. That helps. I still don't post evergreen stuff, but I considering the nature of the beast, this part of the dream is destined to grow stale. If you want to be sure you don't miss the good stuff, the newsletter is where you need to be.
I'm still creating videos and audio content for the Draoithe Saga. If you enjoy the videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel for the behind the scenes or the Draoithe Saga Storycast on Substack for the serialized audiobook episodes.
I hope you enjoyed this look back at the last year. It's been one helluva ride. In some ways, the end in sight is further away than it was years ago. In others, it's closer than it has ever been. Thank you all for being the best readers. Your support has meant the world to one crazy old tiger. I need to get busy writing and editing more stories. When you read, please be kind and leave your reviews. Until next time, please be welcome to the dream...
Happy Holidays!
Be Careful!
Happy Reading,
Ophelia Kee
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Thank you for your support! Welcome to the dream… Sincerely, -OK
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