Introduction to Heart of Xion

Happy Wednesday! 

It's been a hot minute since I wrote a blog post on here that wasn't a monthly wrap up. To be honest, I'm still struggling with major burn out when it comes to writing on this blog, but I'm going to try and ease myself back into this blog thing by posting about my WIP that will be coming out in August! This is a standalone (clean) NA fantasy set in the same world as Desert Flower. 

It feels sudden to me, but to be honest, I've tentatively been thinking about publishing it this year for a while. I feel like I tried to talk myself out of it by saying that publishing four books in one year would be too much. That its overkill and I don't see many other indie authors in my genre doing this... but that was my only argument against publishing Heart of Xion this year. I figure why bother sitting on a draft that I plan to work on and edit this year anyway and wait to publish it? I also have a bunch of other drafts that need editing/working on in my back log and its all starting to feel overwhelming, so putting out another book this year will free me up to focus on other projects too. 

Also disclaimer, I wouldn't even think about publishing Heart of Xion if I didn't think it was ready or could be ready by mid-summer. I don't want to rush a project or rush the editing and revising process for the sake of throwing books out into the world (I've made that mistake before and I don't plan on making it again), so rest assured, Heart of Xion is getting the best care possible in making sure it can be the best book possible before its published. 

All that to say, I plan to do a cover reveal next month and publish it in August! 

Here's the blurb for Heart of Xion: 

The plan is simple: marry the king, kill him on their wedding night, and take back the kingdom that was stolen from her family years ago. Laurel Aurelius won’t let herself be hurt again. After the pain of a ruined friendship and crushed unrequited love, Laurel is determined to have a heart of steel as she agrees to marry King Kadin and finish the coup her father started years ago.

King Kadin is dying. The sickness that has been ravaging his kingdom has sunk its teeth into him and as a last-ditch effort, Kadin is willing to marry the daughter of the man who killed his parents. His hope is that if he unites their two families, the Heart of the Jungle that has spread decay and sickness throughout Xion will be cured and his sickness healed. 

But as Laurel and Kadin’s lives converge, things don’t go exactly as planned. They’re both forced to face the pain of their pasts and struggle to find a way to mend not only the jungle, but their own broken hearts. 

Heart of Xion is a standalone set in the Triadic Kingdoms world and a spin-off of Desert Flower full of the arranged marriage trope, healing from past traumas, unrequited love and finding second love.

Tropes and Themes to expect from Heart of Xion: 

Arrange marriage trope

Healing past traumas 

Soft boy and tough girl trope 

Slight enemies to lovers vibes 

Slight steampunk vibes 

Moving on after heartbreak 

Magic 

Aesthetics for Each of the Main Cast: 

(Note: I do not own any of these pictures. They're either from Pinterest or Canva). 

Much like Desert Flower, Heart of Xion comes out of a lot of my own experiences. This book is for everyone who found their happily ever after with their second (or third or fourth etc.) love instead of their first love. This book is for those who's first loves didn't last for whatever reason. For those who have felt and have dealt with unrequited love and for those who have lost best friends and don't know how to fill that hole they left behind. I wrote this story because not enough stories talk about the heartache that comes from unrequited love and broken friendships. This is a book I would have liked to read at varying degrees in my life with characters I could relate to. Laurel (the first POV protagonist) is the jaded and angry pieces of me bled out onto the page while Kadin (the second POV protagonist) is the part of me that knows I need to heal and that forgiveness is always better than bitterness. 

I hope that this book and these characters and story will resonate with those who need to hear these things and those who have gone through similar situations. I'm so excited to share Laurel and Kadin's stories with everyone and look forward to doing a cover reveal next month!