11 September 2026 · Weekly update

A brighter cover and a stronger Book One

Book One has a brighter new cover, while a complete developmental revision has brought the story into sharper focus.

This has been a big Book One week. I've completed a new single-volume developmental revision, bringing the prologue and all seventy-seven chapters together in one review copy. The work has focused on pace, character choices, clearer conversations and the emotional thread running through the whole story. It's now nearly thirty thousand words leaner, but the heart of Beatrice's journey, and the moments I most wanted to protect, are still there.

That doesn't mean I'm calling the book finished. The new version is waiting for my own careful read-through, and I expect I'll still find details I want to adjust. Even so, reaching the end of a complete pass is a lovely milestone. It's the first time I've been able to sit back and see this version of the novel as one continuous reading experience rather than a series of separate working sections.

Book One has a brighter public face as well. The latest cover for The Power of Family is now on the website, with the colour and light restored so Beatrice stands out properly while still belonging beside the other books in the series. I've spent a surprising amount of time making sure a cover still feels right at everything from full size to a small book card. The difference is subtle in some places, but the whole presentation feels more alive.

Away from the manuscript, I've also kept wrestling with Aventis. This week's map work has been about understanding how the harbour, roads, terraces, cliffs and surrounding mountains need to connect before the city can feel convincing. A few approaches were set aside when they didn't hold together, which is part of the process. I'd rather keep shaping the foundations than rush out a map that looks pretty but doesn't feel like somewhere people could actually live and move through. For now, I hope you enjoy the brighter cover, and I'll share more from Sramad next week.