The Month Everything Changed

 Hey Besties,

Well… June didn't quite go the way I expected!

After finishing Tea Leaves, Pages and Starlight, I fully intended to jump straight into my next fantasy novel featuring a dragon prince. Instead, burnout hit, life got busy, and I found myself taking an unexpected break from writing.

Away from my keyboard, there were plenty of personal challenges too, from more PMDD and coil appointment chaos to my mum undergoing bowel cancer surgery. Thankfully, she's recovering brilliantly, and I also made the difficult—but ultimately right—decision to skip the Birmingham Writers' Conference and focus on looking after myself and my family.

As the month went on, something interesting happened. Once I gave myself permission to slow down, I realised I might have been chasing the wrong kind of story all along. Instead of forcing myself to write darker fantasy because I felt I should, I rediscovered what I truly love writing: cosy, low-stakes stories about belonging and outsiders finding their place in the world.

That revelation has led me to my newest project, The Arcanium, and even prompted me to rethink some of my long-term publishing goals.

If you'd like to read more about everything that's happened this month—including my writing updates, family life, new project, and why I'm stepping away from self-publishing for now—you can read the full blog post over on my website.

👉 Read the full post here: https://claredugmore.com/blog/the-month-everything-changed

Until next time...

Take care and stay creative.

T.T.F.N.