An Open Apology

My Dear Readers,

I have been struggling with whether or not I should write this letter. I keep going back and forth, wondering if it would be in my benefit or not, or, if anyone would really care. But, in the end, I realized that you deserve an explanation as to what is holding up The Raven Chronicles and where book two, LUCIDITY, is.

So, here are the facts:

FACT: LUCIDITY has been finished since July 2012.
FACT: LUCIDITY was assigned to an editor in early 2013.
FACT: Some issues arose with LUMINOSITY after its release, including my awesome editor stepping down to spend more time with her family, though that was the least of my problems. These issues, while resolved, threw off the editing schedule for book two. It turned into something ugly, that I have since put behind me.
FACT: Entangled Publishing and I parted ways, and I took book two to Etopia Press in July 2013. They offered a contract, I accepted, and the release was set for Spring 2014.
FACT: I had a baby in October. He takes up a whole bunch of time, and I’d not have it any other way.
FACT: Due to the lack of communication and the fact that by February 2014 no one from Etopia (or RenegadeYA, which is their YA imprint) contacted me about my editing schedule, I have asked to part ways with Etopia. This also means that book two is, once again, on hold.
FACT: I am waiting for my rights back to book two and another manuscript that was supposed to be published in the summer.
FACT: I plan on self-publishing book two to get it out to my readers as soon as possible.
FACT: I have no idea when I will get my rights back, but my contract says sixty days, so the count down is on.
FACT: I feel absolutely horrible that you have had to wait as long as you have for LUCIDITY. I feel as if I have let you down. I know I have lost readers in this mayhem, and I truly sorry that I’ve had to keep you in the dark. I probably shouldn’t even be divulging this information …but I feel like I owe it to you. I owe a lot to you.

I hope that you, my readers, stick around just a little more until I can get this book out there myself. I never planned on self publishing, and I have nothing against it, but it is still a lot of work, and I am hoping I can still get it out there before the summer time. I also have the novella that I wrote for you to hold you over, so that should be out there soon enough too.

Most of all of what has happened was and still is completely out of my hands. I feel as helpless as you do, like my books have been taken hostage, and I have to pray and hope that they will soon be let go.

I hope you understand, and I hope you have it in you to forgive me for making you wait so long.

-Stephanie