March Madness: A Finished First Draft, Big Distribution News & a Reader Who Made Me Cry
March Madness: A Finished First Draft, Big Distribution News & a Reader Who Made Me Cry
The First Draft Is Done — And I Almost Forgot to Tell Anyone
Now, this kind of March Madness has nothing to do with sports. This is the celebrating kind.
I finished the first draft of Book 2, looked at it for approximately two seconds, said "Okay, let's get these edits going!" — and then only realized days later that I had completely forgotten to tell anyone. That is the kind of tunnel-vision that comes with a project you love deeply, I suppose.
You gotta celebrate the wins, and that is a big one. 103,351 words. Done. Now the real work begins, but what a milestone to reach.
The goal? Keep myself on the self-imposed timeline and have Book 2 in your hands in April. If I can keep up the pace, we are very much on track. Meep!
Leaving KindleUnlimited — and Why That Opens Up Everything
After 90 days exclusive with KindleUnlimited, Undercurrents of Love is now officially out in the wider world — and I have a lot of feelings about it (the full story is coming on a podcast!).
Here is what "out in the wider world" actually means for you as a reader:
Library apps can now purchase Undercurrents of Love as an eBook — which means if your local library uses Overdrive, Hoopla, or CloudLibrary, you can request it. Kobo, a wonderful Canadian company, now carries it in every country they serve. And Bookshop.org — which supplies books to independent bookstores — is perhaps the one I'm most excited about.
I still have to do the work of getting the word out, but the doors are now open to the whole world. That feels enormous.
The Email I Almost Deleted — and the Review That Stopped Me
I received an email recently and my first instinct because this is 2026 and we are all a little worn down was to say to my partner Jason, "this may or may not be spam."
It was from an older woman with a very specific question: she was struggling to post a Goodreads review, and her daughter wasn't around to help. I took a chance that it was genuine, responded kindly, and walked her through it.
She wrote back. She explained who she was, shared that her daughter had helped her get the review posted — and then I went to read it.
I have read that review more than once. Stories that leave you hopeful are the ones worth holding onto. That is everything I hoped this book would do when I wrote it. That woman made my entire month.
I Need Your Help Naming Our Retreats
Two years ago I put on my Big Hairy Audacious Goals list that I wanted to take everything from my life working with animals and weave it into international reading and adventure retreats — not your typical retreat, but ones that explore the real places from my books.
That vision is becoming real. Coming in 2027 — our first luxury immersive retreat. Pinch me.
But I need a name. The three contenders are below — and I genuinely want your opinion. Which one calls to you?
Hit reply on the newsletter and let me know your favourite — or come find me on Instagram. Every vote counts! 🐬
xx Colleen 💙