Hero Adjacent

I thought I’d bring a little whimsy into the day with this faux cookbook, full of recipes to help a reluctant wizard mentor get his hero into ship-shape before the end of the world.

This is coming from a layperson/debut author, so I won’t be able to go into as much detail as a reviewer or someone who’s been in publishing for a while, but here’s what I understand of galleys/ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies).

I’m now at the publishing stage with my novel where the first-pass page proofs are ready. At this point, the copy has been (mostly) finalized, and the book is formatted. It’s now my job to go through the entire thing and pick out any last-minute issues.

Yesterday, I had my first big PR/marketing meeting as a debut author, so I thought I’d break down a little bit about what was discussed. For context, I’m with a mid-sized publishing house, and not every publisher will do things in the same way.

There are 427 castles in Wales. That’s according to Cadw. Wales is where the legends of King Arthur emerged; where stories of magic and dark tales continue to thrive; it even has a bloody dragon on its flag! So, yes, Wales greatly inspired my fantasy writing.

Why wouldn’t you just buy a book when it comes out on the shelf? Why have the option to preorder at all? Well, let’s get into it, because my book, HERO ADJACENT, is now available for preorder in the US and Canada.

The finish line is looking MUCH closer now! My manuscript has now been switched over from UK English to American English, and I’m now in the copyediting stage. They have also formatted my manuscript, so it’s electronically styled in preparation for design/typesetting.

It’s happening!! My editor and I are putting together a list of cozy fantasy authors to blurb my manuscript!

Well, I’m finally at the stage where I’ve been asked to write the dedication and acknowledgements for my book!

A few weeks ago (June 8, 2026), I received my line edits back from my editor! So here’s a quick rundown of what they are and how I’m working through them.

Last week, I received the initial three mockups of my cover design—and I couldn’t be more excited! Sadly, I can’t share the actual designs just yet, but let’s just say the artist really did a phenomenal job. Here’s the timeline so far and how I evaluated changes.

We’ve finally reached the stage with my book where the publisher has asked what I’d like to see on my jacket cover design! Ever since I can remember, I dreamt of walking into a bookshop and seeing my book—my cover—there on the shelf next to all the other fantasy writers I know and love.