So I made a relatively colossal change to Where the Waltz Wanes, Book 5 in the Bethlehem Belle novella series, and a change to the series at large. Roughly two weeks out from publication. That's not usually something you want to do. It's definitely not a great marketing strategy. It's absolutely a big change to my publishing schedule.
And I'm glad for it.
"In vain I have struggled. It will not do." (Pride and Prejudice.) (Whoops, wrong upcoming release...)
For most of this year, I've battled with the plot for BB6 (Bethlehem Belle #6), the final book in the matchmaker novella series. I've reworked it at least four times, and just couldn't get to the heart of the story. When I can't get there, I know it's not going to be worthwhile for readers. It may come off as a harsh evaluation, but it's true. There were just too many loose ends that I worked up in Where the Waltz Wanes, and none of them were impactful in the any of the POVs that I selected for narration. The stories were shallower than they needed to be; simple fluff instead of realistic and meaningful.
So when a horse-related appointment ran late this week, I was waiting outside and praying on what on earth to do with the series, and New Year's Eve just kept popping into my head. It was the original, intended ending for the final book in the series: showing how much the characters' lives had changed since the prior year. A neat way to wrap up the series while wrapping everything up with hope and the anticipation of things yet to come.
And then it felt like the Lord steered me toward a NYE epilogue.
And I said, "Dude. My KDP page locks in a few days. I can't do that."
(Never tell God never, by the way. It just doesn't work.)
So there I am, five days before changes are locked on KDP, wondering if I could eke out everything into a workable epilogue with a packed week ahead and what felt like a dry cup from which to pour from. But what has been blocking my creativity for months was wrapped up in a 2100-word epilogue, written in one sitting, easily edited in another, and proofread subsequently.
What's even better? I loved the original chapter ending for WTWW, but felt like the final sentence didn't pack much of a punch. So I hated it. And now with the epilogue, that matter is resolved too.
In other, long-winded news, Where the Waltz Wanes will now, fittingly, be the final book in the Bethlehem Belle series. If you're familiar with Jules' character, you'll come to see how and why this was the best possible choice, especially since her character was deeply involved in a lot of the loose ends that a theoretical sixth book would have dealt with, and Jules repeatedly makes forecasts regarding those loose ends throughout WTWW. The epilogue starts out with "I was right."
I hope and pray that this is a fitting end for folks who have been following this series, including the friends who made the series (sometimes maddeningly) possible.
We're thirteen days out from Where the Waltz Wanes. Preorders are live now, and on September 29th, you'll be able to binge-read the full series on Kindle Unlimited if that's your preference!
See the series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQ2GPQ14
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