DAYBREAK RISING's Cover Reveal and Some Thoughts

In early 2015, I got my first book deal.

In early 2016, I got my second. For the same book.

My journey toward publishing DAYBREAK RISING didn’t go at all how I planned it to. At some points, I thought it was going to never see the light of day. It took the help of many amazing friends, but I managed to get the rights back to this novel before it fell by the wayside, never to be seen again. When I submitted it to Torquere Press, I had no idea what was going to happen.

Needless to say, I was shocked when they said they wanted it. A year after it was originally scheduled to debut, DAYBREAK RISING will be arriving to e-readers near you on September 21, 2016. I’m nervous, excited, and more than a bit apprehensive about it all, to be honest.

As someone living with anxiety, there’s a constant hum that never quite goes away. Fear. Fear of completely and utterly bombing this. Of not succeeding. Of living the rest of my life wondering if I’ve wasted the time I was given. Considering my own entrance into the world was three months early and I defied 90% odds at death to get here, I know that anxiety’s insistence about having wasted my first 31 years on this planet is at best, pure BS.

It’s hard to face the fear anxiety brings. I’m not going to sugar coat this. I’ve stayed away from Twitter for a few months now, as it’s not the safe place it once was. There’s a lot of things I could say about that. Not today. 

Confronting that constant fear is difficult. Since starting the publishing journey I’ve not only been on a rollercoaster in terms of my own writing, but my transition. It will be a year since I started testosterone in August. I was afraid at first, especially having started my transition in Texas of all places. I still am afraid, sometimes. As my facial hair starts coming in darker, my voice continues to drop, and my body continues to change--The fear lingers. Will I lose the people I care about? Will my friends still want me around? What about my family?

[I know these fears are unfounded, despite what anxiety tries to tell me. I have been met with nothing but love and acceptance from my friends and family since coming out. I am beyond grateful for that.]

Celosia is a lot like me in that respect. When she first starts her journey in DAYBREAK RISING, she’s deathly afraid of failure. She’s already lost so much, the thought of losing any more people she loves is terrifying. She deals with her anxiety head-on, most of the time--Unlike me. “Bring it on,” is something she’d say to her former self if she could, I’m sure.

I spent a year and a half wondering if DAYBREAK RISING was ever going to release. Throughout that time, I’ve gotten married, began my transition, moved 10,000 miles, and graduated from university.

Hey, anxiety. That’s a lot of things I’ve succeeded at. How do you like them apples?

I never thought this day would actually arrive, but I’m so thrilled to share with you this gorgeous cover, designed by the wonderful Kris Norris. I'd be forever grateful if you'd add it to your GoodReads shelves. 

Thank you all for supporting me, for your amazing reviews of the eARC if you’ve gotten it, and all of the love you’ve shared with me over the last 18 months. Without you, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Thank you doesn't seem like enough. 

Without further ado, here it is. Presenting the cover of DAYBREAK RISING, book one in the Embers of Redemption trilogy.

 

Best,
​Kiran