MAY 2026

Welp. Here we are. Preorders for The Spirited City: Lux are now live.

Funnily enough, I actually stepped away from the idea of self-publishing back in March. I went back into the query trenches, sending submissions to agents well into the triple digits. Which, of course, becomes incredibly disheartening after a while.

My brain does this awful thing where it tells me something isn’t good enough. Relatable, I’m sure. After my fifth edit, I genuinely thought I could land an agent and go the trad route with my first book. Unfortunately, no one wanted to pick it up. Which immediately sent me spiraling into the idea that maybe the story itself wasn’t good enough. Or worse, that I was so out of my depth as a writer that I needed to scrap the whole thing and start over.

Brains are silly. Mine especially.

After my sixth and final edit, though, I finally feel genuinely excited to just release it myself. Literary agents have to make money, and I understand why my story doesn’t immediately sell on paper. It’s too long. Too depressing. Probably needs more commercially proven carry-ons and cleaner market hooks. Yeah, yeah. I get it.

But honestly? I figure let’s just fucking do the damn thing.

I love this story, and I want other people to love it too. The only way to get there is to finally make it available for people to read. Would it have been amazing to go the trad route? Sure. But that also comes with an even longer delay. And yes, I’m fully aware the story probably would’ve reached more readers that way and maybe even become a “better” book after a more commercial editing process.

But if we do it this way — and we are, no take backsies — then you get the story I actually meant to tell. Completely unfiltered. 100% me.

The Spirited City: Lux will be releasing at the end of Summer 2026. The next update will include the official release date.

Thank you for your patience. Sorry my brain is a villain.

♥ Cody