Angela K. French's Blog
July 16, 2025
My Writing Journey, Warning: Starbinds Contains Cliffhangers
Hello, everyone. I’ve received many questions about what inspired me to write, so I'd like to share a bit of my story. Although it’s a bit lengthy, please bear with me. When I first started writing, I was going through a tough life slump and feeling very down on myself for many reasons. My mind was always racing with this story in different ways. One day, I needed an escape. Staring at a blank page on my laptop, the dialogue in my head began. I got completely immersed in the world of Starbinds and its characters, and I discovered that writing was a great way to relieve stress and find an escape. I never, ever expected to publish! I never saw myself as a writer (or had any formal training). My original goal was just for myself—to see and experience this story. Before I knew it, I had written over 600 pages.
No one in my family really knew about what I had created. I kept it this way for several years. Over time, I continued to write whenever I had spare time. I had small children and a job.
One day, suddenly, I thought, 'Maybe I should explore publishing,' but I was scared of what others might think. After all, I had written this story without expecting anyone to see it. Still, I needed to find out if other people thought it was any good. Or am I just a little crazy? When I told some family members and coworkers that I had written a book, they were surprised. I began looking into editors first, although I had my aunt, a schoolteacher, read it and do some editing initially. Then I found a professional editor in the UK. I sent it off, hoping to get it refined for sending queries.
The feedback was somewhat discouraging. The editor thought the book was wonderful, but... I was told that my book was way too long and that an agent would likely reject it because of the high publishing costs associated with a first-time author's 600+ page book. I was crushed. I didn’t know what steps to take next. I felt paralyzed and upset at the idea of tearing apart and rewriting my book to make it shorter. Honestly, not many in my family were interested in reading it or offering any encouragement or help. The support was lacking. The book sat on my laptop for years.
When I moved back to my hometown in Oklahoma, I found myself one day staring at the words of this book. I reread the story and fell in love with it all over again after setting it aside for so long. I even had to go back and update some of the original Earth technology in the story. I sent it to some beta readers, who also gave it great reviews.
*Caution, a slight rant is ahead…
At that point, I decided to reach out to another editor. I found someone who was a published and best-selling author with numerous books to her name. I hired her to edit. She agreed that the printing costs would be too high, but also helped identify great spots where the book could be broken into a continued series. Yes, the first book has a bit of a cliffhanger, but it does provide some answers to questions that have arisen before the end, just not all of them. I never dreamed this was something that angered anyone. I never hid that this is a continuing series. I have always loved books that end in cliffhangers (like The Hunger Games), yet I didn’t realize how strongly people feel about this. So much so that they want to rate the book down just for this?
So, I wanted to share my story and explain why there's a cliffhanger. Yes, this book was divided into smaller, easier-to-read sections, which are also more cost-effective to print (resulting in lower costs for you). I never intended to force anyone to buy the next book as a way to make money—that's hard to understand. I’ve never thought of other books, TV series, or movies like this. If you're upset and think I had a secret plan to trick you into buying the next book, please send me a message before leaving a gutting review. I will give you the next book for free so you can find out what happens. I also often have free sales on Kindle that include several of my books. And honestly, I never wrote fan fiction either— confession…I didn’t even know what fan fiction was when I started writing.
I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my book, and I hope you are enjoying the adventures in the Starbinds world. That’s what I want for you as well—a great escape! Love you all!
No one in my family really knew about what I had created. I kept it this way for several years. Over time, I continued to write whenever I had spare time. I had small children and a job.
One day, suddenly, I thought, 'Maybe I should explore publishing,' but I was scared of what others might think. After all, I had written this story without expecting anyone to see it. Still, I needed to find out if other people thought it was any good. Or am I just a little crazy? When I told some family members and coworkers that I had written a book, they were surprised. I began looking into editors first, although I had my aunt, a schoolteacher, read it and do some editing initially. Then I found a professional editor in the UK. I sent it off, hoping to get it refined for sending queries.
The feedback was somewhat discouraging. The editor thought the book was wonderful, but... I was told that my book was way too long and that an agent would likely reject it because of the high publishing costs associated with a first-time author's 600+ page book. I was crushed. I didn’t know what steps to take next. I felt paralyzed and upset at the idea of tearing apart and rewriting my book to make it shorter. Honestly, not many in my family were interested in reading it or offering any encouragement or help. The support was lacking. The book sat on my laptop for years.
When I moved back to my hometown in Oklahoma, I found myself one day staring at the words of this book. I reread the story and fell in love with it all over again after setting it aside for so long. I even had to go back and update some of the original Earth technology in the story. I sent it to some beta readers, who also gave it great reviews.
*Caution, a slight rant is ahead…
At that point, I decided to reach out to another editor. I found someone who was a published and best-selling author with numerous books to her name. I hired her to edit. She agreed that the printing costs would be too high, but also helped identify great spots where the book could be broken into a continued series. Yes, the first book has a bit of a cliffhanger, but it does provide some answers to questions that have arisen before the end, just not all of them. I never dreamed this was something that angered anyone. I never hid that this is a continuing series. I have always loved books that end in cliffhangers (like The Hunger Games), yet I didn’t realize how strongly people feel about this. So much so that they want to rate the book down just for this?
So, I wanted to share my story and explain why there's a cliffhanger. Yes, this book was divided into smaller, easier-to-read sections, which are also more cost-effective to print (resulting in lower costs for you). I never intended to force anyone to buy the next book as a way to make money—that's hard to understand. I’ve never thought of other books, TV series, or movies like this. If you're upset and think I had a secret plan to trick you into buying the next book, please send me a message before leaving a gutting review. I will give you the next book for free so you can find out what happens. I also often have free sales on Kindle that include several of my books. And honestly, I never wrote fan fiction either— confession…I didn’t even know what fan fiction was when I started writing.
I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my book, and I hope you are enjoying the adventures in the Starbinds world. That’s what I want for you as well—a great escape! Love you all!
