Krystal Harding's Blog

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This year will see Luna getting closer and closer to the end of her journey and the beginning of multiple other journeys within the Cerulia world as a whole. I am thrilled to bring this story to life for everyone.

When I started this journey, I honestly didn’t think anyone would read my story or even enjoy it. I was wrong. A Realm of Wind and Rain has spawned off two more books and a slew of ideas for the rest of the series and the world itself. I’ve spoken before about just doing it. Just write the book, just make the change, just do whatever it is you’re stopping yourself from doing. Bet on yourself.

I’m glad I did. Book 4 of my Cerulia series, A Realm of Sea and Smoke, will be coming later this year. I will be releasing more details in the coming weeks about the storyline and plot and what characters will be prominent in the book.

What TV shows did you watch as a kid?

Honestly, I was a Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network kid. I watched some Disney but Cartoon Network had the anime.

I was a major fan of Pokemon (still am) and I remember watching the first episode when it aired here in the US in September of 1998. I would switch between channels to watch Pokemon and Digimon in the mornings before school because that’s what I wanted.

Toonami was my favorite afternoon programming hands down. We had Tenchi Muyo!, Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, Outlaw Star, Gundam, Zoids, Ronin Warrior. It was the best! The adult swim took over the anime game with Trigun, InuYasha, Cowboy Bebop, Bleach, Big 0, Yu Yu Hakusho, Ghost in the Shell. I could keep going lol.

My point is I grew up in the great day of Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, Angry Beavers, Invader Zim, Static Shock, Kim Possible, Action Hero Now, there’s a lot. It was probably the best time to grow up.

So yeah, I didn’t just have 1 favorite, I had tons.

I have officially started a Patreon channel that will include exclusive content, like NSFW artwork (that will later be available for purchase), exclusive editions with my upcoming releases such as The Book of Wrath. I will be posting early access content on my Patreon as well.

What Patreon?

Well, as an indie author, I do not have the backing that traditional published authors have. All financial responsibility falls on my shoulders and as much as I love commissioning artwork and I would love to turn all my books into audiobooks, that is not the easiest case to do since it’s all very expensive. I was thinking about doing a Kickstarter to help me get my next few audiobooks done and help get more covers made, but if you don’t meet, your goal on Kickstarter, you don’t get anything. It is all or nothing.

What type of content will I have on Patreon?

I will have bonus content for the Cerulia series, including art, bonus chapters, deleted scenes that didn’t make it into the books, Character profiles and so much more.

I will also be releasing details and character profiles for all my books in the future on Patreon as well.

What is the link?

www.patreon.com/ARealmofWindandRainSeries

Will there be special tiers?

Yes, in the future I will be doing specialty tiers that will have their own special content.

As for now I am starting out with a basic paid tier that is $3 a month for access to all that is there. When I make the other tiers there will be options to upgrade for more stuff.

My favorite season is the season of the witch, aka Fall. There is so much magick in the air this time of year. The veil between worlds is the thinnest and the air just seems to come alive. I love the warm colors of the leaves as they change color, apple picking and pumpkin picking at orchards, the sounds of children laughing as they run house to house on Samhain (Halloween) getting treats from the neighbors.

Fall has always been my favorite season. Curled up with a nice book or watching horror movies. It was always the best time. Jumping in leaf piles as a kid was so much fun. I will always talk about fall/autumn in my books. The colors, the scents, the feel of the chilly air, the fashion. Fall seems like such a wonderful time of year to be yourself and really learn about yourself.

At least that is how I feel about Fall. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

I’ve had a lot of fears in my life. Some I still have to this day, one being death and dying. I think that one I won’t overcome until the day comes. I think it’s more the fear of the unknown. I dance the line with curiosity and fear of the unknown.

One of the biggest fears I have is not being good enough. I mean this in the sense of being a good enough daughter, a good enough mother, good enough at writing, good enough at cutting hair. In sense it’s part of my depression and anxiety. This one however, I have been working on getting over it. When I start to feel like a crap daughter, I call my mom or send her a text. When I doubt myself as a mother, I sit with my kids, or I look at them and remind myself that I’ve got them this far. As for my job, I look at pictures of previous work vs the now work I do and see the growth. Finally with my writing, I do read my reviews. The fact that I have 5- and 4-star reviews baffle me! It means the world to me because I never thought anyone would even read my books to begin with.

It’s becoming easier to overcome my fears by just doing what makes me scared. If I let me fears overtake my life, I won’t be able to move forward. So, I will continue to move forward and take my fear by the horns.

Since I have been writing the Cerulia series since day 1, I have decided I need to actually keep myself accountable and do a tracker to keep my life together. Book 3 is coming along nicely and I have a feeling there will be a lot of WTF moments and I will be getting a lot of emails and DMs about what directions I’m taking. Some people have fallen in love with characters that I planned their demise from day one. Who knows, I may change my mind, or I may not.

I am currently working on 3 books at once, however I will be keeping track of 2 of these books live. The third book I am working on is kind of a secret project, but not so secret.

I have been posting for my discord channel with everything that’s going on. I keep things updated there constantly. I’m pretty sure people get annoyed with my updates. But no one says anything.

So without further ado, here is the accountability for my first of seven deadly sins series!

Last August, I decided to take a big risk by betting on myself. I decided I was going to write a book and if I couldn’t get signed by an agent or get picked up by a publisher that I would self-publish. I sent out query letter after query letter. Let’s just say you have to have a tough skin and be used to rejection in this industry.

I got several rejection letters for a multitude of reasons. It was fine for the most part. I decided to take the chance and self-publish my debut novel on November 15,2023. From that day forward, I became an indie author. My sales aren’t in the thousands, and I never expected it to get there. No one knows me to take a chance on me. Hell, I barely thought I would sell a single copy. But, about 200+ people have taken a chance on me. That’s way more than I ever expected.

Fast forward to today, my debut novel is still selling, people are still reading it on Kindle Unlimited and in 16 days my follow up novel will be released. I’m betting on myself and let’s say, it’s paying off. I’m not going to make hundreds of thousands overnight. I’m still a baby indie author. I’m still putting out money to make money. One day I will be signed to a publisher, one day I will have an agent. Today is just not that day and that’s okay. There’s always tomorrow and the day after.

So, while I may not be famous, I’m proud of what I’m doing. And I plan on continuing to be proud of myself and to bet on me. So, to answer the question, I took a risk on myself, and I will keep it up.

This is actually a very interesting topic. I am not someone who usually has time to unwind. As a mom of a blended family with 4 kids (my youngest being autistic), things can be slightly overwhelming.

My day job can be demanding in a few different ways. Lots of talking and social interactions can be draining, and even if I don’t feel 100% on a day, I have to make myself be happy and chipper. I have plenty of clients who I’ve been cutting for years that notice the slightest difference in me when I’m having an off day. My mental health has been a big issue for me for several years and this plays into some days been harder than others.

We then venture into the out of work life. I have a horrible habit of overscheduling and overworking myself even when I am home. I run 2 podcasts, 2 YouTube channels, several IG’s (personal, work, author, both podcasts, poetry one and a photography page), and I try to update them and make marketing for every page. Not including my one week day off during the week I schedule interviews with others in the publishing/writers world, I record for both podcasts, I have to get laundry and cleaning done plus find the motivation to workout on top of it all.

After a normal work day, if my boyfriend isn’t home from working and already making dinner, I make dinner, get things ready for my youngest for school, showers, folding the mountain of laundry that is all clean but just not folded and put away. When I am done all that and the kids are in bed, I have some time to spend with my boyfriend watching our shows or if I am on a time crunch with writing, I get some of that done.

Decompressing after a long, stressful day is important. But, it is also important to remember that not everyone has the time to do it. Yes, I know the saying you have to make time, but for someone like me, making time to relax won’t actually have me relaxing. It will have me spiraling about all the things that needs to get done and how me sitting around isn’t helping get things done. So decompressing after a long day is slightly hard but I’m working on it.

I recommend warm bubble bathes with a good book and some candles. Eventually, I’ll be able to do it lol