First draft done

This book has been living in my head for a long time, but writing it still surprised me. One of the unexpected joys was returning to familiar ground. A few characters with ties to The Land of Magadha slipped into this story, and weaving those threads back to my very first series felt deeply satisfying. It reminded me that these worlds are still alive—that time has passed, but nothing is ever truly left behind.

At the center of Curse of the River are two protagonists thrown together whether they like it or not. They spend a lot of time irritating each other, challenging each other, and—very reluctantly—learning from one another. Writing their interactions became one of my favorite parts of the book. Their conversations are sharp, sometimes petty, often restrained, and always revealing. They don’t grow through grand declarations, but through friction.

Rakshasas—shape-shifting demons from Hindu mythology—make several appearances, and they are anything but gentle. Their presence pulls the story into darker territory, putting our protagonists in real, mortal danger. They’re clever, cruel, and deeply unsettling, and I loved letting them haunt the edges of the narrative.

But the heart of this book belongs to Sugandha.

As she begins to understand where she comes from—and what that truth costs—the story itself changed shape. Some answers can’t be uncovered without loss, and some truths leave scars. Walking Sugandha toward that realization was both exhilarating and devastating.

And then there’s the ending.

I won’t say much, except this: writing it broke my heart into many pieces. It felt inevitable and earned—and still cruel. The kind of ending that stays with you long after the final line.

As I move into revisions, I’m holding tightly to what made this draft special: the echoes of older worlds, the sharp companionship at its center, the danger hiding behind every transformation, and the emotional price of truth.

More soon. For now, I’m letting the river run where it will.