My First Novel

I still remember the first time I opened a blank doc in Word, and thought…let’s do this! I was around 14 years old, and my very first story was about a young boy who flees his family’s castle when a neighbouring kingdom tries to usurp his father…and he seeks shelter in an abandoned kingdom overrun by zombies…

(Spoiler: I had no idea what I was doing.) But I also had something better: an obsession with stories and ideas I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Fast forward almost two decades, and I’ve got dozens and dozens of unfinished documents on my laptop. Dozens of scribbles in notebooks. Plot outlines. First chapters. Storyboards. You name it, I’ve done it and shelved it away. On one hand, I’ve always loved telling stories, building fantasy worlds and learning about new characters. On the other hand, I’ve never had enough story steam to get me to the end.

But this all changed in 2024. I had a seed of an idea about a girl who died and ended up in Hell.

That story became To the Edge of Burning Shadows, the first book in The Infernal Realms series, and my very first finished novel.

What changed, you ask? My story’s steam kept going thanks to my frustration coming to a boiling point that I’d never written The End. I read a few writing books that helped me better understand story structure. I plotted thoroughly (not unusual), but I also printed my manuscript, used spreadsheets to track my story progress and character arcs, and this all made a big difference.

Finally, I took my writing seriously. And it made all the difference in finishing my novel, and sharing it with the world.

Why Hell?

When I was studying English at university, we read The Divine Comedy. You might be familiar with it, too? Some people know it as Dante’s Inferno, and it’s a poem written in the 14th century about a man named Dante who travels through the nine circles of Hell…

Well, that poem really stuck with me. I was fascinated by Hell. And I was fascinated by Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell. He even travels through Purgatory, where souls must face trials of particular sins (like Pride & Envy) before they can reach Paradise.

Dante inspired my novel about a woman who is dragged to Hell and must compete in six deadly trials.

I didn’t want Hell to be just fire and pitchforks. I wanted it to be seductive. Terrifying. Beautiful in a way that made you uneasy. A place where every emotion was dialled up to eleven. And a place where romance could bloom. Because I’m also a sucker for the morally grey villain as well. 

The characters that wouldn’t shut up

Nina arrived fully formed: stubborn, scarred and angry at the world, but also someone with a saviour complex. She wasn’t sweet or “chosen” or “different to all the others”. I didn’t want cliches for her. Nina just wanted answers, and she was willing to fight tooth and nail to get them.

And then came Leander. (Oh, Leander.) I didn’t plan on him stealing every scene, but apparently, demons don’t follow outlines. Neither did Alexei. Or Madalena. Or any of the other rulers of Hell who somehow showed up, demanding page time.

Writing them was like having a conversation with very unhinged but charming individuals, and I kind of loved it. (I did warn you I’m a fool who falls hard for the morally grey type of people.)

What I didn’t expect:

• Finishing a book would be the biggest relief, the biggest satisfying achievement and also bloody hard work. (Stupid really, because if it were easy, I would have done it a decade ago.)
• That I would write scenes that made me cry. (Yes, seriously. I shed a few tears when the emotions were dialled up. If you know, you know.)
• That readers would DM me the wildest theories that make me want to change everything (but don’t worry, I won’t).
• That readers would adore the world I built.

So, was it worth it?

Absolutely. Even when I was second-guessing every chapter. Even when I thought I’d never finish. Even when impostor syndrome showed up, telling me I was out of my depth and no one would read this.

But after almost 12 months, the story is complete, editing is done, and all of my progress is finally paying off.

To the Edge of Burning Shadows is the book that changed my life. It’s not perfect. But it’s mine. And now, it’s yours too! I really hope you love it as much as I loved writing it.

If you have read it, thank you for stepping into the flames with me. If you haven’t yet, well, Hell is waiting. Get yourself a copy (and know that I am thanking you over and over for how grateful I am that you’ll give my book a chance).

Want to know what I almost didn’t include in the book? Or which demon was originally a love interest? Send me your wild theories on Instagram, and I might share something about the beginning of this series that nobody else knows.