From Sparks to Structure: The Words Keep Climbing

Today’s weather — sunny, warming to the low 80s before cooling into the 60s tonight — feels like a mirror of the process itself: steady heat, light breaking through, and then a calmer landing place.

I didn’t send a newsletter last week because my PC decided to act up — the graphics card gave out, and my brother had to Frankenstein a replacement from another machine. The case won’t close now, but the system runs, and that’s good enough. Open-air publishing, in its own strange way.

Word by Word

When I started this push, I was sitting at 38,126 words.
The goal? 60,000 words.

That’s the length I’ve set for In the Devil’s Wake — not rushed, not padded, but a lean, layered, publishable novel. The kind of book that belongs on both the indie shelf and in front of agents.

Right now, every new session brings me closer to that mark. And the funny thing is, watching the numbers rise feels less like chasing a deadline and more like stacking bricks into something solid.

What’s Ahead

In the Devil’s Wake started as something raw and unfiltered, what you might call “demonic porn.” It evolved into dark erotica, and now it’s grown into something bigger: dark literary speculative fiction with erotic transformation at its heart.

That shift matters. It means the story isn’t just burning hot — it’s building depth, myth, and atmosphere. It’s something I can confidently place in front of someone like Brianne Johnson, an agent who champions layered, mythic, queer, and politically urgent stories. And whatever doesn’t go the traditional path? That’s what Draft2Digital is for — no manuscript left behind.

Thank You

Thanks for reading along as the sparks keep turning into structure. This isn’t just about hitting 60k — it’s about shaping a story that feels alive, dangerous, and worth carrying forward.

Here’s to steady progress, sunny skies, and stories that refuse to stay small.

—A.L. Bellettiere