Happy New Year! I’ve been so deep in the groves with Eva that I’m a little late with my New Year wishes, but I hope 2026 is treating you well so far.
I’ve been living in Eva’s head for weeks now, revising Book 2 of Beneath Beauford Grove. The story picks up just three days after the ritual that ended Book 1, and Eva is facing impossible choices as the blight spreads through Beauford Grove.
Progress So Far:
📖 14 chapters revised
✍️ ~40,500 words written
😱 Multiple cups of coffee consumed
🎯 Goal: 80,000 words | 270-300 pages
This book is testing me in the best way: darker, more visceral, and the stakes are impossibly high.
What to Expect in Book 2:
Without giving too much away, Book 2 explores:
– The aftermath of the ritual and what it cost
– Eva’s discovery of what her blood can truly do
– Rafe’s fight for control as Veidrel’s possession deepens
– Long-buried family secrets revealed through generations of journals
– Sophie’s visions guiding Eva toward answers—or destruction
The Southern Gothic horror elements are turned up to 11, and the body horror… well, let’s just say the ritual had consequences no one anticipated.
EXCERPT (Chapter 4):
She pressed her forehead against his damaged spine, her arms wrapping around his waist from behind. Her hands spread across his abdomen, feeling the definition of muscle beneath fever-hot skin. Despite everything, the bruising, the wrongness of his bones, the heat that shouldn’t be there, his body was still beautiful. Still strong. Still Rafe. “You’re still beautiful,” she whispered against his spine. “Even like this. Especially like this.”
He went utterly still. “Eva—”
“I mean it.” Her arms tightened around him. “I see what it did to you. I see the damage. But I also see you. And you’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
What’s Next
I’m currently deep in revisions for Chapter 13, tightening the pacing and intensifying the horror elements. My goal is to complete the first draft by April then move into comprehensive edits.
Thank you for your patience as I craft this story. Book 2 is going to be worth the wait. Can’t wait to share it with you. 🖤
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