Inside the Revisions: How Serial Husbands Evolved in Draft 26

Writing a novel is rarely a straight line. Stories grow, shift, and sharpen over time, and sometimes the most important changes happen long after the first draft feels “finished.” Over the past several months, Serial Husbands has gone through an intense revision process across multiple drafts. The newest version, Draft 26, is the most complete and fully realized version of the story yet.

This latest revision wasn’t about polishing sentences or tweaking grammar. It was about strengthening the emotional core of the story, clarifying the investigative logic, and expanding the world that exists behind the scenes of the novel. Thanks to incredibly thoughtful feedback from beta readers, I was able to step back and see where the story could grow stronger. Draft 26 represents the point where those lessons finally clicked.

Strengthening the Characters

One of the most important pieces of feedback I received from beta readers was that they wanted a deeper emotional connection to the characters, especially Michael and Ryan. Readers understood what the characters were doing, but they wanted to better understand who they were and how they became the people we meet at the beginning of the story.

That insight drove one of the biggest changes in Draft 26. I worked to weave more of Michael and Ryan’s background into the story so readers could see the emotional journey that led them to this point. At the same time, I wanted to strike a careful balance. Serial Husbands functions as a standalone novel, but it is also the first story set within a larger universe called The Ledger Network. Because of that, I didn’t want to overload the first book with too much history or exposition.

Instead, the goal became giving readers just enough of their past to understand them emotionally without revealing everything at once. Their relationship remains the beating heart of the story, and the revisions allowed that relationship to carry more weight as the events of the novel unfold.

Another important adjustment involved Detective Kayla Schultz. Early feedback revealed that many readers felt Schultz became a bigger presence in the story than they expected. That was never a bad thing, but it did mean the balance between the investigators and the vigilantes needed to be carefully tuned.

In Draft 26, I worked to strengthen that balance so that Schultz’s arc and Michael and Ryan’s arc grow alongside each other rather than competing for space. The story ultimately works best when these two perspectives push against each other like opposing forces.

Clarifying Identity and Representation

Another key revision involved strengthening how characters appear on the page. When I write, I often try to keep descriptions flexible so readers can imagine characters in their own way. But one piece of feedback from a beta reader during a video call made me realize something important.

He said he had no idea that Schultz was Latina.

That moment made me realize that while I had a clear picture of the characters in my head, it wasn’t always coming through clearly on the page. My intention from the beginning was for Michael to be clearly Black or mixed race, Ryan to be white, and Schultz to be Latina. Those identities matter because they shape how the characters move through the world.

In Draft 26, I strengthened Schultz’s background and integrated her identity more naturally into the narrative. One small but meaningful moment shows her speaking Spanish to a waitress during a conversation with journalist William Travers. It’s a subtle scene, but it grounds her identity in a way that feels authentic rather than forced.

Refining the Investigation

Another major focus of this revision was tightening the investigative and procedural logic of the story. If you’ve read earlier drafts, you may notice that the forensic breadcrumbs, investigative clues, and timeline details are now much more carefully aligned.

This emphasis on procedural realism happened somewhat organically. I didn’t originally set out to write a heavily procedural thriller, but it became clear that the story demanded it. My background as a pharmacist also pushed me in that direction. Accuracy matters to me. When the story touches on chemistry, forensic evidence, or investigative logic, I want those details to stand up to scrutiny.

Because of that, Draft 26 incorporates more environmental clues and sensory detail throughout the story. The smell of bleach, the ozone in the air, the sterile feel of certain spaces. Those elements aren’t just aesthetic choices. They help paint a vivid picture of the environment while also quietly reinforcing what is really happening beneath the surface.

When I read books, I tend to visualize them like movies playing in my head. I wanted Serial Husbands to evoke that same experience for readers, where lighting, scent, and atmosphere all contribute to the tension of the moment.

Expanding the Emotional Stakes

One of the most important revisions in this draft was pushing the emotional consequences of the story further than before. Earlier drafts hinted at the psychological toll of Michael and Ryan’s actions, but Draft 26 allows those consequences to land with much greater force.

The emotional arc between the two characters was expanded so readers could fully see how their choices begin to fracture the moral framework they built for themselves. Their relationship is one of the most powerful elements of the story, and leaning into that emotional complexity made the narrative stronger overall.

The result is a story that still delivers tension and suspense, but also asks harder questions about the cost of the choices the characters make.

Looking Ahead

After incorporating feedback from beta readers and revisiting the story with fresh eyes, Draft 26 feels like the version that finally brings everything together. The characters feel fuller, the investigation is tighter, and the world behind the story is clearer.

For now, this is the version I’m most proud of.

Unless a future literary agent suggests revisions, I believe the story has reached the point where the major structural changes are complete. The manuscript is currently out on submission, and the waiting game has officially begun.

So far, I’ve sent out 130 queries, with 88 still outstanding. 

No matter what happens next, I’m incredibly grateful to the beta readers and early supporters who helped shape this story along the way. Their feedback pushed the book to become something stronger than I could have achieved alone.

And hopefully, this is just the beginning of what will eventually grow into The Ledger Network.

Wish me luck.