Update on my Publishing Journey

Over the past 8 months, Serial Husbands has gone through an incredible journey. What began as an idea grew into a manuscript, then into multiple drafts, and eventually into a story shaped by feedback from more than a dozen thoughtful beta readers. Along the way, the book evolved in ways I never expected. The characters deepened, the investigation sharpened, and the world surrounding the story expanded far beyond the boundaries of a single novel.

For several months, I pursued the traditional publishing route and queried literary agents who represent crime and thriller fiction. That process gave me the opportunity to learn a tremendous amount about the industry and to refine how I think about this project. Ultimately, however, it also forced me to confront an important question: what kind of future do I want for this story and the world it belongs to?

After a great deal of consideration, I have decided to publish Serial Husbands independently.

This decision ultimately came down to one central factor: creative control.

Serial Husbands is not a standalone story. It is the first entry in a trilogy called The Kind Neighbors, which follows the unfolding consequences of a single mistake that spirals into a much larger investigation. But even that trilogy is only one piece of a broader narrative architecture that I’ve been building behind the scenes.

At the center of that architecture is something called The Ledger Network.

Without giving too much away, The Ledger Network is a hidden digital ecosystem that connects individuals across the world through acts that leave a permanent mark on the lives of others. Some participants see themselves as vigilantes. Others are technicians, opportunists, or something far more ambiguous. Each story within the network explores a different perspective on justice, guilt, and the quiet systems people build to justify their actions.

Michael Denton and Ryan Hayes, the couple at the center of Serial Husbands, are just one pair within that larger world.

The full vision for the project is an eight-part series of interconnected stories, each exploring a different corner of that network and the people who inhabit it. Some stories will follow characters you already know. Others will introduce entirely new voices whose actions ripple outward in unexpected ways.

Because this larger framework is so interconnected, maintaining creative control over the direction of the series became increasingly important to me. Independent publishing allows me to protect the long-term structure of the story and ensure that the entire vision can unfold the way it was designed.

That does not mean the process becomes any less rigorous. In fact, if anything, it raises the bar.

I have recently sent the manuscript of Serial Husbands to a professional editor and am currently awaiting feedback. Once that stage is complete, the book will move into the final steps needed to prepare it for publication. My goal is to release the novel this summer.

At the same time, development is already underway on the next installment in the story. The upcoming book will continue the journeys of Michael, Ryan, and Detective Schultz as the consequences of the first novel continue to ripple outward.

Choosing the independent path does not mean abandoning the values of traditional publishing. It simply means taking on the responsibility of stewarding this story myself. My goal remains the same as it has always been: to create stories that are thoughtful, unsettling, and emotionally honest, and to share them with readers who enjoy dark crime fiction that asks difficult questions about justice and morality.

Most of all, I want to thank the many readers, friends, and early supporters who helped shape this book into what it is today. Your feedback, encouragement, and willingness to engage deeply with the story have meant more than I can put into words.

The next phase of the journey is just beginning, and I’m excited to see where it leads.