3 Days Until launch: Three Characters (and Connections) That Changed Me

There are characters you write.

And then there are characters who rewrite you.

When I first set out on this journey, I expected Moons and Shadows to change me—just maybe not in the ways it did.

At the time, I wasn’t trying to rewrite my life. I just wanted to finally tell the story that had been living inside me for years. Counseling had carried me far, and I was grateful for it—but I’d reached a point where I didn’t want to sit across from someone and process anymore. I wanted to apply what I’d learned. I needed to step outside of myself, to make sense of my story from a different vantage point—one not rooted in blame or finger-pointing.

Because the truth is, there’s no real healing in just revisiting who hurt you. Healing begins when you stop circling the wound—and start exploring what it means to rise from it.

And somewhere between the moonlight and the shadows, the plot and the pacing, something else took root. I met characters who didn’t just speak—they held up a mirror. And for the first time, I didn’t look away.

1. Runa isn’t just a main character.

She’s me.

She’s the version of me that still wrestles with belief systems planted long before I even knew I had a choice. The one shaped by the exhausting rhythm of damned if you do, damned if you don’t. She’s intentional. Observant. Fierce-hearted. Longing, above all, to belong—to find that elusive thing called found family.

Runa taught me that peeling back identity isn’t a one-time act. It’s sacred discomfort. It’s letting go of who the world told you to be—so you can finally remember who you’ve always been underneath it all.

2. Izayah – The One Who Shows Me Another Way

There’s so much I’m still learning from him.

Izayah didn’t just walk into the story—he grounded it. There’s a quiet weight to him. Raw. Layered. Unwavering. His presence doesn’t demand attention, but it earns it. When I write him, I feel calm—and at the same time, cracked wide open.

He’s not perfect. None of them are. But he reminds me that strength doesn’t always shout. That honesty—when offered with care—can be one of the most stabilizing, soul-anchoring things in the world.

And his dynamic with Daxler? Those moments gave me something too: laughter, contrast, and the reminder that we need people who challenge us and still choose us.

3. The Real-Life Team – The Ones Who Make the Story Real

This third space doesn’t belong to a character.

It belongs to the people who showed up for me.

Writing Moons and Shadows wasn’t just a creative act—it became a lived experience of trust. Of building something together. Of asking: What does found family look like off the page?

Danielle was one of the first to hold space with her whole heart. She’s willing to go to the hard places—naming the things most people won’t. We’ve learned to be raw, to reflect, to circle back to the work with both grit and grace.

Robin stepped into the marketing space with a wisdom I didn’t realize I was craving. She doesn’t push, she partners. She gets that I don’t want to be “marketed.” I want to learn, grow, and create with intention—and somehow, she makes that possible.

My alpha and beta readers—like Megs, who dove into the final read-through, and JJ, Tabitha, Kristen, Drea, Mikayla, Kristle, Melissa, and others who let me process, brainstorm, and word-vomit without expecting perfection.

Brandi, my editor—equal parts sharp eye and superfan. We’ve learned how to collaborate with strong personalities, and the result is real, sometimes messy, but always meaningful.

And One More—The Artist Who Brought the World to Life

I can’t end this without mentioning Kelly, the graphic artist behind the Moons and Shadows map.

Truthfully? She didn’t even have the whole manuscript.

And yet… have you seen that map?

(Robin, if you’re reading this—and I know you are—we need to get that map on the website. It’s too beautiful to keep tucked away.)

Kelly somehow took fragments of story, scattered descriptions, and whispered details—and turned them into a breathtaking landscape. Every ridge, every curve of coastline, every carefully imagined location feels exactly right. She crafted something I didn’t even know how to ask for, and I’m still in awe.

Working with her again is a definite yes. Because she didn’t just design a map—she brought an entire world to life with heart, intuition, and incredible artistry.

These people didn’t just help me finish a book. They reminded me who I am when I’m allowed to be fully myself. They didn’t just support the story—they became part of it.

So yes—

Runa changed me.

Izayah grounded me.

And this team? They reminded me that the story doesn’t end when the book is closed.

It continues—

In every conversation.

In every collaboration.

In every shared breath of belief.

And if you’re looking for that kind of connection—on the page or off—I hope you find it here.