Veronica King

Category: rambles

  • Happy Birthday Agnes

    Happy Birthday Agnes

    When working on Agnes everything felt like a whirlwind, which also is a good descriptor of the year that just flew by. So, HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO AGNES! So, let’s jump right into how the fourth wall breaking, sassy, Agnes came to be.

    Anyone who knows me, knows I have a WIP list that would rival the length of the NYT best sellers list. The opportunity knocked one spring morning when my publisher, Zara, had been looking for a middle grade that was ready to go, and I happened to have an idea bubblin’, and was looking for a reason to really dive into it. So I proposed what later became FROM THE DIARY OF AGNES JAEGER AND THE SECRETS OF SILVERLEAF ACADEMY.

    The reason Zara had been on the search for a middle grade was because fae was launching Figment, the middle grade imprint under Inimitable. Agnes would be the first. So, with this in mind my ass got to work. Afterall, we only had five months. Yes you read that right Dear Reader, we had five months to completely draft, revise, and format this book.

    The story was inspired by a thread that was originally posted on Tumblr, that then got cross posted to Pinterest, where I saw it. The thread was about a dragon who hoarded librarians and I thought the idea was really cute. So, I put my own spin on this and that’s how we got a dark academia with a lead that was an Outsider to high society life behind the walls of Silver Leaf Academy. As if writing this book, polishing the story, I wanted to really amp up the reader experience. While the book itself was already written in a diary format, where the main character often stops to talk to the reader, I thought it was missing something still. I was correct as I reminisced back onto my girlhood. I recalled drawing in my journals, and so I brought the idea to Zara that Agnes would not only be writing her experiences down, but she’d also be drawing what she saw. I knew I made the right choice for my publishing path, because Zara’s response was “if you draw it, I’ll format it.”  So while the five months were filled with pressure, and something Zara and I said we would definitely never do again. I am also very grateful for the opportunity and like to believe I met the moment as best I could 

    As someone who grew up in the backwoods of Ohio’s rural river valley, it felt healing to write about a stubborn girl, with Appalachian grit, who also liked girls even if she didn’t quite know it herself. Behind the scenes Agnes is becoming much more than I ever believed her story was going to be(originally her book was meant to be a stand alone), and while the second book has been officially announced, I will have more exciting news in the future. To those who have read Agnes’s story, thank you so much, to those who leave a review a BIG BIG thank you, and to those who have yet to meet the spitfire, I hope you like art on the page, and fourth wall breaks cause Agnes has a lot to say.

  • My writing origin story

    My writing origin story

    Writing, after drawing, had quickly become a lifeline for me. It’s odd to write out but while I was busy escaping in fantasy, and taking notes of the wondrous places I visited, that act, is how I stayed grounded. This coping skill is something that would develop later during my college years as more of a hobby, and post graduation something that I learned, the dream of being an author, could be something tangible if I put in the work.

    Starting a book was never a problem, for me, the problem at the time was finishing one. Countless stories were started and stopped, but in November of 2019 something magical happened. I had found the online writing community known as Authortube. It was great to finally connect with others who had the same passion for stories, and shared interest in the same niche topics I liked. This bit of socializing for me was also vital in staying sane. During 2019 the world was just sounding the alarm bells of an impending pandemic, and while I didn’t know it at the time, I was suffering from post-partum depression. A silent agony that many mothers know, but seldom gets talked about. With all of these factors at play writing was a much needed escape once again in my life.

    As I was getting close to finishing my first manuscript, I did what most ambitious writers do, something else. I began researching the world of the publishing industry and what to expect. The first thing was figuring out which publishing path I wanted to go down. Both are good options, and each have their own pros and cons. What ultimately worked for me was to pursue traditional publishing. Opposed to indie as I did not feel comfortable with all the hats I’d have to wear in addition to the funds in my pocket were lacking. I told myself that as a reward for and continued motivation to finish my first manuscript I could practice query letters for agents. Again, being on an online community really helped push me to finish as it felt like while we were all working on our own stories we were also all gonna cross the finish line together. Once I had finished the story, the first draft of what would later become Down The Well. I began looking at places like manuscript wishlists as well as some authortubers that had ‘How I got an agent’ videos. On top of the wonderful circle of friends I had cultivated I felt confident about editing my story while also drafting some query letters. As much as I’d love to get into the knitty gritty of how Down The Well made it to publication, that may be a future blog post as right now I need to reign back and stay on topic, and keep this short and sweet. So, that is how my writing origin story came to be Dear Reader. From the escapism of a rather turbulent childhood to a hobby of a young college adult, and now at the beginning of twenty nine everything feels like it’s just getting started.  

  • The Love of Found Family

    The Love of Found Family

    February is often associated with romance and love because of Valentine’s day. While we could spend most of this blog post with me rambling on about the origins of the holiday, I rather stay on topic as best as possible. With that out of the way let’s get into the thoughts.

    Valentine’s Day happens to be my favorite holiday, not because I am a die hard romantic or anything like that but because I adore love, and I am fond of how many kinds of love there are. I think if we looked at the holiday with that lens less people would feel alone. This is a day I often shower my close friends with affection and remind them how amazing they are, and how special our friendship is. I think this tracks for me as Found Family was one of the first tropes I fell in head over heels with with as a reader who had a hard time making connections with people, and it continues to be a trope that I lean on in my writing. 

    I also feel like through the scope of western U.S outlook, at least where I come from, the pressure to settle down and find someone begins young, and the ideas of around the holiday are strictly romantic. Well, Dear Reader, there is nothing more romantic than gettin’ your childhood bestie one of them giant plushies. Especially, if it’s just ‘another day’ to them. And before you ask, yes this is something I had done, and I’d happily do it again, the excitement that lit up her face was contagious. We spent the day laughing, eating discounted chocolates, and enjoying each other’s company.

    The smallest act of love can change someone’s whole day, and I think that’s why I like to center the Found Family trope in my works VS a strict romance plot. (Not that I am never going to write romance. I got plenty of sapphic love stories in mind that I am excited to share.) But the friendships we tend to, are just as important as the romantic relationships in our lives and sometimes I’d argue can be more important. 

    Found Family is a trope we find ourselves adoring in between the pages of our favorite novels. There’s so many stories of iconic duos, and trios. I mean this trope is so popular in fiction for a reason. People crave the meaningful connections. You, yes you Dear Reader, have the power to bring that kind of magic into our world, and right now I think spreading love is important. I mean what’s more romantic than Samwise carrying his buddy to Mt. Doom? I’ll wait. 

  • Silver Lined Reflections

    Silver Lined Reflections

    2025 was a year of everything not going according to plan, and I am glad the plans didn’t work out. 

    Now during the time that the changes were happening it felt like I was in the trenches, between career expectations, and personal life goals things were not all falling in place for me like I thought they would. This translated to feelings of failure and really affected my self-esteem, but I am dangerously optimistic and these are the silver linings I found in the darkness.

    While the manuscripts I thought I’d be focusing on were shuffled around, I’m really happy with the work I’ve done this year. And that sentence alone is momentous for someone who, for her whole adult life, had tied her value to her work output.

    Have I written more books in years before? 

    yes. 

    Do I need to meet that level of production every year?

    No. 

    I have actively in past years downplayed any accomplishment I have made because the thought of well i’ve done it so how hard could it actually have been? And it took awhile but I’m happy to say regardless of if it’s my first pixel art piece or the release of my fourth official work I am going on record to say I will be celebrating every victory, small, big, even those schmedium wins.

    The overall  take away is that it’s okay to be happy with the work you do and not have to focus on output. I feel like that’s a pretty cliche take but if it gets more folks talking about it, I will happily yap. 

    Because my plans went awry I had the opportunity to dive into a new genre, and write a story with someone I consider one of my closest friends. The novel is feminine rage converging with a deconstruction story, and a wlw romance. This is a story I hope to share more details with you sooner rather than later. It’s gritty, and graphic, but the themes are important to talk about and I’m so proud of Chandra and I for carefully stitching such a tale together. I also had another contract signed with my publisher, Inimitable Books, so that was exciting. I feel like the line up we have in store will really expand upon the Veronica King’dom’ in a crafty way. That again, I look forward to elaborating on in the new year. 

    To my small readership I hope you have enjoyed the books that came out this year, and while I’m hard at work, I am happy to say I have a bit of a break as there are no planned book releases for me in 2026. So I guess follow along for the little updates, as I do have big(albeit more realistic) goals in the new year.

    While right now everything that’s behind us can be looked at with clear perspective and the future is foggy, but in view. I look forward to navigating the waters of 2026, and sharing my voyage on the career front, because I’m very fortunate to have such a supportive crew working alongside me. So thank you 2025, because of you I found myself saying often that there’s always a secret third option, and every setback can be an opportunity if looked at with enough creativity.