Knowing When Something Is Finished… and What Comes Next
There’s a certain satisfaction in finishing something you’ve worked on for a long time.
And there’s also a rather strange feeling when you finally get there.
Tethered is finished.
After months of writing, revising, checking, second-guessing, and probably drinking more coffee than is entirely reasonable, Book 5 of Emerson Grove is ready to make its way into the world.
That’s a milestone worth celebrating. But it also got me thinking about the idea of endings, and what happens when one chapter closes and another begins.
Because finishing a book doesn’t necessarily mean finishing the story.
Emerson Grove keeps growing.
Over the course of five books, the town and the people in it have developed a life of their own. Characters who once occupied the edges of the story have become important players. Some have changed in ways I didn’t initially anticipate. Others are finding their way into new relationships, new challenges and new roles.
And there are new faces joining the community.
That’s one of the things I love about writing a series. The world doesn’t reset when I type The End. The characters carry on. Their lives continue, relationships evolve, and sometimes the next story begins with something that happened several books earlier.
Book 6 is already waiting in the wings, and Remy and Shelly are ready for their turn.
So, no, we’re not putting the fields to rest just yet! Notice the harvest metaphor?
But there’s another kind of change happening too.
Kalen is changing.
When I started Coffee with Kalen, it was a way to share updates, talk about books, and give readers a little peek behind the scenes. And it still does that. But lately I’ve found myself wanting to talk about other things too.
Life. Changing seasons. Unexpected discoveries. The things we think about over a cup of coffee when we’re not busy writing fictional people into complicated situations.
The recent October vlog was a little different. It wasn’t really about writing or publishing. It was about knowing when something has served its purpose, the people we choose to keep in our lives, and the things we learn along the way.
And I enjoyed making it.
Maybe Coffee with Kalen is growing into something with a few more flavours. There will still be books, Emerson Grove, and all the behind-the-scenes chaos that comes with being an independent author. But there may also be a little more Kalen in the conversation.
After all, the person writing the stories has a life outside the pages too.
So, what’s next?
Well, Tethered is finished, but Emerson Grove is far from finished. Book 6 is on the horizon, familiar faces are finding their next chapters, and new characters are making themselves at home.
And I’m looking forward to discovering where it all goes.
Sometimes knowing when something is finished isn’t about stopping. It’s about recognizing that you’ve reached the end of one thing and are ready to begin another.
The harvest is gathered. The next season is already taking shape.
And there’s still plenty brewing around here.
So grab a coffee and stay awhile. I think we’re going to have some interesting conversations.
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