Darci's Diary, 2025
- Darci Cole
- Apr 2
- 10 min read
Hello friends!
For the past two years, I’ve called this post “DarciVerse Vision,” but that’s never felt quite right to me. So I’m changing it up and borrowing from my old YouTube series, to simply call this a diary entry. (I really want to resurrect that YouTube series…)
For those new here, April 2nd is the day I made the choice to try writing with the intent to publish. I know it was this day because I know exactly where I was when I wrote the first sentences of the first novel I ever attempted, which was also the first novel I ever finished drafting. It was Very Bad™—as most first attempts are—but it was also the start of the rest of my life. I’ll always be grateful for the Darci of fourteen years ago today, who thought, “Why not?” and went for it.
That said, this post is where I like to go over what I’ve done and accomplished in the last year, and tell you all what I’m working on moving forward. Let’s get to it!
Skip to:
The Last Year…
April-August 2024
As many of you know, in March of 2024 I launched my first Kickstarter campaign to fund new cover art for my books. If you aren’t aware of why I gave them a makeover, well, the artist of the original covers did not want to make a cover for an LGBT book, which CLEVER (book 3) is. So we parted ways and I hired the amazing Anna McEwan to make brand new covers. I love them. Anna’s work fits the vibe of the series like a glove, and I’m so excited to continue working with her on the rest of the series!
Also during this time, I reached out to a different artist about a different project, and we’ve been slowly picking away at that all these months. I’ll talk more on that below.
Amazingly, the Kickstarter went wild! We raised over $10,000 to fund the cover art, deluxe editions of the books, hardcovers, paperbacks, custom artwork, new maps, merch, legos, and more! The plan was to have everything fulfilled by November 2024, and things were progressing well through August. Everything was designed and formatted and orders were prepping to be placed—unfortunately, life has a way of throwing wrenches in things.
September-November 2024
On September 1st (no joke), we had a pipe burst in our kitchen which flooded our floors and walls. Around the same time, my cousin passed away. So, heartbroken and worried, I left for a weekend to attend the funeral, and when I got home we had our insurance company and a restoration company come in to assess the damage. (For any other adults who haven’t had to deal with this, don’t wait that long. Apparently you’re supposed to call the restoration company ASAP. Most of them are 24hr—we did not know this.)
I won’t get into the nitty gritty, but suffice it to say that we spent weeks living in half our house, and more weeks living in various airbnbs nearby. I did what I could on the Kickstarter during that time including production, some packaging, and organizing, but not everything was here yet, so I couldn’t send it out. We moved back home the day before Thanksgiving, and that Sunday, Brandon and I had to leave for Dragonsteel Nexus and were gone for a week.
December 2024
Dragonsteel was amazing, as always. Getting to see and hug all my far-away friends and meet new people is always so much fun. Plus we sold lots of books! Always a plus! I then took the rest of December off to spend time with my family, back in our own home. Before we knew it, 2025 was here.
January-February 2025
At the start of each year, I always choose a focus word. For 2025 I chose Receive. Already, I’ve enjoyed having that word around to remind me it’s ok to accept gifts and services and love and opportunities that are offered to me.
Productivity-wise however, January was a complete bust for me because—I realized after the fact—my ADHD meds had stopped working. Thankfully, my doctor adjusted them with me and by February I was doing much better. I finally got all the Kickstarter books and swag sent out, and could breathe a little sigh of relief.
March 2025
With the Kickstarter physical rewards complete, I finally had the free brain space to begin thinking of other things. I basically spent March playing catch-up! I finished up a few virtual rewards for the Kickstarter and am working on the final digital piece. I had the most amazing time selling books at my local renaissance festival for the third year, and can’t wait to do it again next year. I’ve also gotten back to editing podcast episodes, which I am soooo behind on, but we’re getting there. Mostly, I’m just grateful to be back to a sense of normalcy this month—finally.
What’s Next?
A Tale of Yabbuts and Wulbuts
I’ve written a picture book! This is the thing I mentioned above about reaching out to another artist. Last May, Karen Allen (@karenspren on Instagram) agreed to illustrate this for me. It’s a picture book I wrote years ago—we’re talking a decade and a half. Since Karen joined me I’ve been tweaking the text in spare moments, and she’s been hard at work on the pages. They’re so cute you guys. Look at this!
We’re launching a Kickstarter for this at the end of April and I hope you’ll come support this project. If you have small children or know someone who does, it’s a sweet story about being brave enough to set and hold boundaries. For me it’s been one of those projects of the heart that you don’t always get to see through, but I’m so grateful I do. Check out the pre-launch page by clicking here.
Unbroken Audiobooks
My big goal for the remainder of 2025 is to get at least one—preferably more—of my audiobooks produced and released. So many people have asked, and I really want to have them out, but I’ve always wanted to record them myself. I’ll likely hire out the editing though, because I have too much else on my plate to also do that.
Unbroken Tales Book 4: Deceit
I have about half of the outline for book 4 written down, though I can see the shape of the story in my head. I’ll probably poke at that when I can. I don’t know when I’ll have time to focus on it enough to draft, and I know it’s not going to be done this year, but fingers crossed for a Fall 2026 release.
Working Title: IronLace
A new thing for me… this story will be an Adult Fantasy (really more New Adult, if that’s still a thing by the time this is done) and the ideas have been inspired by songs on The Tortured Poets Department, which released last April, as well as some very poignant experiences I had during the difficult months of September through November. The story is complicated, and personal, and I’m sort of experimenting with some aspects of the craft, but I’m in love already. I don’t know when I’ll be able to focus my energy here, it only has like 75% of an outline, but I’m thinking I might query trad pub agents with this one when the time comes. We shall see.
Secretssss
I’ve also been lucky enough to have a brand new shiny project drop into my inbox lately, unfortunately I can’t say anything specific yet with it being so new. But when I’m able to, you’ll definitely hear about it.
Thoughts…
As always, my family is my first priority. I’m the primary parent of four kids ages seven to fifteen while my husband works a full-time job, and so most of my energy goes toward caring for my kids. I’m lucky if I get 40 work hours in each month, so I am extremely grateful for the patience of readers who will stick with me while I take my time to make sure each story and project is released at the highest quality I can make it.
The adage says, “comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s not wrong, but I’ve had to acknowledge over and over how difficult it is to avoid comparing myself to other authors. Seeing authors with a strong social media presence leaves me feeling like I’m missing out, or failing at that aspect of my career. Watching prolific authors churn out words and books at lightning speed makes me feel like I’m falling behind, even if my life is vastly different from theirs.
That’s a rabbit hole I don’t want to get stuck in. When I’m struggling with this, what I lean on most often is a decision I made many years ago. I watched my peers succeeding, getting agents and book deals and all the sparkly shiny things, and I saw an industry professional post (and I’ll paraphrase, because I don’t remember the exact quote): “Talent is great to have. Skill is necessary. But both of those will only get you so far. The ones who succeed do the work. Put in the time.”
I remember thinking then, “That I can do. And I will.”
Now, at this point in my life, I’ve honed my talent. I’ve trained my skills. And I will continue to write and work at this, one step at a time. If you’d told 30-year-old Darci where I am now, all the experiences I’ve had, and everything I’ve accomplished, I don’t know if she’d believe you. But I guarantee she’d want to believe you. Because where I am now is pretty damn close to where I wanted to be ten years ago. And that comparison makes me feel like a superstar.
Thanks for reading <3
-Darci
Teaser
From the current prologue of IRONLACE. Leave a comment to let me know what you think!
***
Moonlight casts thin shadows that cut the path before Elacia as she runs. Cool autumn air makes bumps rise on her bare shoulders, and for a moment she wishes she’d brought her shawl—but the warmth of Callum’s hand is a constant in hers.
The path—more of a game trail—is soft beneath her slippered feet. Recent rain adding to the fallen leaves and detritus of years past creates a blanket of the forest floor. Branches catch at the hem of her dress, and part of her knows her mother will chide her for the rips, but she can’t quite bring herself to care in this moment.
Callum slows to a quick walk and squeezes her hand, looking back at her. “We’re almost there.”
“Good.”
“Are you alright?”
“Of course.” She squeezes his hand in return. “What have I to fear when I’m with you?”
Callum’s answering grin lights a fire in her chest that flares as he leans in to kiss her. And in a heartbeat, a moment freezes in her mind. The scent of oak and soil around them; the heat of him beside her; the lace of her skirt gripped in her hand; the chill air and her eyes closed… this is something she will cherish forever.
As Callum pulls away, he runs a finger along her jaw. “Come.”
His excitement is a stimulant to her. She will never get enough. She’d been completely asleep when he’d knocked at her window, and though he’d never asked her to come out at night before, she hadn’t hesitated. She wants to be here.
In moments, they reach a small clearing. Perhaps a hundred paces beyond, Elacia can see a small fence, and lines of headstones fading into the darkness. The town cemetery.
“Here,” Callum says, going to the edge of the clearing. From the base of a shrub he reveals a lantern and drawstring pouch. Kneeling, he lights the lantern and begins to empty the pouch.
A thin blanket, a pouch of chocolates, and a bottle of wine. There is also a roll of thin twine, and a small, unmarked box, no bigger than an apple.
Elacia kneels to help him spread the blanket, then sits to watch as he sets out the picnic.
“Chocolate under the stars?” She tilts her head to one side. “How well you know me.”
Callum eyes her with a glint in his eye. “I hope you’d know I wouldn’t ask you to leave your home at midnight for only chocolates.”
“I do hope there is more.”
He sits beside her, opening the wine to take a sip, then offers it to her. She drinks, and watches him closely.
As she lowers the bottle, he ducks his head sheepishly. “There is something I…Lace, have you heard of the old magic?”
She nods. It was the tales of old myths, hardly spoken of in more than whispers and stories to frighten children into good behavior. But she had heard of it.
“I found this—” From his coat pocket, he pulls a palm-sized leather book. Even in the dim lantern light, the pages are fragile and yellowed with age. “—it speaks of a ritual used to create a magical bond. It says it was often used to bind friends, comrades in arms, family…lovers.” He looks up at her.
Elacia’s heart races frantically in her chest.
Lovers.
A question sits in his eyes, unasked, but she speaks it for him, her voice steady and clear. “Do you want to try?”
“I don’t know if it’s real—”
“It doesn’t matter so long as it’s real to us.” She rises to kneel before him, hands on her lap. “Read it to me?”
He kneels beside her, gesturing for her to lift the lamp as he flips open the book. They read together.
“It looks simple enough.” She places a hand on his forearm. “Cal?”
“I’m in if you are.”
She beams. “I am.”
They set the book down and prop it open with rocks, the lantern beside it. Together they follow the directions until, with their hand clasping each others wrists, the twine is woven around them in a pattern that brings to her mind the latticework where vines climb the side of her family’s home.
“Alright,” Callum says. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
Callum holds a twig into the lantern until it catches, then meets her eyes once more.
She nods her encouragement.
He holds the lit twig to the loose hanging twine, which immediately begins to burn toward their arms.
She knew it would hurt, and she lets it. So does he. And together, they speak aloud the words written in the book—words in a language they don’t understand, and yet feels right somehow.
Flame flickers across their skin. It feels to her like touching her hand to the stove when she was a child, but continuously in strategic places. After a few seconds, she finds it difficult to focus on the words in the book, her eyes beginning to water from the pain.
And then…it eases. The farther into the enchantment they go—if they could call it an enchantment—the less the heat seems to hurt. She can feel it, certainly, but it isn’t overpowering.
As they near the end of the stanzas, she glances to Callum, who has a smile on his face. He meets her gaze between words, before they both look back to finish the final line.
In the silence of the wood around them, the twine flares brightly for a moment, before crumbling to ashes before them, falling away from their arms. Elacia examines the patterns left behind on their skin. They weren’t burns, or scars, even…more like a tattoo, she thinks.
She begins to laugh, and Callum smiles. Without letting go of her, he reaches for the small box he’d brought. Part of her notes it has a hinge in the middle of one side, and a clasp keeping it closed on the other.
Time slows then, as many things happen at once.
A shout rises up from beyond their clearing.
Callum's hand slips away from hers.
A flash of blinding light floods over them.
Something slams into Elacia, and she feels herself thrown off the ground, through the air.
Everything goes dark, and unfortunately, she remembers nothing else.
***
The teaser got my attention!