I published a novel that isn't mine.

in 2020 I founded a Publishing House called Lost Island press it was originally intended to be an outlet for my own work however since the release of my debut novel in 2020 I've published three other books by other authors through Lost Island it turned into something much bigger than originally intended my publishing house is probably the most labor intensive project of mine so I wanted to film this video to share my experience as a publisher and talk about a new book we released lone player by Julia Rosemary Turk but before we dive into the core of this video I want to first thank everyone who listened to the audio adaptation of my upcoming novel Nightshade Academy the prologue and 20 episodes cover the storyline of the book's first part so if you're eager to find out how Yoshi and Cal's reunion goes stick around until the end of this video for an exciting announcement so why do I publish well first of all I'm a huge advocate for sharing your work I believe art is meant to be spread and I shame those who physically Shield their work when someone looks over their shoulder just kidding I do the same uh because Works in progress are gory but if you have a finished piece share it you know get it out there let it live of course it wasn't always that simple it took me a long time to feel comfortable sharing my stories with people I the first time I got feedback on a work in progress was during the beta reading process for my debut novel leaving wishville when I sent the book out to a handful of people to gather constructive criticism I remember emailing that unpolished messy draft to everyone crawling into bed and shaking yes shaking I was terrified but guess what the world didn't tumble on orbit and crash into the sun I'm still here magically it's gotten much easier to share my work not easy but easier I firmly believe that no matter how mentally and physically terrifying it is to put your work out there you need to do it if you don't share a story it is it even a story at all really books are amazing you know books are so cool books allow you to connect with an absolute stranger on an emotional level instantly I can't think of many things outside of the storytelling realm that do that for people for example maybe you like mint chocolate ice cream uh you're very cool if you do and you meet a stranger who also likes Mitch chocolate chip ice cream uh awesome you both like mint chocolate chip ice cream but if you like the same book that says so much more you both lived in the same world hung out with the same characters and ended the journey with a positive experience it's a lot like sharing real memories crazy stuff knowing that readers can relate to my characters and be entertained by their Journeys is the most magical feeling in Milky Way galaxy and it's for the same reason that I publish other writer's books too because sometimes I come across a story that's not published and it speaks to me and I know it will speak to other people too and I want to help but do that I wanted to reach people and encourage connection one of the books that really spoke to me is Lone player by Julia Rosemary turk it is the first book in a science fantasy Trilogy that I'm publishing at lost Allen press and it is so good I read the first draft ages and ages ago and immediately fell in love with the story the vibe the characters and everything about it really so I was super excited to have the opportunity to work with Julia to get it published and here it is literally right here in my hands after months and months of digital collaboration I'm obsessed with the story and had a blast chatting with the author I'm about to show you a short preview of our online call and if you want to watch our full discussion it'll be on the Lost Island press YouTube channel I'll have a link in the description below one of the things that I love so much about the book is just how light-hearted it is at times and then how absolutely brutal and dark it goes this is the way it bounces between that it's just it's just so much fun yeah it's definitely a lot of fun to write what do you think was the most fun to write like was it those light-hearted moments or kind of the the grittier stuff oh that's a hard question um I really I really did enjoy writing like the lighthearted moments like definitely the the dialogue for me between the characters like during the more like peaceful moments were really fun Eddie and ren being so attitudinal towards each other and then of course um Eddie and Aaron like that was probably very one of my favorite parts to write about the whole book and you know exploring like sibling Dynamics and stuff too but at the same time I had a lot of fun writing the really like creepy comedy his character is another like really interesting thing for me but before uh talking about Duke uh I wanted to ask because I don't even know the answer to this do you have an end game ship like is it already solidified I I do you do but I'm just kind of like thinking about how to approach it I'm thinking about doing some um some evil author moves so oh no it was like I don't know like pulling both pulling several so yeah I wanted to talk to you about Duke because I don't know how I don't know what is witching but he just feels so normal but also so messed up I think I was trying to do that like I wanted him to seem like just you know this kind of like normal kid or whatever like you know and like establishing at the beginning him interacting with them at school he's just this like annoying dude you know like isn't really he's not important or whatever and then he just you progressively start to see oh wait a minute here's what happens it was definitely very challenging to make him still seem relatable and really horrible at the same time I gotta admit like as horrible as he is like I kind of feel for him in some way yeah the number one factor that determines whether or not I decide to pursue publishing a book is whether or not I love it and it impacts me emotionally and my god did this book do both of those things I was much more involved in the interior design process as well I never formatted any of my books before but I I collaborated with a tattoo artist and put this formatting together and I love it it's beautiful the pages are gorgeous if you're a fan of my books I think there's a high chance you'll enjoy lone players so please check it out I'll have links to learn more and purchase a copy in the description below alright now for the big news in addition to the launch of Lone player I've also been very busy with the upcoming launch of my fantasy Thriller novel Nightshade Academy it's coming out on November 11th in ebook paperback and hardcover that's less than three months from now and it's crazy but even crazier I will be Distributing Advanced copies to a selected group of readers next month yes next month September 15th I cannot believe it I'm literally working on the final draft as we speak to be eligible for an advanced ebook you must be willing to share an honest online review within three months of downloading your copy I'll have a link to apply in the description below and if you're interested uh please apply fast because I'm not going to be keeping applications open for long this time anyways that's all I have some fun videos planned I'm excited about them and I'm trying some new things so I'll see you soon