Toxic Families, Weird Love, and The Forgotten Bruja Update
I’ve been watching The Miniature Wife, and listen… toxic couples? Messy families? People loving each other in the most complicated, unhinged ways possible?
Yeah. That’s right up my alley.
Not only do I love watching stories like that, but apparently, I also love writing them because that emotional chaos is all over The Forgotten Bruja.
So since we’ve gone there, here’s a little writing update:
I’m officially on the second draft of The Forgotten Bruja.
And not gonna lie, I’m moving slowly. Not because I don’t love the story. I do. Maybe too much. I think I’ve hit that “what happens after I finish?” fear that sometimes shows up when I’m close to moving a book into the next stage.
So I’m not hiding from it. I’m just naming it. Understanding it. Letting myself move at a pace that feels doable while still pushing myself to keep going.
Right now, I’m on the third scene, and I’m enjoying revisiting the beginning after finally drafting the entire book. The draft itself is actually pretty solid, but hear me out: that’s because I’ve already rewritten this story several times.
My “first draft” is usually not the draft I finish. I write halfway through, realize the story is not actually the story I thought it was, then I stop, outline what the book is really trying to become, and draft from there. I also edit as I go, because apparently I enjoy making the process more complicated for myself.
So this second draft is less about rebuilding everything and more about tightening the structure, pulling back where I need to, and strengthening the second act. There are certain mysteries and emotional threads that need to land harder before the third act transformation happens.
Because that transformation? It needs to feel earned.
After this second draft, I’ll listen to the entire manuscript and do a third draft. Then it goes to editors. After edits, that’s when I’ll open it up for ARC readers.
So if you’re into Dominican gothic horror, toxic family secrets, generational curses, messy women, buried truths, and families who pass down more than just recipes and trauma…
The Forgotten Bruja is definitely coming for you.
If you are as excited as I am and want to read an advance reader copy (ARC) sign up here
Leave a Reply