Casting Shadows
but really, a little light behind the scenes.
I tend to write fiction a bit sideways.
Truth slips in quietly. Between lines. Inside metaphors. Hidden with intention and just enough that the people meant to recognize it will feel it.
By the time you’re reading this, Casting Shadows should officially be out in the world, which feels both surreal and strangely inevitable.
Some truths belong to the story itself. Those ones I’ll leave for you to discover when you’re ready.
But a few things feel like they want to be said here.
1. This book came faster than the first. At least it feels that way. Writing has a strange way of collapsing time… weeks disappear, characters start making decisions without you, and suddenly you’re holding something that didn’t exist before.
2. This isn’t a sequel. Some familiar characters walk through these pages, but you don’t need to know where they came from to understand where they’re going. Still… if you do know, there are little moments waiting for you.
3. Halfway through writing, another story interrupted completely. I had to stop and outline a different book that refused to wait her turn. I’m taking a small pause now to be present with my family before diving back in. But Elle isn’t done yet. Not even close.
4. The podcast stories woven into this book are based on real-life experiences. Some stories insist on being told more than once, in more than one way.
5. The crow is intentional. Crows represent the path of power. Awareness, transformation, and the moment you choose to see clearly instead of comfortably.
6. I’m not Team Jace. Or Team Ethan. Sometimes healing looks like recognizing that neither option was ever right. (Thanks, Clean BDE💋)
7. The energetics explained in the book actually work. Hidden inside a story but available for you to use, protect yourself and heal.
8. If I had to choose… Hattie would be my favourite.
9. I will always believe people are capable of choosing the light, even after they’ve spent years learning how to survive in shadow.
10. I wholeheartedly believe time isn’t real.
11. I make a point of never saying ‘I agree’ to anything.
12. And just so you know… the ending isn’t the end.
Thank you for reading. For noticing. For finding what was meant for you.
I’ll meet you inside the story.
Love Mel
XX
Photo by: Semyon Borisov