Hello all to my first blog post of the year!
Well to start.. 2025 was a hectic year for me in more ways than one but lets say creatively, so I am going into 2026 with a plan. I attempted a Kickstarter – something I’d never thought about doing until now – to support my work and see whether crowdfunding could be a viable path forward.
Like some of my previous first attempts, it didn’t quite land the way I was hoping to be. This disheartened me at first by a lot as people liked supporting me before, but I decided to use the space to step back and reflect on what I’ve learned from the experience.
I say timing was one of the biggest lessons, I decided to launch this crowdfunding project at the start of the year when most people are financially stretched, I didn’t really think about this until the campaign was launched. I also learnt how much work it takes to do this sort of thing alone, but it was more of the emotional and mental energy it took from me was a surprise.
I could go into more, but I will hold off for now.
Anyway, I have decided to switch things up with a different approach.
With what I’ve got planned now I will be funding future stages of my work gradually by myself as an independent author or other means. I will be continuing to sell my existing copies of The Trip Between the Two at book fairs, and giving myself the space to enjoy being an author again.
I’ve got a new project in the works, a new fantasy story set in a workplace – something a bit lighter in tone and different from what I’ve written before.
I will not be revealing the title until it’s completion, but for now I will just call it “Project Overlook”. At this current stage I’ve got a brand new notebook full of notes & world building plans, written the prologue and I’m currently 5 chapters in by the time I’m posting this.
What can I tease? It’s the same town as my previous work, it’s a workplace fantasy, the main character will be called Gwen.
I have sorted out a BuyMeACoffee page for those who want to keep me motivated while writing, you can find it here.
Alongside this, I’ve also set up a Substack page. This will be a space where I can share my writing directly, without pressure, and allow stories to exist at their own pace. From Monday 2nd March to Monday 26th October, I will be releasing Between Us, There is a Wish in chapters, giving it a home where it can finally be read in full (from October).
This approach allows me to focus on the writing itself, and to share it gradually rather than all at once. Substack will also serve as a place for future work and updates as new projects develop.
If you’d like to follow along, you can visit my Substack here:
https://meganleyman.substack.com
You might think it’s a bit weird that last month I was asking for support regarding the production process and now I’m releasing the story for free (in parts). The story can still be published but I have had the manuscript for Between Us for quite some time and I want to share it with the world. Plus the breaks I have had, I’ve somewhat lost the momentum of trying to build up my audience, so this will help.
Thank you to everyone who supported, shared or encouraged me along the way. This isn’t an ending – I’m just re-calibrating.
I’m looking forward to seeing what this new path will bring, thanks for reading.
Megan
P.S. What do you think of the new website layout? Also on Friday I will be announcing my first book fair appearance of 2026.
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