Hi guys,
SO...I have some news. Please bear with me while I give you a little background.
At the beginning of 2019, an unexpected family health crisis turned my entire life upside down.
Overnight, I became a caregiver. For the next three months, I spent almost every day taking care of my ailing parent, and my own family. When the day was done, I’d collapse. I was too tired to do anything but sleep. The Jezebel, the book I was set to write, wasn’t happening.
So, I made the decision not to publish again for the rest of the year.
But there was another story burning in my chest and it wouldn’t leave me alone. Soon, even exhaustion took a backseat to the characters that wouldn’t stop talking to me.
I started writing scenes in the snatches of time I was able to carve out of my packed days and
too-short nights.
Having this world as an escape - with all its music, art, heartache, hope, and most of all, love - kept me sane and optimistic. And as I got to know them, I became consumed by it.
9 months and nearly 300,000 words later, Beth and Carter was born.
I’m so proud of the beautiful, layered, and timeless story that unfolds on pages of their unforgettable journey to happily ever after.
I lifted my embargo on publishing again in 2019 because I couldn’t wait to share this incredible story with all of you.
Normally, when I’m done writing a book, I spend months editing it and planning how I’ll package and market it for sale.
But in my eagerness to meet deadlines I’d set, I wasn’t as meticulous about the process I normally follow.
As the book rolled out, I had this niggling feeling in my gut that I didn’t stop to explore because who has time for self-reflection?
I was busy.
I had everything planned for my release.
And most of all, I’d written a story that I loved and believed in.
So, I dismissed the niggling...
The other day, I got an email from my agent about an audio publisher’s interest in The Forever Trilogy.
It wasn’t an unexpected or novel question.
Publishing an audio version of my books is a goal I have for each of my books.
The email from my agent forced me to confront an uncomfortable truth that I’d been pushing away for months.
Instead of the enthusiastic “yes”, I should have written back, my first thought was “If I sell these to audio, that’s it. I won’t be able to change them.”
I found myself unable to commit the story to audio in its current form - I couldn't dismiss that niggling any longer.
And that, my dear Dreamers, brings me to the heart of this post.
Beth and Carter’s story is a very special one. It is unlike anything I’ve ever written, or read, before.
I want it to read like that.
I want it to look like that.
As it is currently, it doesn’t.
I can’t stomach the idea of it not shining as bright as I know it should.
I’ve decided that it is in the best interest of my reader’s experience, my artistic peace of mind, and my publishing integrity to pull the Forever Trilogy from publication.
I don’t take it for granted the time and money you spend on the books you read.
But I cannot, in good faith, leave them up when I feel this way.
You guys deserve better.
And frankly, so do I.
I’m going to give myself the time and space I need to give it, and my readers, the treatment - editing, packaging, marketing, and delivery they both deserve.
I know a lot of you loved it. I promise you that the core of the story is not going to change.
Beth and Carter are not going to change.
They, and their journey, are forever.
When you pick up a Dylan Allen book, I want you to have the best experience possible.
I don’t write fast, I don’t publish often, and I hate to pull the books down so soon after I published them.
My goal is for the story to be representative of who I am as an artist and a human being. For me, that is to give my readers and my stories the very very best I can.
I will re-publish the story. I’m not going to make you wait too long, but I don’t have specifics on dates to share right now. I’m really hoping that it will be this year and that I can release the audio, ebook, and paperback all at once.
For those of you own the books already on Kindle, as long you don’t delete it, it will always be there for you to read. If you borrowed it with Kindle Unlimited, it will be in your kindle until you return it. But you won’t be able to download it again once you do.
I'll leave the paperbacks up through the end of March.
I’m working on my next book, The Jezebel - which was the book that I was planning to write before the Forever Trilogy swallowed me whole. It’s writing itself and has got me grinning from ear to ear (when I’m not swooning or fanning myself) as I write it.
It will be out in May as planned.
I look forward to writing many, many more stories in the years to come.
Thank you for being incredible and supportive.
I’m always available by email on dylan@dylanallenbooks.com
If you have questions or want to send a message, please feel free to reach out.
Love,
Dylan.