Lily Writes

Ten days. That’s all it took to draft a mammoth first pass of Goddess: Moonborn, book eleven of the Vanguardians. Trace Bogden and Caela Nyra simply refused to wait until after the New Year to tell their story. When characters decide it’s time, there’s really no negotiating.

Trace has always been my favorite kind of anti-hero—the Loki archetype. He plays by his own rules, rarely explains himself, and carries knowledge far older and deeper than he lets on. Peeling back who he is, why he knows what he knows, and how fiercely he loves Caela has been an absolute rush. Writing him cracked something open. I cried a lot during this draft—and I’m not embarrassed to admit it.

Trace feels deeply, even though emotions confuse him. Human feelings are messy, illogical, and inconvenient—and yet he learns to sit with them, grow through them, tolerate their weight. Eventually, he makes sacrifices for them. For her.

Caela’s arc begins from a very different place. She starts as… well, a Goddess. And the question becomes: where do you go from there? The answer is an origin story that isn’t linear at all. She’s a dreamer who stumbles into her power almost by accident—thanks to a friend, a twist of fate, and yes… Trace Bogden. But it takes her a long time to understand how deeply intertwined their stories truly are.

Their love story stretches across multiple Vanguardian books and threads through the Riders’ arcs as well. There are cameos. Easter eggs. Quiet moments that suddenly click into place—oh, that’s why that happened. Longtime readers will recognize those connections immediately.

But if this is your first Vanguardian story, don’t worry. Goddess: Moonborn stands beautifully on its own—epic, emotional, intense, and driven by conviction.

So let me ask you:

Do you believe in love?
Do you believe in fate?
Would you choose love—even when it’s difficult?

Fated mates doesn’t mean easy. Sometimes it means fighting with everything you’re made of.

Second chances. Third chances. Slow burn. This story has all of it.

Rewrites will have to wait until after company leaves (because—oh right—it’s the holidays… how did that happen?). In the meantime, I’ve received the galleys for King: New Astral Order. With only minor corrections left, that book will be released as a New Year’s Eve gift for readers. Arenap Hatcher finally gets his mate—and after everything Fate has put him through, he’s earned every ounce of happiness.

As I look ahead to the New Year—new stories, new series, and new readers—I want to say thank you. Your comments, emails, and enthusiasm mean more than you know. Readers are precious gifts to indie authors.

Much love, and the happiest of New Years.

Sometimes family is no longer with us, or unable to travel to be together for the Holidays. I’ve painted portraits of my mom, dad, sisters, brothers, husband, sons, daughter-in-law and grandson. They greet me in the kitchen and cook with me every day.