I clearly remember the day I learned my debut novel, The Traitor’s Kiss, was being expanded to a trilogy. My agent called as I was driving a vanload of kids on a back highway in West Virginia, and after we hung up, I drove in a daze for another hour until we stopped for dinner, where I ordered a giant chocolate milkshake.

Steak'n'Shake fuels my soul

I was pretty high for the next couple of days. Then I suddenly realized I had to deliver two full novels in as many years, and while I had an idea where I wanted the story to go, it wasn’t enough to fill 700+ pages. It didn’t help that I was still in that debut author phase of thinking everything that was happening was a fluke, and any minute the balloon would pop.

Fortunately, it all panned out. The ideas began to flow and the words began to come. I’m not going to lie to you, though, the second book, The Traitor’s Ruin, was by far the hardest of the three to write and edit. With the first book, I wrote for sheer joy, spending weeks revising and smoothing, not knowing anything about the long road ahead and the ups and downs that would come. The second time, I was on a deadline and desperately trying to recreate the magic—both in the process and in the plot—that I’d stumbled into before and dreading the roller coaster ride that is publishing. Talking to other authors, that’s a common experience. (If you’re a writer working on a sophomore novel, I salute you and promise you can do it.)

The third time around was much more relaxed, partly because I got really excited when I realized where the plot of The Traitor’s Kingdom was going. Editing still required tough choices, but I was confident about making them and trusted the process. It also assured me that I could keep going with this writing thing. Getting published wasn’t a fluke. I’m an author, y’all.

My assistant editor pointing out an indefinite claws

And now, suddenly, what I worked on for over five years while living in three different states is done. Published. Technically, the last time I made changes to the third book was five months ago, so really, I’ve been finished for quite a while.

People keep asking me how it feels, and I’m not sure how to answer, probably because The Traitor’s Circle wasn’t the only part of my life that came to close these past months. Our two oldest sons graduated high school, and we shipped them off to college. My navy husband got orders to South Korea, so I withdrew the younger kids from schools here and registered them with a new one an ocean away. As I write this, my house is half empty as much of our furniture was packed away for years of storage. The rest of our stuff will be loaded into crates in a few days and we’ll meet it on the other side of the Pacific.

Me, realizing this move is actually happening

With so much going on, it’s been difficult to really reflect on the significance of ending this trilogy, though I think everything has helped me feel ready to move on to some new and exciting worlds both in life and in fiction.

I will be immensely grateful if you, Dear Reader, choose to join me.

The Traitor's Kingdom by Erin Beaty

Unlikely alliances are forged and trust is shattered in the stunning conclusion to The Traitor’s Trilogy.

A new queen under threat. 
An ambassador with a desperate scheme. 
Two kingdoms with everything to lose. 

Once a spy and counselor to the throne, Sage Fowler has secured victory for her kingdom at a terrible cost. Now an ambassador representing Demora, Sage is about to face her greatest challenge to avoid a war with a rival kingdom. 

After an assassination attempt destroys the chance for peace, Sage and her fiancé Major Alex Quinn risk a dangerous plot to reveal the culprit. But the stakes are higher than ever, and in the game of traitors, betrayal is the only certainty.