Two Years, One Realm, and a Whole Lot of Edits Later.
- Misty Hayes
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Story That Wouldn’t Let Me Go
I thought I was only writing a ghost story.
Turns out, I was rewriting myself.
Two years ago, I cracked open the first page of After Realm, thinking I knew where the story would go. What I didn’t expect? It would ask more of me than any other book I’ve written. More truth. More vulnerability. More grit.
And now, after countless drafts, a graveyard of deleted chapters, and enough coffee to power a small constellation, it’s finally almost ready.
Writing Through Fog and Fire
Editing After Realm felt like wandering through fog with only a caffeine compass and an emotionally charged map. Entire chapters were rewritten (some more than once). Characters demanded depth, then betrayed me halfway through a scene. Plot points crumbled like haunted ruins… only to be rebuilt stronger.
Some days, the words were spells.
Other days? I stared at my screen like it owed me rent.
But I always came back to it because this story matters.
Sneak Peek: When Bailey Sees Him Again
Sometimes, ghosts don’t come quietly. And grief doesn’t let go easily. The first crack in my sanity didn’t sneak in—it crashed through me in the form of Jude Northrup, standing in front of his own damn headstone, flickering between life and death. There was a bewildered look on his face, his nose scrunched in a way that was almost comical if it hadn’t hit like a punch to the chest.
I mirrored his gaze, frozen as my mind scrambled to understand what I saw: Spirit, ghost, a trauma echo, wearing Jude’s face, whatever he was, I didn’t care. All that mattered was that he was here.
Golden sunlight spilled down from above, brushing his features with warmth. It danced along his skin like some celestial promise, wrapping him in a glow that felt more like heaven than a hallucination. It was ethereal, beautiful, real—maybe too real.
I drank in every inch of him, every precious detail: the familiar bump on his nose, the soft wave of his hair imprinted onto my memory before he could fade. It was too easy to pretend he hadn’t died. The light in his eyes made it feel like, for once, something in the universe had finally gone right.
Then a cloud slid across the sun, dimming everything.
The illusion fractured.
Maybe I wasn’t awake at all. Maybe my body was still in a hospital bed, machines beeping steadily as I hallucinated my dead boyfriend lit up like heaven.
"Bailey."
Your Turn: Would You Read After Realm?
I want your thoughts!
👉 Vote in the official 3-second reader poll by clicking on the one you most agree with.
Let me know what vibes with your soul:
Bonus Download: Your (Unofficial) Survival Guide to Being Haunted
Because you never know when the dead might appear at your dinner party…
Download this fun (and only slightly sarcastic) guide to surviving a haunting:👉 Click here for the free PDF.
Coming Soon: Of Ice and Bloom ❄️🌸
While After Realm rises from the dead, another story has taken root—One of vines, frost, devotion, and a Queen who would burn the world to reach the King frozen beneath it.
Stay tuned, kindred spirit. We’re just getting started.
🖋️
xo,
Misty
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