In August 2011, I first started writing my contemporary YA romance novel, The Crush.

Three drafts and what is now an entirely different plotline later, I’m (at the time of writing this post on May 25, 2019) 2.5 chapters away from completing my third novel.

*Cue Happy Screaming*

Right now, I’m on the verge of completing Chapter 18, leaving the climatic Chapter 19 and the ending in Chapter 20.

But also right now, writing Chapter 18 has been testing my patience. XD

After flying through writing the last couple chapters in April (writing 11.5k words), I’m slowly trudging through this chapter and desperately wanting to finally. finish. this. dang. book.

It’s been the longest haul ever. I can’t count the number of times I’ve contemplated giving up on this book in its earliest drafts. It’s nowhere near the story I first started writing back at the beginning of my senior year in high school.

Now I’ve been out of college for two years, and while I love the new version of this story to death, I’m ready to start working on another WIP.

But, first, these last few chapters….

So… when will I be releasing The Crush?

In my first post mentioning The Crush, I estimated that I may publish it later this year, or in early 2020; however, my schedule has changed a lot since then. At the time this post goes live, my boyfriend will have recently switched from a third-shift job to a first-shift job, so I’m now adjusting to our hang-out schedule and will have to see how it affects my current work schedule as an author and blogger. I work a full-time job, so I have to work on author/blogger responsibilities during my freetime.

I’ve also had some thoughts about taking an extended hiatus from publishing more books until I’ve completed more of my WIPs and have a backlog of sorts. I feel like I’ve rushed through writing The Crush during this draft and don’t want to rush to publish it. Like the old man from Toy Story 2 said, “you can’t rush art.” I want it to be as perfect as possible before releasing it to the world. I’ve been extremely nervous about this novel finding the audience it needs, as I’ve had a difficult time performing that task for my first two releases.

But God’s got this.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

Are y’all excited for The Crush? What’s your favorite contemporary YA romance novel?

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀