There is a strange moment in the creative process when something you invented begins to feel as though it has always existed. At first, it is only an idea. Maybe there is a harbor. A winding street. A bridge stretching across the water. You add a few old buildings, blooming flowers, and a lighthouse standing…
Sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away. This week, I finished the working draft of Heart of the Storm, the final book in my Before the Order trilogy. Have I mentioned that I’m reworking Prelude to a Storm? Let me back up a little bit. When I first released Prelude to a…
For a long time, my creative projects have felt like separate pieces. There were the books I wrote as Cecily Magnon. There were the coloring pages and now BinderScenes I’ve created through PandaTudePress. Then there were the notebooks, coloring books, and other products I published under the publishing home’s name — 12 Angels Publishing. Each…
Last week, I talked about some of the fictional worlds I’d love to visit — The Wizarding World. Velaris. Crescent City. And it got me thinking. What is it about certain imaginary places that makes us want to step inside? Obviously, magic helps. Give me a castle, a few ancient beings, some mysterious powers and…
Last week, I shared a little more about the person behind 12 Angels Publishing. This week, I thought I’d share a little more about the why behind it. When I first started 12 Angels Publishing, I thought mostly about books. Stories. Characters. Strange worlds and magical places that existed somewhere between my imagination and the…
If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you may have noticed something. Sometimes I write as Cecily Magnon. Other times, you’ll see the name Mignon. So today, I thought I’d share the story behind that. The short version? They’re both me. When I began writing fiction, I chose the pen name Cecily Magnon.…
For those of us in the United States, the Fourth of July is a time to celebrate independence. We gather with family and friends, watch fireworks light up the sky, and reflect on the liberties that shape our lives. As a fantasy writer, though, I’ve found myself thinking about freedom in a different way. Not…
Not every creative season looks impressive from the outside. A lot of creativity happens quietly. It happens before work. Late at night. In unfinished drafts, scattered notes, rough sketches, and ideas that may never fully become anything at all. This month reminded me that progress doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s publishing a story. Sometimes…
This isn’t a big launch update. It’s more of a revamping update. I’ve been in limbo with 12 Angels Publishing for years. It’s been there, but I have not given it the commitment it deserved. It has taken me this long to get my act together and build some discipline to sustain a workflow I…
Some days, building something meaningful doesn’t look big. It looks like one page. One idea. One quiet step forward. Lately, most of my progress with 12 Angels Publishing has been happening in small, consistent moments. Early mornings before the day job. A few minutes jotting down ideas. A chapter draft that isn’t perfect, but started.…
