Waiting is boring, so I’m sharing it now.

THE TITLE AND RELEASE DATE OF THE SECOND IRON HEX BOOK IS…

THE IRON OATH

and it releases on May 11, 2027. That means once you devour THE IRON HEX, you’ll only have 8 months to wait for THE IRON OATH!

There’s so much more to come about THE IRON OATH, but you’re going to have to wait to hear about it until after August 4th. After that you’ll get a little blurb about what it’s all about, the COVER!!!! (I haven’t seen it but I cannot wait to see it you know??) and more art hehehe (yes I’m already commissioning book 2 art ok?)

It’s kind of wild getting to write the name down! I’ve been calling it TIH2 for so long! It feels like freedom!! I had a time naming this book, and the first working title seemed really cool until I realized it was another name for a tooth so…it got workshopped. I kind of love the convention of THE IRON ___ and I think you’ll probably all have a lot of fun trying to figure out what book 3 will be called!! I do have a working title for that and no you don’t get to know it yet.

Those with keen eyes may have seen this floating around on retail websites and Goodreads in the past few weeks. Thanks for keeping it quiet, you’re the real ones.

BTW there’s another giveaway for THE IRON HEX on goodreads right now, and it’s PROBABLY the last before the book releases. Go forth!

More coming very soon.

With love,
Vic

If you preorder an edition of THE IRON HEX with any of the ISBNs on this page, then all you need to do is submit your proof of purchase and your Canadian or United States address and my publisher will send you a signed bookplate AND two pieces of art from evasoloart (on IG) in a custom TIH art folder!

This means you can preorder from your favorite indie, Amazon, Audible, Kindle, Kobo, B&N, Indigo….wherever books are sold!!!

I’ll be signing a few of the bookplates in gold as a special treat so you might even get a rare bookplate when you get yours!!

CLAIM YOUR PREORDER INCENTIVE HERE

I cannot WAIT for you all to read THE IRON HEX. Coming soon will be a substack all about the playlist that you’ll find in the book, and I’ll even have a couple of songs for specific chapters if you really want the vibe I had while I was writing.

With love,
Vic

Today is a little update of things you may want to know re: preordering and tour!

FIRST! I’m in edits for the second iron hex book!! Yay!! So excited and also you should all be excited because this will NOT be a GRRM Rothfuss situation. My series get finished.

TWO! We have an amazing preorder incentive for THE IRON HEX! Preordering is the SINGLE most important thing you can do for an author, and it’s even more important for a debut. Preorder numbers not only count as sales week one (and I want to list! I’ll be honest!) but they also show stores that books are in demand. Then they order more, and then more books get sold. It’s very VERY important.

With that said, I want to give you a little incentive for preordering. This incentive is for copies of TIH purchased ANYWHERE (with the right ISBN). Your local indie, B&N, Indigo, AUDIBLE? And even e-book.

All you need to do is go to this link, submit your receipt and address and then my publisher will send you a SIGNED CUSTOM BOOKPLATE and a custom folder with TWO pieces of art in it!!!

ALSO! If you’re in the US, you can preorder from TALKSHOPLIVE. This version COMES with a different, exclusive signed bookplate and then you can still submit for the preorder incentive. Two signed bookplates, and the folder and the art. I honestly think it’s a FANTASTIC incentive.

THEN!! I’m going on TOURRRRR!!!

ALL TOUR DETAILS ARE HERE! But I’ll be in LA, Temecula, Dallas, and NYC the week of The Iron Hex releasing!! Dress code is FAB, wear a gown or a tux or a corset or your fave ren faire fit. I’ll be doing personalized signed copies and the ticket price includes a hardcover!!

On the writing side, I completed Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀!! Editing now, and excited to share it with everyone soon. ALSO, came up with a totally new idea that I’ve been working on in the background. Very happy with it. Can’t share more.

Ok that’s all for now, I’ll be back soon!! Like actually, I promise!!

With love,
Vic

I keep needing to remind myself that I’m still a girl outside of my authorship and you all care about it. So, without further ado, here is an update on Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 and a bunch of the stuff I’ve been loving lately ☺️

Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀

This project is coming along swimmingly while I wait for my edit letter for TIH2! It should be coming in the next few weeks and I’m hoping to get at least 70% of this draft done by the time it arrives. We’re on track for that! I was ORIGINALLY hoping to have it all done, but I took some time to clean up the first 100 pages to send to my agent, so that took up some of my writing hours. The book is dark and gothic and the layers and layers of tension are unfolding as I progress through the story. It’s SO different from THE IRON HEX and it’s been super fun jumping into a new world.

Pokemon Pokopia

Oh…oh guys I’ve been taken hostage by this game. Every once in a while a video game entraps me, steals me. Mass Effect, Skyrim, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing….any other Pokemon game….Fable when it comes out later this year….you get it.

Right now it’s Pokopia.

Guys this game is so good. My husband and I used our aeroplan points to get a switch 2 which happened to arrive the same day I discovered that Pokopia was releasing soon. I bought it day one. I’ve played too many hours.

I’m addicted. Building houses, making habitats, making pokemon happy…it’s truly a Game of the Year contender. A console pusher. People will buy a Switch 2 just for this game.

I AUDIBLY screamed when Charizard showed up, and gasped when I saw an Eevee. I’m utterly haunted as I search for all of the eeveelutions, frantically figuring out how to get a jigglypuff. I’m a woman possessed — and I’m overjoyed about it.

My FIRST SIGNING!!!!

I went to Winter Institute a few weeks ago and it was an INCREDIBLE experience, even though I got hella sick after.

1. I got to meet with the incredible Harper team that is working on getting THE IRON HEX out there. They were amazing.

2. I got to meet so many lovely authors who I had been fans of for a while, and some who I became fans of that very day through seeing how lovely they all were!

3. I got to meet so many indie booksellers who were excited for TIH and who knew who I was. It was truly awe-inspiring to see how many people lined up to get a signed copy of my book

It’s not lost on me how special of an experience it is to be invited to Winter Institute, and I am so, so grateful to have gotten to go. I have another event very soon in New York, but tickets sold out in like 5 seconds flat so I didn’t get to post about it. If you’re going, I’m so excited to meet you!!

Selkie’s Spring Drops

My fave clothing brand has been FEEDING us and I am SO excited for spring outfits to come from them. I’ve been SUPER into pale pinks lately, as well as this pastel rainbow fit that they sent my way. You can shop their stuff here, code victoriashaz gets you 10% off if you’re so inclined (and I get a kickback!)

I truly believe that dressing whimsically is a HUGE hack for getting comfortable in your own body. Once you’re brave enough to stand out, you worry less about what people are saying or thinking. Once you worry less about what people are saying or thinking…well, it becomes VERY easy to love yourself just a little more.

I’m getting super excited to plan event outfits! But NO, I don’t know what any sort of tour stuff looks like yet. I will get you all those details ASAP, trust and believe.

What I’ve Been Reading!

I’ve been blessed with arcs for two upcoming books from my friends that I’m VERY excited for!

The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne by Summer N. England releases next month and I’ve been LOVING it.

DEATHSWORN by Meg Smitherman hit my inbox the other day and I am positively SALIVATING to get into it. No link to buy yet, but go get her other books!!

Alright, I think that’s all from me today!

I’ll be back with more soon, and it’ll be bookish updates because I’m SURE there’s more coming down the pipeline that I can share soon!!

With love,
Vic

I TOOK A BREAK BETWEEN BOOK ONE AND TWO!

Last spring/summer I took several weeks off, stepping out of the world of TIH and out of the heads of Eira, Hugo and Rhona so that I could reset. For me, if I had jumped right back into writing TIH2, then I genuinely don’t think it would have been as nice of a process as it was. Taking the break meant that when I stepped back into the world of TIH I was excited about getting back to the characters, and it felt like I was greeting an old friend instead of being tired of them at the end of the night.

Now that I’ve submitted book 2 in The Iron Hex trilogy to my editor, I’m in that same position I was last year….and I’m taking another break to work on Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀! (so no, not an actual writing break, just writing something different)

For those who don’t know, Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 is the first book in my planned duology for AFTER The Iron Hex. It’s a completely new world, new characters, and a TOTALLY different vibe. It’s gothic, dark, full of monsters and magic and mystery and I’m in LOVE with the story. I really can’t say much, but my goal in the next 45 days while I wait for my edits on THE IRON HEX is to actually finish the first draft! I’ve already got 30k words down (this has been my special project that I work on in small breaks for the last six months or so) and I think I’m going to fly through the rest.

I’m trying to figure out what I can tell you without being TOO spoilery…let’s try this:

• A gothic-inspired, magic-less, dark world

• Love triangle!

• Lust and yearning and passion

• A FMC who is a conniving menace (I adore her)

I REALLLLLLLY can’t say anything more, but I hope I can soon!!

In addition to finishing this draft, I DO need to actually finish my outline for TIH3, the FINALE!! So much pressure, so I’ve been cooking on the plot for a long long time and I want to make sure it’s the finale that the series deserves. The intensity ramp from book one to book two is a LOT and I want it to be even more with book three!

AND! We’re getting close to release for THE IRON HEX!! This means I’m going to be at events and announcing a great many things on my various pages. You’ll see them here, but if you want to know about in-person events as they get announced make sure you follow my IG!! That’s sort of my hub for all things Victoria S. Walsh.

ALSO! If you’re Canadian (specifically in the GTA) and you’ve always wanted to go to a fantasy ball, I’ll be the featured author at FAETED FANTASY on May 2nd! We’ll have Iron Hex goodies and stuff as well!! I think there are a few tickets left, so I wanted to flag it here now, while I had you.

Is everyone excited for THE IRON HEX to release? I sure am hahahaha. I can’t wait for you all to get to meet Eira and Hugo and Rhona and everyone else that I can’t really talk about yet. There’s also a new character in book two that I think you’re all going to ADORE.

Ok that’s all! Lmk if you have any writing advice you want me to make posts here about!

With love,
Vic

I’ve spent almost all weekend working on my various deadlines, and I thought it would be fun to chat a bit about how tf I’m juggling so many projects right now. It’s new to me, and I’m having an interesting time navigating it.

FIRST! I have new THE IRON HEX art!! It might be my favorite yet. I’m GAGGED, it’s gorgeous. Inn Green strikes again with her talent!

Alright, here’s what’s on the plate for the next week for me:

1. Editing the first draft of IH2

2. A final final FINAL pass of the laid out version of THE IRON HEX

3. aaaaand finishing the first draft of Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀

I had a friend ask me today why I wanted to be done Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 by the end of February/Mid March and I was like “oh, bc I have 1.1 million other projects” and it made me realize that this publishing journey is truly in part about figuring out how to find the balance of getting books done and making sure your books are stellar.

I have high ambitions, and a lot of writing horsepower behind me, so I’m not struggling TOO much, but I have been having to figure out how to split my time.

Splitting my time is not my forte (yet). For edits on THE IRON HEX, I would drop everything and just work on those, putting things aside. But…I can’t just put things aside in this moment, I have timelines and deadlines that are just days apart!

So, the past four days, I have developed my ✨strategy✨

Here it is:

1. During the day I work on edits for IH2, this is until dinnertime approximately. I also film and edit and take meetings about mortgages (mortgage renewals are hell and I have a personal vendetta with the mortgage industrial complex but don’t get me started) and also sometimes do photoshoots for friends (Valkyrie Collection) or photoshoots for me (doing a fun selkie one this week hehe). Anyways, I’m busy during the day.

2. I make dinner/Maybe I order in because I’m currently obsessed with chipotle (one finally opened in my town and it’s gluten-free safe for my eczema-prone ass).

3. After dinner I assess what needs more work. Am I further behind in the final review of THE IRON HEX? Then I work on that. If I’m HELLA far behind on the edit, I work on THAT. It gives me a chance to keep everything at a similar stage, AND lets me not feel guilt over working on one thing over the other.

4. Then, usually around 8pm, no matter what, I pivot to the final final review of the pages of THE IRON HEX. It calms me. It looks pretty. I don’t need to edit it much at all, it’s a peaceful experience.

Et voila! My day is done! Wahoo! I sleep and do it all over again. I am overjoyed doing this, I am living my dream. No sarcasm, I mean it.

Juggling several stages of several books at once is an art I’m going to need to get very used to, because I plan on doing this for the rest of my long, long life.

ALSO! THE IRON HEX is on NETGALLEY!! If you’ve been yearning for an early review copy that you can dig your teeth into now, you can apply! We’re currently number 21 of the most requests SFF books on the platform, and nearly in the top 60 of the most requests in ALL genres. Crazy, wild, you’re all amazing.

If you apply and get approved let me know!

Alright, I’m going to make a hot chocolate in my new velvetiser and MAYBE buy a new paper republic journal. Have a beautiful week my lovelies!

With love,
Vic

You may remember the post I made touting how fun it was to write a sequel at the start of the book a few months ago. That post still rings true…………when you’re starting a book.

After the first little bit of the book? Writing a sequel gets much much more difficult.

I was plagued with questions like:

Would my character actually act like this?

Are they too different from the first book? Is this character development too fast?

And then other things like:

Did I introduce this character too quickly? Did I introduce them too slowly?

Do I do enough to build up this new character’s motivations in a real way?

Turns out, it’s quite…stressful if you let it be stressful. And for a little while, I did. I keep thinking that this book took me a long time to write, because I had to take pauses in between writing this book and editing THE IRON HEX (also also writing 20k of Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 because I literally couldn’t stop myself). But, when I actually think about it, I wrote this first draft in about six and a half months, which I think is pretty good.

Once I had jumped into the world of Astra again, I realized I had a LOT to do in this book. The second book can sometimes suffer from a sophomore slump, and I’ve been committed to not letting that happen, which means that this book is JAM packed with action and adventure and drama…it also means that I had to do a LOT of balancing.

I can’t say much about the plot because I’m not trying to spoil the first book, but this second instalment was a balance of growing my characters (sometimes for the worse) and developing new ones (I think you’re going to be OBSESSED with one person in particular), and that’s tough when you're also keeping a breakneck intense action-packed pace.

This is a first draft, so it obviously is going to go through an edit in the next three weeks before I send it over to my editor but for me, the hardest part of writing is getting the full story down. Once the edits are in progress, that always feels a little bit easier to me. We’ll see if that rings true this time too.

I TRULY think I stuck the landing, though. I’m very very pleased with the last 10k of the story and the way I wrapped it up. Earlier today, as I was writing the last chapter, I had one of those moments where the character told me what was needed for the final section of the book, and honestly? I think it just makes so much more sense than what I had originally planned.

All in all I am SO excited to be done this first draft! Celebrations all around!

Next up: Editing the first draft to send into my editor. Once I’m done with that, I’m going to be finishing the first draft of Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀. I cannot wait for this, I have been CHOMPING at the bit to dive back into this new world I’ve been creating

THEN? Finalizing the outline for the third (and final!) Iron Hex book! I also need to finalize a title…haha…I wish I was kidding.

And THEN!?!?!!? THE IRON HEX RELEASES!!! AHHHH!!!

It’s going to be a busy year, and I cannot wait.

With love,
Vic

Q1 (Jan-March)

I started 2025 off with a bang. I wasn’t done THE IRON HEX, but I wanted to be done. I needed to be done. I spent 10-12 hours a day writing and editing in January in preparation for reaching out to agents…which I did in February.

Before we get into this though, I went to New York TWICE. Once for Dimension 20 live, and then two weeks later for NEW YORK FASHION WEEK!?! I was invited by Selkie to the show and I was…overjoyed. I love the brand, you all know, but seeing bodies like mine on the runway?? So inspiring. I was honoured to attend, and honoured to witness the show.

I’ve talked about this before, but I had a very good querying process. I’ll be honest, sometimes I find it hard to talk to people about the hardships of querying because I didn’t have to deal with what everyone else did. I reached out to a handful of agents, I had an internal ranking…and my top pick (Jenny!) responded and decided to represent me.

To be also honest, I didn’t expect this all to happen as quickly as it did but I am so grateful it happened how it did. As soon as I signed the representation contract I felt like my world opened up, and the door to my dreams was finally opening. When I made my vision board for 2025 I had “published author” all over it. I take my manifesting seriously and I WORK to get what I want done, and this was such a fantastic way to start my year.

My agent brought back some edits to me for THE IRON HEX so that it was ready for submission, and I needed to get those edits done before the end of March so I could go to Japan and not worry about working.

So, I did. I literally edited and edited and then edited some more and then three days before I left for Japan I sent in the submission section so that TBA could submit while I was across the country.

Q2 (April to June)

I spent almost all of April in Japan. It was a life changing trip, and was SO amazing. Star Wars celebration was SO fun, and spending time in Japan was such a great way to…not worry about the submission process.

I actually kind of loved it? I would wake up with all of the meeting requests/passes in the mornings in Japan and wouldn’t be waiting on pins and needles all day. It took SO much of the pressure off. I took late night meetings with editors and then when I returned to Canada, we went to auction the next day.

Then, I sold THE IRON HEX trilogy and made my dreams come true. It didn’t feel real, and it also felt like every puzzle piece I had been searching for was falling into place.

The rest of this quarter I spent writing other works while I waited for edits, and then editing THE IRON HEX. (You’ll see this a lot this year). I saw Kendrick Lamar and SZA, I cultivated my audience on social media even more and I started getting excited about announcements about my book.

Q3 (July to September)

This was the edit phase of the year. I wrote the first 30% of the second IRON HEX book, and in this three month period I went back and forth with my editor at MIRA with edits on the first book. It was a relatively uneventful few months, but I enjoyed summer and I revelled in creating new routines around writing and editing and balancing it all.

I did tag along on a trip to Dublin with Eric for his work…it was a fine trip but it was the first time I’d gone somewhere in a long time and I felt my mental health dip. I had the WORST body dysmorphia there, for no good reason.

With each edit round I felt better and better about the book, and also got so SO sick of reading it by September. The break before copy edits was so needed, phew.

Also, I realized in September that I might need to go gluten free for my eczema. I denied this for several more weeks.

Q4 (October to Now)

I started this month by actually processing that I needed to go gluten free and started testing if gluten flared my eczema.

It does.

Ugh.

Copy edits came in for THE IRON HEX and I took a crazy trip to the UK. We went to Thornbury Castle on a gifted stay (crazy and amazing), we attended a ball (a gifted ticket) and I got to experience Edinburgh for the first time.

Edinburgh changed me. I loved it. It’s the most beautiful city I’ve ever been to and I loved the vibe and the energy. I have no intention to leave Canada, but if I ever did…it would be to go to Edinburgh. We announced THE IRON HEX’s cover while I was in Edinburgh and it just had me on such a high that day. I cried walking through the Royal Mile that afternoon, just so so happy that I am making my dreams happen.

I came home, finished my copy edits and approved things like maps and page layouts and had a DELICIOUS meal for my birthday dinner and now we’re here. Two weeks until the end of the year.

And I’m manifesting.

2026 & How I Manifest

Manifesting is something I used to think was bullshit but I really believe in it now. Here’s the thing though, manifesting is worth nothing if you just hope. The true point of manifesting is envisioning your goals, and then making choices and working towards those goals. You cannot get what you want without working for it.

So, as I explain what I do please know that I spend every single day also working towards those goals. I’m very pragmatic, and I’m a workaholic. I think it’s a good thing, but sometimes my friends worry I work too much. I don’t think I do.

Vision Boarding

Every year I make a collage vision board to go on my home screen of my phone. Every single time I unlock my phone I look at the vision board. These vision boards look like images of things I want, phrases I want and goals I want to meet. They’re also pretty! But the most important thing is seeing it every single day. Seeing it reminds me of what I want, and it helps me work towards it.

This year, I’ve made a second one that is the wallpaper of my laptop. I spend 8+ hours a day on this thing, so it’s silly if I don’t have my vision board here too.

Writing What My Life Looks Like This Time Next Year & Writing Away the Bad

Alright, near NYE I go to a cafe alone for a few hours. I listen to a playlist (usually my manifesting one) and I do three things.

1. I write down every single bad thing that happened this year. I burn that page later, to release all of the bad things.

2. I write down a list of everything I want. I use this in my full moon rituals for the first few months of the year.

3. I write a journal entry of what my life is like in December of the next year. This year it’ll be a journal entry for December 2026. You write this as if every single dream has come true, you write a catalog of what your life is like. This is SO important. It will help you envision how you’ll feel. I love doing this.

Don’t Fucking Talk about It

Do not tell people your journal entries. Don’t show people your vision board. Don’t post it online. Keep it to you, let it be the compass that guides you. I keep mine a secret and I encourage everyone else to do it too.

2025 was one of the best years of my life, and I think 2026 is going to be even better. I cannot wait for you all to read THE IRON HEX next year, and the rest of the series after that. 2025 was the year of all of my working towards my dreams coming to pass.

And now, now I have more dreams. Bigger dreams. I have gotten through the door that is my dream job and dream life and now there are several more doors ahead of me. I can’t wait to unlock them, open them, and keep my dreams going.

I can’t wait for you all to manifest and make your dreams happen too.

I wish you all an amazing 2026 ♥️

With love,
Vic

Do you like this format of updates, or would you prefer written over here on substack?

With love,
Vic

Hiring artists to portray my characters is so fun and it’s SUCH a great marketing tool. 10/10 would recommend for authors looking for an easy eye-draw for their social media videos! (btw, would y’all want some how to market books on social media substacks?)

ANWAYS! Here it is!!

This MAY be my fave one yet, and it is directly from a scene within THE IRON HEX (the outfits in the art are different, but the scene is from the book!!!)

Do you love it?

With love,
Vic

1. Whitney got cast on DWTS, she has a dancing background, this is not new for a cast member of the show from my understanding.

2. She has been KILLING it on the show, I’ve seen the dances and she’s great.

3. People don’t like her for myriad of reasons. Whether it’s that she’s unlikeable (we’ll get to that later), or she’s too good at dancing to win, or that people have eaten up the edits that she gets on SLOMW that make her into the villain (who knows how true those are, but I lean on the side of…it’s not really reality. It’s edited).

4. The most recent season of Mormon wives released last week right before the DWTS semi-finals, and Whitney said that she came back to SLOMW so that she could audition for DWTS in one of the reality show’s episodes.

5. Despite getting nearly perfect scores, Whitney was voted off of DWTS after the release of season three of SLOMW

Would you believe it if I told you that people are calling Whitney too ambitious for…taking an opportunity that was presented to her? If you are surprised, I envy your positivity. If you aren’t, we’re in this together.

To me, when I saw the video where Whitney said “hey, I’m coming back to SLOMW so that I can audition for something that would make my dreams come true" I was like, oh, ok, that makes sense. Whether you think she’s the villain is irrelevant here, it makes sense that she’d want to audition for something she wanted to make happen.

Then I saw the reaction, and I was disappointed but not surprised. People (mostly other women!! which is even more disappointing!) are saying that it was manipulative and calculating for her to come back to the show to be able to audition, as if the other girls on the show aren’t using the show to propel their own careers. And listen, I think they ALL should use the show to boost their other projects. Take your life by the reigns, push forth, do the thing!

What this feels like to me, a watcher who is seeing it all not from within the fandom, but from the outside looking in, is that people don’t like that Whitney is open about what she wants, what she doesn’t, and what she’s going for. It’s hard for people to see someone so boldly going for something they want, and it’s even HARDER for some people to see it when they don’t like how that person acts. Unfortunately though, people are allowed to pursue their dreams, even if you don’t like how they handle social situations on a reality TV show. Quite frankly, as an ambitious woman, I found it refreshing for Whitney to say it out loud, publicly, where everyone would know what she wanted…even before it happened. There was the possibility when she did that interview, transparent and clear about her goals, that she wouldn’t get DWTS. It was vulnerable and brave to put her dreams out into the universe before she even knew, and I think that if she hadn’t gotten it the conversation would be different right now. We’d be seeing things like, “Whitney is such a great dancer, I can’t believe they gave it to X person,” Or we’d see, “That’s what she gets for being the villain.”

Ultimately, there’s no winning, but I don’t think she did anything wrong by saying what she wanted and going for it.

I spent my whole childhood being told I was too bossy, to forward, too much. Not by my parents, thankfully they cultivated it in me, but by my teachers, my classmates…the people that didn’t truly know me kept trying to make me fit into a box I didn’t want to fit into.

I’ll say, there were a few teachers in there who told me to ignore the bullies, that my bossiness was leadership, and I clung to what those teachers and my parents told me. Each time they said that my leadership, my goals, my dreams were valid and not too much was another nail pulled out of the coffin of my ambition that society kept trying to nail shut. My parents told me that I was the first hurdle to my own success, that my no was the first door shut. That I needed to go for what I wanted, even if people said no. No was the worst thing they could say, then I could go for that job again later. I could keep trying, finding new paths, working harder.

For a while there, I gave up on my dreams in the name of practicality, but I still had my ambition. I wanted more, more responsibility, more success, more everything in everything I did. Then, I realized that the best funnel for my ambition was to try and make my dreams happen. So I focused, I studied, I wrote. I worked and worked and worked, I didn’t take breaks.

I didn’t burn out, because I was thriving. My ambition was finally being channeled into something that brought me joy. My writing, my goal of being an author, and my content creation business. Year over year I got more successful, further in my books, and I’ll be honest…it was never enough. I’ll admit, that’s the other side of the ambition coin, as soon as I accomplish a goal, I already have three more I’m working towards. It’s a coin I love, I won’t be turning it in. I love my ambition and my goals and the way I’m making my dreams a reality.

But, like Whitney, I have been vocal about what I want. I actually think that that’s an important part of ambition in a world where ambitious women are told to be quiet. I’ve talked about being an author on my socials for YEARS. So much that when I announced my agent, my book deal, all of it…no one was surprised. They knew it was coming eventually, just like I did.

Imagine though, if I was on The Secret Lives of a Canadian City Wives. I would probably get a villain edit, if I had to guess, because I have strong boundaries and I will tell people when they cross them. People are bad at accepting boundaries (not my friends though, I’ve cultivated a fucking amazing community). Imagine, if on that show, I said that I wanted to be an author and I had a chance to meet with a publisher. Imagine, that then people HATED ON ME for saying what I wanted to happen in my life.

Villain (edit, maybe, not edit, also maybe) or no, I don’t think there’s anything wrong about being ambitious. And, quite frankly, when men vocalize their goals, this doesn’t really happen. Timothee Chalamet at last years…Oscars? I can’t remember. Whatever, he’s the perfect example. He got on stage and said, “I’m in the pursuit of greatness.” and instead of getting torn apart, people started making EDITS. And listen! I loved those edits! But if Emma Stone, or Olivia Coleman had said that instead I could guarantee that there would be an undercurrent of, “Wow, can’t believe she’s got such a big head.”

My point is that women should get to be boldly ambitious too, Whitney and me and all of the other ambitious women I know should get to say, “I want this! And it’s a dream and I’m going to make it happen!” and I think people should admire that. And if you don’t admire it because you don’t like Whitney, or me, or whoever, that’s fine. But at least let us be ambitious without trying to put us into a box we’ve outgrown.

And if you don’t like Whitney, that’s fine. But saying that she doesn’t get to be ambitious, or her ambition makes her a bad person, is just a bad take.

This is not a book post, but I was inspired damnit! There WILL be bookish updates soon though, and I have a few art pieces for THE IRON HEX almost done which I’m excited about!

That’s all, I’d love to know what you all think!

With love,
Vic

Edinburgh, you stole my heart. I want to be back there right now.

While I’d love to sit here and wax poetic about how Edinburgh is actually the city I’ve always dreamed of visiting, and how it was even better than I thought it would be, I thought I’d chat about how being in that city filled me with inspiration. PLUS, someone asked me how I romanticize daily life while also getting lost in worlds I’m creating in my head and I think that’s a VERY good question that I want to answer.

Travelling for inspo isn’t necessary, but it’s nice.

The subtitle says it all. Listen, I know travel is expensive. I know it’s not doable for everyone. I know how lucky I am to be able to say “this was my corporate trip for the year” and to say that going over to the UK was for business.

I want to be CLEAR. You do not need to travel in order to get inspiration, pinterest and social media and pictures and videos can provide a similar inspiration that will get you what you need in order to make your stories happen. It’s what I did for YEARS before I had the funds to be able to travel.

But, with that being said, I do want to say that being in the space, within the city limits, surrounded by the thing that is inspiring you feels different. The moment I stepped into Edinburgh I felt the swift urge to write, ideas for scenes on cobblestone streets and the way my characters would feel upon entering a specific place for the first time echoing through my mind.

I said to Eric, “This is so Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 coded, if it was darker and even more gothic.” I felt like I had stepped into the city I’ve been building in my head. Eric responded with, “I get why you’re inspired, I’m pretty sure this has to be the city that inspired Minas Tirith.”

I spent five days in the city, doing photoshoots with friends around town and at various castles in the Edinburgh area, and each moment I was there I was filled with excitement about my writing. Even if I wasn’t actively thinking about the book itself, I was thinking about how lucky I was to get to be an author and to get to write stories about fantasy worlds and visit cities that help me see those worlds onto the page.

So yes, travel isn’t necessary to write a good book. But there’s something so special about writing in a space that is inspiring. I’ll be going back to Scotland soon specifically for a writing retreat to be surrounded by it again. But, also, I have spent a lot of time curating my space at home. Surrounding myself with books and luscious fabrics and a darkly painted room and art that is beautiful helps me get inspired even when just sitting at home, and that’s important too.

Romanticizing daily life and creating fantasy worlds intertwine, for me

Someone asked me how I manage to romanticize the daily moments of life while also living inside of a fantasy world in my head, and I can safely say that for me they’re almost the same. I’ve said this before, but becoming an author has always been my dream, and I’ve always had a super overactive imagination. For a long time, I used fantasy worlds as an escape and then as I got older I learned that everything around me was beautiful and romantic and SO were the fantasy worlds I wrote. I didn’t need to escape the daily anymore, but the fantasy worlds I was creating were helping me love life even more richly.

For me, it’s not two separate parts of my brain. It’s hard to explain. But the same moment I’m taking in the beauty of the city and the moment I’m sharing with my husband can be shared with the knowledge that the alleyway we just walked by would be amazing as a setting for a scene I need to write. Luckily, my husband is also a creative man and I know he was pulling inspiration from the places we visited for the D&D campaign he runs (that I play in!). A lot of what we talk about are the worlds we create (except he has to be specific with what he tells me to not spoil the D&D campaign haha), and how the spaces around us inspire us. It’s such a lovely part of our partnership that I don’t get to talk about much.

As a creative, the romantic of the world around me and the magic of writing are together, entwined, both a part of who I am and who I will be. It’s intertwined, and the person who creates fantasy worlds and the person that loves each moment she’s in like she’s in a romantic comedy is the same person.

Anyways, that’s all from me today! Finally getting to have a good, long writing day today and I cannot WAIT. Working on THE IRON HEX 2 and hopefully getting the first draft done by the end of December, whilst peppering in writing days for Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 as well (to keep the inspo flowing!). SOMEONE in Ireland gave me a wee cold, but it’s just sniffles so I should be able to put on a cozy outfit and get lots of writing done today.

As a note as we get closer to 2026, I’d LOVE To know what you’d love to see from me on this substack as we lead up to the release of THE IRON HEX and beyond!

With love,
Vic

No waiting. Here it is!

Oooooh! Ahhhhh!! I’ll be completely honest, I cried when I first saw it. I am so so happy with this cover. It’s vibrant and beautiful and encapsulates this book so so well. Obsessed is a gentle way to explain how I feel.

BUT! There’s more.

This cover was officially announced on the PASTE MAGAZINE site…with an ELEVEN PAGE EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK!!

Right now, you can go here to read the first eleven pages of THE IRON HEX. I hope you love it, and this is just a start to the story you’ll be reading in August.

I hope you enjoy, more news soon. Let me know what you think of the cover!!

With love,
Vic

Subscribe now

I got a lot of “Wow, I’ve never considered this!” to “I can’t do that because I’ll spend more time making playlists than writing” to “Yes, and I have ship playlists too!”.

It got me thinking about the value of a playlist in writing, for me, fiction. A good playlist can help me transport into the world I’m writing, and into the head of my characters. But despite my IG story about character playlists…I have to admit, I’m not always using my character playlists. I’m actually VERY picky about what I listen to and when.

So, I thought I’d write a little substack about how I curate my writing playlists and when I use them.

THE BOOK PLAYLIST

When I start a book, or come up with a book idea, one of the first things I do after coming up with the plot in my head is create a “book playlist”. Usually it starts with 5-7 songs that IMMEDIATELY came to mind when I curated the vibe of the book in my head. This is just the start, and the playlist grows organically over the next few days as I solidify the story. Creating the playlist comes early because I like writing the synopsis and plot outline to that playlist. For Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 I specifically listened to the song from the Wuthering Heights trailer until I created the playlist I now use when I’m working on that story.

This is the base playlist, the ever evolving baby that I will write the entire book to. By default, the book playlist is the one that goes on when I start writing that day. BUT! There are exceptions!

THE CHARACTER PLAYLIST

Sometimes I will create playlists for characters. For THE IRON HEX I have several…some of them I cannot speak about yet. These character playlists are often comprised of a lot of songs from the book playlist, but with additions specific to that character.

Hugo, for example, is a yearning boy. There’s a lot of yearning on his playlist. Like, you don’t really know Hugo yet but he’s whipped. So whipped. I love him and all of his problems.

I don’t listen to the Hugo playlist on loop when I was writing THE IRON HEX, and I don’t listen to it as I have been writing the second IRON HEX book. But…sometimes, I’ll put a specific character playlist (or song!) on when I’m writing a specifically emotionally charged scene.

These playlists are useful for me for when I really want to dig into how that character is feeling. How are their emotions and backstory biting into this conversation? And in these circumstances, where I want the conversation to be emotionally charged, the best thing I can do is utilize my character playlists.

I won’t write the whole book with them, but I will write specific scenes.

SONGS ON REPEAT

This one is not a playlist nor is it particularly useful as advice. Sometimes I’ll think that a specific song is really inspiring me (A violin cover of Salvatore by Lana Del Rey is the most recent one I wrote a chapter to). Sometimes the book playlist AND the character playlists aren’t enough.

Sometimes I need to listen to a single song that suits the vibe of the chapter on repeat, over and over, for hours as I write the chapter. I feel for my husband, I’m sure this is an annoying trait. I honestly do this more than I do the character playlist thing. I am certain my family also had to deal with this as I grew up. I’m so sorry everyone, but it works for me and I will not stop.

So what’s the point?

Music is one of the most powerful tools to transport people into the world, including myself as the author. I think everyone has their own ways of using music to write, and I wanted to share mine.

1. I’d love to know how YOU use music in your writing process

2. Yes, I’ll be sharing THE IRON HEX playlist as we get closer to launch. I’d love for you all to get to listen to it as you read. More on that soon (ish).

That’s all for today!

With love,

Vic

I won’t make you all wait…here is the first one! Both pieces are by @fremuard on IG!

This is Eira and Hugo, two of the POV characters from the book. I can’t say much more…but I’m OBSESSED with this art. It’s so perfect.

NEXT!!

This is Sir Rhona and Lady Maeve! Sir Rhona is a POV character, and Lady Maeve is someone I can’t really say much about yet but I think you’re all going to LOVE her. She’s so fun.

What do you all think of this art?? I’m so so happy.

Cover reveal should be soon(ish?)!! Can’t wait to share more!

With love,
Vic

We’re starting off this series with an interesting week, as I’ve been in Ireland for the last four days! This was not a planned trip, my husband was sent here for work and I thought I’d take the opportunity to write in a gloomy, grey, old city for inspiration.

Turns out it’s been sunny all week. I’m not kidding, not a drop of rain. No cloud cover. The opposite of gloomy. I brought the sun over the Atlantic with me!!! It’s been bright and warm and everything I didn’t expect. With that said, I am really enjoying Dublin otherwise!

This week has had two focuses for me, and both were derailed at least a little bit by the WORST bad body image days I’ve had in a while. Is it because I’m five days out from my period? Maybe. Is it something else? Also maybe. I don’t know what caused it, but I was so lost in my head the first day I was here in Dublin about my body image that it left me unable to edit for a large portion of that day.

Then, I forced myself to get over it. My bad body image days are 1. not going to stop me from doing my job and 2. not going to stop me from enjoying my trip. So, I persevered.

Here’s what writing looked like this week for me:

1. Main priority has been editing THE IRON HEX. I am in my final developmental edits round, and my goal was to finish my first read through early this week. I got it done mid-week, which I still think is solid. This took longer than I wanted it to, but this month has been chaos and I should still have time for one more go through before I submit next week.

2. I want to work on Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀! That is my goal for when I head out into the city for the next couple of days. Without giving anything away, this book is gloomy and dark and gothic and I was really hoping to have those vibes as I walked through Dublin. Instead, the sun is shining through my window right now and glaring my screen. I’m annoyed. It’s fine. I am excited to work on this project more, though! Very, very excited.

3. I got my notes back for my Romcom project from earlier this year. My agent gave some GREAT perspective and honestly, it needs some cooking and some work. Because I started my new project before I got my notes back, I think I’m going to put that on the side until I get as much of Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 drafted as I want to. THEN I’ll dive back in with my nuanced and cooked on changes.

4. THE IRON HEX 2! I’m about 35% into the manuscript. I’m going to work on Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀 until I get back from Dublin and then prioritize one more edit through of THE IRON HEX….I think I’ll get back into TIH2 next month.

So much on the go, but the long and short of it is…a lot of factors have thrown wrenches into my work the last few weeks and the worst culprit this week has been the unending body image issues. And like, so stupid of me to have body image issues…I’m HOT. I think it’ll get better once I’m back home, but I’m not letting it stop me, because thats just not how I am.

If you take anything away from this writing diaries let it be this: Lots of things will try to stop you, but only you can stop you. Go and do whatever you’re supposed to and don’t let intrusive thoughts (or a far brighter than it should be sun) stop you!

With love,
Vic

This round has been super interesting, because it feels MUCH different than round one. In case you didn’t know how the editing process works, I’ll give you the run-down here:

1. I submit THE IRON HEX and my editor reads it

2. She sends me an Editorial Letter (which is round 1!) this letter basically tells me all the narrative suggestions she has. This could be as small as, “You only write about stew” and can get as big as overarching plot points (this didn’t happen to me, but it does happen!)

3. I make my edits and send it back

4. My editor comes back to me with another round, this time the edits are directly in MS word.

We are at Step 5 right now, which is that I edit that document where she made her suggestions. This round is much less in terms of editorial changes, just smaller ways to elevate the story to make it the best it can be.

Personally I’m LOVING this round. I love communicating with editors through MS word notes, and having their thoughts in an EXACT moment of time on the page really helps me.

I’m feeling REALLY good about the story, and going into this editing round I’ve also been able to fix some things that will make the second and third book work better. This is helped by the fact that I’ve written 30% of book two at this point, so I can much more clearly see those tiny little changes that would make the cohesion of the stories fall together perfectly.

My only issue right now…is that I’ve been inspired.

I plotted my next romantasy series and I’m chomping at the bit to get words on a page for it. This means two things!

1. the secret project I was working on this spring is going to be put aside for a little bit. For full transparency, I got really great notes back from my agent and I want to think about them before I move forward to tell the best story possible.

2. I’m going to be very excited about a story I can’t talk about and I’m not sure how to navigate that. I’m calling it Project 🌘🗝️🏰🥀, so if you see that anywhere…know that I’m talking about my next series (right now, and this might change, I’m thinking it’ll be a duology).

Something I’ve been doing lately is making notion boards for my new stories and omg…it’s SO good. I think it’s genuinely an underused tool for authors, so if you’re trying to pull together a world, try out a notion board. It’s actually so helpful.

OK, that’s all for now!! More THE IRON HEX news very soon!!

With love,
Vic

But first…wanna see what the back of the book cover says? 👀

She doesn’t remember her past. He might be the key to it.

Eira Eckhart has spent years building a quiet life in a small town at the edge of a recently overthrown kingdom. Her memory is fractured, her past a blur—but with her shop, her loyal rabbit familiar, and practicing only the potions magic still legal under the watchful eye of the Iron Empire, she’s managed to remain unnoticed by the empire’s witch hunters.

Until Hugo Venton walks through her door.

Brash, clever, and infuriatingly handsome, Hugo is searching for something…and seems to know more about Eira than she knows about herself. But when a terrifying encounter with an unnatural, deadly new breed of soldier puts a price on her head, she has no choice but to join Hugo on his quest.

Their hunt for a missing princess pulls Eira across the continent—and deeper into a past she can’t recall. As buried memories, mysteries in the Iron Empire’s capital, forgotten feelings, and the truth behind her identity begin to surface, Eira realizes the forbidden magic simmering in her veins might be the very thing that could save them from the Iron Empire’s forces as they draw ever closer…if she can remember how to control it in time.

She doesn’t remember her past. But some memories will come with a cost.

Ooooooh!! Sounds good right? I am so so happy with this back of cover copy!!

Ok, no more waiting…I know what you’re here for.

Drumroll please…

THE IRON HEX releases on August 4th, 2026!!

…that’s LESS THAN ONE YEAR AWAY!!! AHHH!!!!

The second piece of exciting news? YOU CAN PREORDER IT RIGHT NOW!!

We don’t have a cover yet (but will soon!) but if you want to make sure you have a copy and are going to read all about Eira, Hugo and Rhona day ONE then…you can preorder here (this is my website where I have all the current main links). You can also add it to your goodreads shelf! Ooh! You can do that here.

Also if you’re reading this today (September 5th!) and are in the United States, Barnes and Noble is having a 25% off of preorders sale!! It ends tomorrow, so if you want to support THE IRON HEX for a little discount, now is the time!

I know I post a lot of sappy stuff but this was a monumental moment for me. This is my dream come true and I’d love for this book to spread far and wide and get in front of as many eyes as humanly possible. Each and every one of you is a part of that.

OK that’s all! Happy preordering!

With love,
Victoria 💖

What else has this done? It’s meant that I have SO many questions from you all:

1. How do you write so much?

2. What gets you in the writing zone?

3. Any necessities while you write?

So I’m here to answer those questions!

First, and before we talk about the things I need in order to write successfully each day, I want to say that I haven’t always had an easy time combating writer’s block. Since I got on a schedule I have been FLYING through my books, but before I used to really struggle. This stuff might not work for you, but it works for me and maybe parts of it can work for you!

Set yourself deadlines (or have them set for you)

Hot take: It’s easier to write when you have a timeline for when you need to get to the end of your story.

I wrote a whole post about this a few months ago, so I’m not going to wax poetic TOO much but deadlines fundamentally changed how I write.

Setting my own deadlines (and now, having deadlines set for me by my publisher) means that I my little brain knows that something has to get done, or I’ll be letting people down. Letting people down is my worst nightmare.

Also…I like the pressure of a deadline. I like being able to schedule my time and make sure that I’m getting things done with time to spare. I cannot explain to you how helpful deadlines have been in my capabilities for writing SO many words everyday.

Set up the right space for YOU

So, this is new for me because I was in the bad habit of writing on the couch (which I’m doing right now as I write this…don’t come for me). If you want to write consistently without pain you need to treat your body well and early.

I realized this and switched to writing in my home office. At first, I was like “oh no, what if I can’t write in there!” but now, it’s as if my brain knows that when I step in that room it’s go time. I’ve trained my little brain to understand that when I’m at my office desk, I need to get shit done…and it’s worked.

Plus, I’m a firm believer that walking is a MASSIVE tool in a writer’s toolbox. I’m going to talk about that more later…but the reason it applies here is because I have a walking pad.

Guys….walking on a walking pad is the absolute hack I needed to actually get my steps AND get the brain power of walking while I write.

Generally, I try to walk for 2-3 hours each afternoon while I write and that usually gives me about 1k words per hour, depending on how well the flow of the scene is going.

The space you write in is SO important, and I am NOT the first author to say that. But…it’s not all about the space, it’s about the vibe too.

Snacks & Drinks & Keeping in the zone

Want to know the best way to write a lot? Not getting distracted.

Want to know the best way not to get distracted? Have everything you might need around you so you don’t leave your writing space.

For me this means I do a few things as I head into my office for a writing block:

1. I let my dog out and usually take him for a little walk so he can settle with me

2. I make a tea

3. I get some sort of crispy water in a water bottle

4. I check my socials and reply to comments and emails quickly

5. I grab a protein-y snack (either a third drink in the form of a shake or a built puff protein bar…I’m extremely picky about my protein foods)

Once I’ve done all of these things and set up my computer I turn my phone face down, I put on Do Not Disturb and I put on my playlist.

The snacks and drinks are important, yes, but the playlist? The playlist keeps me in the world I’m writing. I’ll talk more about this shortly.

If you give yourself the tools you need to be successful from the onset of your writing that day you are more likely to be successful. For some people (me), that’s multiple neurodivergent drinks and a curated playlist; For others (my husband) that’s nothing but a black coffee and lo-fi.

Writing is about what you do before the writing session too, you know

This is where I’m going to ask you to plan things ahead of writing.

Writing is easier if you have a plan. Maybe not for everyone, but for me and a lot of people, it is. I wish someone had told me this earlier so I’m telling you all now.

A synopsis or point form list of plot points is going to be your best friend. That guideline is going to help you navigate the story efficiently.

But “before the writing session” is not just synopsis writing. For me it’s taking long walks with Obi listening to my writing playlist for the book I’m about to write. Writing makes your brain think differently than sitting down, and I’ve worked out SO many plot points just by walking for an hour with my dog and then making notes in my notes app while he sniffs around so I don’t forget.

The playlist is a key factor here as well! When I’m starting a story I will sit down with nothing but vibes and my first plot points and I’ll curate a playlist. This playlist grows as I write, but it starts right when I have my book idea. Having a 10-15 song playlist to listen to on loop while I work out plot kinks and issues is invaluable to me.

Then, when I’m writing, I listen to the SAME PLAYLIST. It was my brains intro to the world and keeps me locked into it while I write.

that’s all for now 💖

I could write more, but I think these are the key factors in why I’ve been flying through my writing lately. There’s also something about having a good schedule, and consistent writing blocks at consistent times…also giving myself a filming schedule so that I’m getting that side of my job done as well and therefore can write without guilt is important too.

Basically, these are tools you can try and see if you should add them to your toolkit. They’re in mine, and they’re well used and I love them, but they won’t fit for everyone and that’s ok!

I’d love to know YOUR tools for writing in the comments, if you have any!

With love,
Vic

BEFORE I START: you need to know that this is not the right path for everyone, and that I was able to go about this path because I worked multiple jobs for YEARS before I finally took the plunge on self-employment. It was the best thing I ever did, but it’s not the best thing for everyone.

Let’s take it back, firstly.

I was born yearning to write. I don’t have a living memory where I didn’t want to write stories, so when I got into university I took a path that would allow me to write. An english and history degree that moved into a second diploma journalism.

I’m also competitive. I started making youtube videos ten years ago (almost 11, whoa), and my goal was to get better at being on camera than my classmates. Suddenly, those videos started doing well and I realized I LOVED being on camera, making content, and understanding marketing.

In the background, this whole time, I’m writing stories. Different books that I would scrap and rewrite and give up on.

So, I get into marketing. I work a job as a host and social media manager as I build my social media audience. I work full time, 9-5, at several jobs while building my social media platforms AND trying to write books…but slowly.

Finally, last year, I hit a breaking point. I had a 9-5 job at a toxic midsize tech company, my own social media and content creation, trying to finish my books, AND my social media management clients. It was too much, and something had to give.

One day, my husband sat me down and said, “you’re miserable at this job.”

That same day my parents came over to my house and found me crying about my 9-5. That was my final straw, once I cry about work stress…I’m out. We looked at the budget and saw that my other income would replace the 9-5 income, easily. We realized that I would be happier and more fulfilled this way and most importantly, I’d be able to focus on my books. I’d be able to give it my all to finally make my dreams happen.

He instantly agreed, and I quit my 9-5 the next day. Scary!!

I was TERRIFIED…and exhilarated. My future was in my hands now, and my hands alone.

In July 2024, I locked in. I had my books, my writing, my content creation and my clients. I finally had the brain space and the time to actually get my books done…and I did.

Once I locked in on finishing THE IRON HEX I knew that I was going to be able to try and get it published. I met with some publishing friends, and they advised me to reach out to agents. So, I reached out to Jenny — she was my top choice and I wanted to work with her.

I am LUCKY, the first agent I reached out to also wanted to work with me. This is not usual, or common, or something to expect — but I wrote a good book and have a built in audience. We edited the submission for THE IRON HEX and I busted ass to get it done.

We sold the trilogy, and just like that…8 months after I quit my 9-5, I became a full time author.

I would say that this was unexpected or shocking, but I have always busted ass to make my dreams come true. Quitting my 9-5 last year was, quite literally, the scariest thing I’ve ever done.

It was also the greatest thing I’ve ever done. I used to be scared of taking leaps, of doing things differently, of having the risk of no guaranteed income. It’s still scary, but it’s been worth every single moment of it.

It’s not for everyone, it’s not for most people…but it was for me.

Anyways, now I get the exciting job of figuring out a whole new way of doing marketing for books!

That’s all, I wanted to make it clear and concise so you all know what the sitch is because a LOT of people have asked. You can make your dreams come true! I did it!

With love,
Vic