The Book That Waited for Me
Why I chose to Republish Forever Night – A Story about finding my own Inner Courage
When I first wrote Forever Night (originally published as The Making of a Knight) I knew it was something special. A lyrical adventure told in verse about a scared boy facing impossible darkness; a tale of courage for young readers. But at the time, I wasn’t ready to give it what it truly needed.
As I’ve shared in an earlier post, the words poured out of me in less than two weeks — a 20,000-word novel in verse, born almost whole.
And yet… there was something missing. Something I knew it needed to bring the tale to life – illustrations.
The problem was, I didn’t have the skill to do this myself, and I didn’t have the money to hire someone else. So I did the best I could: I published the book anyway, without illustrations, hoping its words would carry the weight.
And yet, despite beautiful reviews, it never felt complete to me.
A Story Waiting for Me to Grow
Then came Covid, remember those days? When we all discovered new hobbies without ‘real life’ taking up all our spare time?
In the silence of lockdowns, I picked up a pencil and paintbrush again. At first just doodles, then sketches, then whole days lost to drawing. It became an obsession — the same kind of feverish joy that had once driven me to write Forever Night.
Slowly, I began to believe I could illustrate my own stories. I studied, I practiced, I failed and tried again.
Years later, I look back at Caramath’s journey, to this boy who finds courage when he least expected it, and I realised something profound: the book had been waiting for me to be brave enough too.
Giving Forever Night its Second Life
Now, with a new title and my own illustrations, Forever Night has become what it was always meant to be:
An illustrated chapter book in verse, perfect for readers aged 7–9.
A story for reluctant readers, with short lines, white space, and artwork that makes the pages less daunting.
A tale of courage and belonging, for any child who’s ever felt small, scared, or underestimated.
Caramath is still the same underdog hero who whispers courage when his knees are shaking. The Shadow-Snatchers still tear across the midnight sky. The Princess still chooses bravery over being saved. But now, the story has pictures to guide young readers deeper into its world — art and verse working hand-in-hand.
Why This Matters (For Me, For Kids, For You)
I used to think publishing was about getting a book out as quickly as possible. Now I know: sometimes, stories arrive before we’re ready for them. And that’s okay.
Republishing Forever Night isn’t about erasing what came before. It’s about showing kids, and myself, that it’s never too late to come back to something you love and make it better. That courage isn’t about being perfect. It’s about daring to try again.
The Invitation
If your child has ever felt like an underdog… if they’ve ever needed a story that says “your fears don’t disqualify you from being brave”… then this is the book I wrote for them.
This is Forever Night as it was always meant to be — words and illustrations woven together into one adventure.
