Update on Bound by Secrets
Bound by Secrets: Entering the Final Stretch
Hello, night wanderers.
It’s me again, your favorite trash panda, emerging from the shadows with an update.
Bound by Secrets is almost ready to meet the world. Almost. But not quite yet.
The Current State of Things
Right now, the manuscript is sitting at around 149,768 words (roughly 700 pages of morally gray chaos, if we’re being honest). I’ve put this book through seven full drafts, including one I completely scrapped and rewrote from scratch. (Trust me, that’s a story for another time. Let’s just say I learned some hard lessons about plot structure and character arcs.)
But now? Now it’s in a place where I can finally breathe and say, “Okay. This is it. This is the story I wanted to tell.”
December: The Final Polish
In December, Bound by Secrets enters its final proofreading stage! Yay! That last careful pass to catch any lingering typos, tighten the prose, and make sure everything is as polished as possible before it reaches your hands.
It’s the stage where I have to stop myself from endlessly tweaking (because if I don’t, I’ll keep finding “just one more thing” to fix, and we’ll never get anywhere).
ARCs: A Selective Early Read
In January 2026, I’ll be offering a limited number of Advanced Reader Copies for Bound by Secrets.
This won’t be a wide ARC call. Since this is Book Two in the series, and I didn’t market Bound by Fire heavily. So, I’m keeping this intimate. If you’ve been with me since the beginning, if you’ve reached out asking about the next book, if these characters have found a place in your heart, you’re exactly who I’m thinking of.
I’ll reach out directly to readers who’ve been part of this journey. If I somehow miss you and you’d like to be considered, feel free to message me on Instagram @vanlacar. Just know that spots will be limited, and I’m prioritizing the small handful of readers who’ve been waiting for this story.
(I’m planning a bigger ARC round for my upcoming standalone, so if you’re new here, that might be a better opportunity to jump in!)
What’s Next?
After the final proofreading pass and the ARCs go out, we’re looking at a February 2026 release.
That’s the plan. That’s the dream.
And if I’m being honest? I’m terrified. The same way I was terrified when When He Stayed launched. The same way I’m always terrified when I put my heart on a page and let strangers see it.
But I’m doing it anyway.
Because that’s what we do here in the Den. We create from the shadows, we share our stories quietly, and we trust that the right people will find them.
A Quiet Thank You
To everyone who’s stuck around, who’s asked about the series, who’s messaged me saying they can’t wait to see what happens next: thank you.
You’re the reason I keep going. You’re the reason I didn’t pull everything down that night in August. You’re the reason I believe these stories matters.
So here we go. December proofreading. January ARCs. February launch.
Let’s do this.
Follow my journey through the Bound Series and beyond on Instagram: @vanlacar New stories are stirring in the dark. Stay tuned for Bound by Secrets coming February 2026.
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