The Staff of the Dagda is complete!
After five years of writing, I can finally say that the first draft of The Staff of the Dagda is down on paper and with beta readers.
It’s been a long journey to get here, and the work is far from over. But finally, someone other than me is going to discover the world I’ve created.
It’s a strange feeling finishing a first draft. On the one hand, it’s exhilarating. For years, this story has lived partly in my imagination and partly in scattered documents and notebooks. Now, it exists as a full manuscript with a complete beginning, middle, and end.
On the other hand, every writer knows that a first draft isn’t the finish line — it’s the point where the real work begins.
Still, this is a milestone worth celebrating — and celebrate I did.
A Story Five Years in the Making
I began working on The Staff of the Dagda roughly five years ago. The story is the first instalment in The Albean Chronicles, a Celtic-inspired fantasy series drawing on Irish mythology — particularly the legendary Tuatha Dé Danann.
From the beginning, I wanted to write a fantasy story that blended mythological elements with a grounded human narrative. At its core, the novel follows three central characters whose lives become entangled in a conflict larger than any of them expected.
There are ancient powers at play. Old rivalries. Forgotten magic. And relics from mythology that were never meant to fall into the wrong hands.
Like many first novels, this book went through several evolutions along the way. Entire scenes were rewritten. Characters became more complex. Some plot threads disappeared, while others grew into major story arcs.
The result is a manuscript that finally feels like the story I originally set out to tell.
What Happens Next
Right now, The Staff of the Dagda is in the beta reader phase. A group of early readers is reviewing the manuscript and providing feedback on everything from pacing and character development to world-building and clarity. Their input will help guide the next major revision pass.
Once that feedback comes in, I’ll be revising the manuscript to strengthen the story and polish the draft.
In other words: The book is finished…but it’s not finished.
Looking Ahead to the Next Book
One of the advantages of writing within a series is that the world doesn’t stop when one book ends.
While The Staff of the Dagda moves through beta reading and revisions, I’ve also begun outlining and drafting the second book in The Albean Chronicles. The story continues immediately after the events of the first novel, and several threads introduced in Book One expand in unexpected ways.
There’s still a long road ahead before publication, but finishing the first draft is an important step forward.
Writing a novel is often a solitary process. But sharing updates like this makes the journey feel a little less lonely.
If you’re interested in fantasy, Celtic mythology, or the behind-the-scenes process of writing a novel, I’ll be posting occasional updates here as the project moves forward.
For now, though, I’m going to take a moment to enjoy a rare and satisfying milestone:
The first draft is done.