April updates // 2026

April 28, 2026

April was okay overall, except the very end of the month, when I received some bad news at work AND my son got some sort of flu. In many ways, it was still better than March.

Running updates

I ran a 10km race, as I usually do once a month, in 1h25! In comparison, I did the same distance last month in 1h37. I’m quite happy about it. And I got a medal for it! Isn’t it gorgeous?

The Londoners updates

Read-along

For its 5th anniversary, I organised a read-along. Here are some numbers if you like those:

• 8 participants;
• 4 newsletters sent;
• 20-ish emails received to keep the conversation going;
• 5 recorded videos on YouTube.

The event was a blast, really. I’m happy with the outcome, and I loved sharing with readers. Maybe something worth considering for future books, haha. I might do a special post for those of you interested in knowing more about what worked and didn’t work.

Once Upon A Sky updates

Goodreads

The book is on Goodreads! I’ve created a page this month for you to add it to your TBR if you’d like. However, as I’ll be using a pen name, I need to claim the author page. So… I’ll be doing that.

On the pen name, I’ll be adding my middle name to my existing author name. Instead of finding Once Upon A Sky under Estelle Van de Velde, you’ll find it under Estelle R. Van de Velde. Still me, but as it’s middle-grade fiction, I think it would make it less confusing for readers if I separate my fiction from my nonfiction. At least from a metadata perspective.

Cover design

I couldn’t help myself: I did a partial cover design a few days ago! I mean, the cover is too gorgeous, haha. If you missed it, please rum roll…

The full cover reveal is gonna happen in August, so don’t hesitate to hop onto my newsletter list if you want to be in the loop.

My cover designer also created a chapter header and a small illustration to go alongside the page number. So I’m pretty sure the book itself is gonna be gorgeous inside and out.

Editing phase

I’ve made it through the prologue to chapter 11 (out of 26), so I believe I did great on that front. I’ve also booked a line editor for August… everything is going smoothly on that front. I hope I’ll be able to finish it a bit ahead of schedule so I can get a few beta readers before the line editor.

My plan for May is to double down on the edits so I can move a bit faster than originally scheduled. But that’s only for my peace of mind, really.