In 2015 Siren Bookstrand took a chance and published my first ever novella, Leopard Born, thus the Born of Isis series had begun. Now the final novella, Puma Born, has been written and published.
It took time to write the final chapter because this was more than the end of a series. It was saying goodbye to friends that had been with you constantly over the years. There’s a unique kind of ache that comes with finishing a story you’ve lived alongside for years. It’s not just typing “The End.” It’s closing the door on characters who became part of your daily mental landscape, people you argued with, rooted for, worried about, and carried around in the back of your mind while doing dishes or driving to work.
Writing that final chapter is a kind of mourning. You’re not just wrapping up plot threads; you’re saying goodbye to companions who influenced you, challenged you, and maybe even helped you through parts of your own life. That emotional weight slows you down in the best possible way because you want to honor them, and you want to leave them in a place that feels right.
And honestly, that’s a sign of how deeply you cared about the world you built. Stories that linger like that don’t come from detachment; they come from connection.
Deloris Nash 