Phase 2: Book data
- afkemarijevanmarrum
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 24
The moment has come: with all the theatrical flair I can muster, I'm officially announcing that I’ve written a book. I sometimes carry myself as if the Nobel Prize for Literature is already gathering dust on my shelf. Maybe that’s why this joyful milestone tends to inspire not awe, but suspicion. One colleague even thought I was joking (still does, by the way).
After my initial talks with the publisher and signing the contract, I was given six weeks to hand in the final manuscript. So naturally, like any writer hungry to impress, I submitted it in five days. Deadlines are just polite suggestions, right?
Since I’d already sent over the title, subtitle, synopsis, author bio, and blurb, I got great news after the weekend: everything was approved!
Curious? Don’t worry. I got you.
Title:
Tagbox
Subtitle:
Where choices shape fate
Blurb:
"Kaiy Argent is a sharp-minded dockworker who grew up on the edges of the city, where rust and salt clung to everything and dreams didn't reach far past the next paycheck.
When he stumbles into an illegal, high-stakes game called Tagbox, it's more than just a thrill. It's a way out.
Tagbox thrives in the shadows, fueled by investments of the wealthy and powerful who savor its spectacle. For them, it's entertainment. For players like Kaiy, it's a dangerous shot at something bigger.
The money is real, the promises bigger than he ever imagined. But as the maze tightens and the stakes sharpen from bustles to something far more dangerous, Kaiy quickly learns the risk doesn't lie within the walls of the shifting maze alone.
Playing the game could cost him everything."
When I tell people that I’ve written a book, there are usually two questions that follow. Honestly, I have about as clear an answer to these questions as a goldfish would have if you asked about its retirement plan—but alright, I’ll give it a shot:
“How did you come up with the idea of writing a book?”
When I started writing, it was never meant to be a book, but just a (little) story that I enjoyed putting down on paper. I began by imagining a game that doesn’t exist, something balanced on the edge between reality and complete madness. At first, I simply dropped my story right into the middle of the game, without any explanation or context. Only much later, when it accidentally started to turn into a real book, did I write the pages that reveal who the main character is and how the game actually works. A good friend summed it up perfectly: “You can’t plan creativity—it just happens.”
“How long did it take you?”
That’s a tricky one—I don’t really know. I think, from start to finish, it took about a year, though 80% of it was written within the span of four months. During those four months, I did lose my vitamin D levels, my free hours, and my sleep rhythm—but as long as you keep functioning in society, that doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue.
The deadlines are now set. If the universe cooperates, the stars align, and I don't decide to rewrite everything last minute, "Tagbox" is expected to be released... soon :)
Tagbox is a fast-paced, young adult action story in which the protagonist discovers that the boundary between game and reality is questionable; the danger is real. The story paints a recognizable, almost tangible dystopia: our own world, just a few missteps away from the safety we know, where a seemingly innocent game escalates into a cruel one.
form of control and entertainment.
Excited? Register via the link or scan the QR code for a one-time, informative pre-order mail and be the first to know about developments surrounding Tagbox.
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