The Labyrinth Method

For a while now, I’ve been querying literary agents. So far, it’s been a streak of rejections and ghosting. I’m not discouraged, but I did want to understand why.

Before jumping into this, I tested my manuscript on a live audience. The test group was highly diversified in both language and reading preferences, and the data showed a massive approval rate. That’s exactly why I decided to take things to the next level.

Yet, the answers I keep getting say it "doesn't fit the agent's current portfolio"—even though I meticulously chose them based on their official wish lists (MSWL).

So, I took a step back. I looked at my text with fresh eyes, factoring in the current political climate, trends, and agendas. And that’s when it hit me.

Agents usually ask for the first 5 to 10 pages—which is half or the entirety of Chapter 1 (5k+ words). And what’s on those opening pages? The raw, ugly truth about emigration. Right in your face, no apologies, no filtering. I suspect that after reading it, they simply don't want to take the risk.

Which means I need an agent who isn't afraid.

To give you some context: I walked away from a massive, established audience to choose a completely new path for myself. I am not afraid of taking risks. The "Fool’s Step" is just my average Monday.

And now, it has become a matter of principle for me to break through with this exact, "uncomfortable" Labyrinth series, rather than with my fantasy projects (yes, I have those too).

Though, the traditional Chinese web novel fandom might end up throwing stones at me later anyway—right now, I’m working on a fantasy project in a Chinese setting, but written with my signature, fast-paced storytelling style.

Back in 2022–2023, when I first started charting out Labyrinth of the Mind, I relied heavily on the concept of the "primary process." This is psychoanalytic territory—the chaotic, purely instinctual language of the unconscious, where thoughts and images blur, shift, and bleed into each other. Later on, I discovered the concept of "Subliminal", which is more cognitive psychology and neurobiology. This provided me with a much cleaner set of tools to explain Holden’s sub-threshold state. He is constantly bombarded by signals, information, and stimuli that our conscious mind completely misses or fails to register. But the brain captures them anyway, logging them deep onto the subconscious. You’ve probably seen those focus-test videos: you are asked to focus only on, say, the red objects, and at the end, they ask how many blue squares were in the frame. You can’t answer because your attention was managed. Here’s the thing, though: your brain did record the entire picture. And with the right effort, that buried information can be pulled back into the light. This is exactly what Holden does inside his labyrinth.

A quiet town. Too much snow. And things everyone agreed not to talk about.

The Snow Demon is a psychological thriller about silence, complicity, and the kind of monsters that don’t need claws — just permission.

Second book in the series. Darker. Colder. Closer to the truth.

Meet the winter thriller everyone will be talking about. Secrets, snowstorms, and a monster hiding in plain sight. The Snow Demon arrives this December.

If Labyrinth of Mind pulled you into the darkness of the human psyche, The Snow Demon will show you how quietly evil can live next door.

But the way this story has grown--quietly and organically--feels like a small miracle. It’s such a reward, and I’m glad I pushed past my fears and tried.

Seeing readers pick up on the layers I planted--the psychology, the breakdown, the love thread --feels unreal. Thank you for giving Labyrinth of Mind a place on your shelves and in your mind. ❤️

It’s that time of year again--the quiet slide into winter, when the daylight fades too early and the cold settles into your bones a little deeper each week.

And somewhere between all of that, I’m sitting here fighting with page numbers, margins, bleed lines and PDF exports. There’s nothing glamorous about formatting a paperback. No spark of inspiration, no sense of creation--just the steady click of keys and the realization that I’ve spent twenty minutes adjusting a single paragraph break.

But winter is creeping in, and with it comes The Snow Demon. He’s getting closer every day--in the story and in reality, as the release approaches. Maybe that’s why the air feels colder. Or maybe it’s just me wrestling with Word at 2 a.m.

✨ The Snow Demon is entering its final stage of preparation. Right now, the chapters are being assembled into the master file. If no local cataclysm intervenes, the book will be released on Amazon in late December.

This novel continues the story of Dr. Holden Ashford and his partner—but this time, we leave behind the noise of the city and descend into the quiet world of a small snowy town on Christmas Eve. Beneath its calm surface lies a secret. The heroes have no usual resources or tools, not even a clear understanding of what’s happening.

🕯️ The Snow Demon explores the price of comfort and illusion. Against the backdrop of festive lights, a quiet unease hums beneath the surface. Behind every neighbour’s door hides a monster—and none of the fairy-tale creatures could ever be as terrifying as the ones with passports and insurance policies.

❄️ Hell can be cozy.

My debut thriller Labyrinth of Mind came out recently — a dark psychological story about crime, trauma, and the monsters that hide not in alleys, but behind iron gates.

Now I’m preparing the release of the second book in the series: Snow Demon. It’s a story of cold landscapes, buried secrets, and the kind of evil that doesn’t need to hide — because no one wants to see it. Release date: December 22, 2025.

In just 24 hours after I activated my Instagram, ten “reviewers” reached out to me — all offering “collaborations” on a paid basis.

I don’t trust paid reviewers, and here’s why:

They’re paid, and their audience knows it. Which means their reviews instantly lose credibility.

The messages are all the same. Copy-paste templates, completely impersonal.

It’s disheartening, honestly. As an indie author you want genuine feedback, real connections with readers. Instead, you open your inbox and it feels like a marketplace.

I know this is part of the journey, but sometimes it feels like a vicious circle: no audience means no visibility, and no visibility means no audience.

I’m beyond happy this happened 🖤 I know some of my readers want to have these books in physical form, to make them part of their collections. And honestly, I’d love to see that shelf myself one day — with all six volumes of the series standing side by side.

I don’t have any reviews in English yet. I’m still invisible to a new audience.

But I do have feedback from my readers. This is an automatic translation from Telegram — I didn’t edit it, just a screenshot. And this is how people perceive Labyrinth of Mind.

I wish they could write all of this in English, but I still want to share it. Because their words keep me going. 💙

A year of my life went into writing Labyrinth of Mind. Another eight months — into preparing it for Amazon. I had to get used to the thought that I was stepping beyond my familiar audience — into the void, really. Because only a few could follow me there.

But the audience still played its role: it gave me confidence, it gave me strength. I received amazing, inspiring reviews — the kind that make you want to keep going. And that’s how the whole cycle was born.

Another year went into writing Snow Demon, and then Crimson Lake. Now comes the hardest part: all the books will appear on Amazon.

It’s not easy. I do everything myself. And since I suffer from perfectionism, even the smallest mistake throws me off balance. But I still keep moving forward.

✨ The story of Snow Demon begins just a couple of days before Christmas, in a small provincial town somewhere in the north of England. Cold, sparkling snow — and a secret that has been buried for years.

The first printed copy of Labyrinth of Mind has found its reader. It may sound like a small thing—but to me, it feels monumental. For years my stories existed only in digital shadows, whispers in the endless sea of online fiction.

I once thought I’d never rise from free platforms. My book sank beside polished M/M romances, and I questioned my choice to write about psychology, about the darkness inside the human mind.

But readers found me. They pulled me back to the surface, gave me courage, and now the labyrinth lives on real paper.