There’s a difference between going quiet and being absent.
For a while, I stepped away, from videos, from updates, from showing anything before it was finished. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t burnout. It was the slow realisation that I didn’t want to just “upload” things. I wanted to build something worth showing.
And for me, that something has always been The Veil of Kings and Gods.
It’s the novel I’ve rewritten, expanded, and quietly carried through drafts and worldbuilding documents while the rest of life kept moving. But now, it’s taking shape and with it, so is the purpose of my YouTube channel.
✍️ What You’ll Find on the Channel
This isn’t a general author channel. It’s not a catch-all for whatever I feel like filming. It’s a focused space for one story, The Veil of Kings and Gods, and the creative journey behind it.
Here’s what I’ll be sharing:
- Novel updates: where I am in the process, what’s being edited, and what’s coming next
- Behind the scenes: life as a writer, both the structured and the slightly chaotic
- Art: drawings, AI-assisted visuals, and map explorations that bring the world to life
- Book reviews: quick, honest thoughts on books that inspire or contrast with my own
- And eventually: readings, lore explainers, and maybe even glimpses into the writing process itself
All of it will centre on The Veil of Kings and Gods, because if I’m going to share something, I want it to matter.
🧾 The Chapter in My Hand
In the video below, you’ll see me holding a printed chapter from the novel. That was intentional. There’s something about seeing words off-screen that makes them real again.
This is me picking them up, literally and creatively, and deciding to let others see the journey.
📺 Prefer to Watch?
Here’s the full video version of this post, where I explain the relaunch and what’s coming next:
Thank you for reading. Whether you follow through these posts or through the videos, this is where the story begins.
Simon J. Phillips
Author of The Veil of Kings and Gods
Simon J. Phillips 