The Orange Peel
2026
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History of the Story: Sun Slayer & Once Immortal
April 22, 2026
History of the Story: Sun Slayer & Once Immortal
This write-up is dedicated to one of my writer friends and beta readers. I was delighted when they expressed interest in my writing process. This piece is for them and any writer second-guessing whether they’re doing things the “right” way.
Sun Slayer
My dark eastern fantasy about childhood friends separated by political tragedy, seen partly through the eyes of the villain’s son, ended up around 174k words long (about 600 printed pages) after over 18 drafts and taking several years to materialize.
Pre-2019
Sun Slayer emerged from a mean tangle of world building snippets I developed for an old web game, a short story, and a 2014 draft of about 35,000 words. I still recognize the character names present in this draft but not necessarily their purpose in the story.
Draft 1 (~2019)
Sun Slayer began as a school meets (crappy) political intrigue novel set during the violent collapse of a kingdom.
Draft 4 (2020)
This is the draft I sent to my first round of beta readers (S, M, and B). Did you know that the final version of Sun Slayer ends on the same line as this draft? It was one of the few elements of Sun Slayer which remained unchanged ever since.
Draft 9 (2021)
This draft was sent to sent to beta reader E. The biggest takeaway from this round of feedback had to do with the novel’s structure: the story began after the inciting incident, leading me to relay a lot of plot information through flashbacks which disrupted the pacing/flow.
Draft 13 (2023)
This is the last draft which was seen by beta readers, 3 critique swaps (J, T, G).
Main change: I expanded and reworked the novel structure to be chronological. This draft essentially grew 30-50% in word count from the last. One of my readers made a comment/suggestion which inspired me to overhaul of the second half of the book by changing the main PoV.
Draft 18 (2024)
Sun Slayer was released in summer following multiple rounds of line edits and polishing.
Once Immortal
Once Immortal is a tribute book to my parents and teachers, written when I was at a point in life when they were often on my mind. This book is a short (~82k words), sweet, and whimsical fantasy. A humorous adventure + academy fantasy seen through the mentor’s PoV.
Draft 1 (2023)
I started writing Once Immortal in 2023 as I wrapped up work on Sun Slayer. The early chapters began as little vignettes I came up with while taking the train/bus during morning commute.
Drafts 2 & 3 (2024-2025)
A lot of fleshing out “empty” scenes and tweaking a few plot points.
Draft 4 (2025)
After beta reading feedback, I made some limited-scope but impactful developmental tweaks to make certain events feel less out-of-the-blue and more aligned with the protagonist’s character.
Draft 5+ (2026)
Primarily line edits, polishing, clarity tweaks, polishing
Closing Thoughts
I think multiple factors led to the different processes between Sun Slayer and Once immortal. They were obviously very different projects, even from conception. Sun Slayer, my dark epic fantasy, was a massive, ambitious project involving multiple PoVs and serious themes. The book required multiple outlines and significant rewrites over many years, a process which took its emotional toll. I don’t regret a moment of the experience and am proud of the final Sun Slayer, but I was burnt out and wanted to reconnect with writing through something light-hearted, exploratory, and most importantly, fun.
Once Immortal was just me exploring interactions and ideas which felt interesting, heartwarming, or reminded me of my parents/teachers. No outlines, no massive structural changes. Unlike the more careful deliberation required to craft the plot-dense and scheming-filled narrative of Sun Slayer, the simpler nature of Once Immortal gave me the space to loosen up a little and “flow” with the words as well as the main character’s personal journey.
I suspect a writer’s approach colors their work, even if subtly. Once Immortal won’t feel like Sun Slayer because these books had distinct goals and emerged from almost opposite writing philosophies. There’s something special about experiencing the results as a writer. I had a chance to explore a new style and push myself to examine new themes and moods.
While I am somewhat nervous about how my readers will receive the differences between Sun Slayer and Once Immortal, I hope they will see each book as I did: an invitation to let me surprise them and to embark on a new adventure.
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Once Immortal Releases on Teachers' Day!
March 3, 2026
Once Immortal Releases Teachers’ Day (May 5, 2026)
Greetings, cultivators! My whimsical eastern fantasy about a fallen dragon god becoming a first-time father and teacher is scheduled to release on May 5, 2026.
Book Description
Nayi, dragon god of water, darkness, and cold is stripped of his immortality and banished to the mortal realm. After nurturing the nascent human race, he retires deep into the mountains to cultivate in an attempt to reclaim his place in heaven. However, as thousands of years pass, Nayi’s body and power only deteriorate with age.
Then, a young dragon shows up on Nayi’s doorstep claiming to be his son and begging for help against vicious phoenix raiders. Nayi is thrust into a new role as a first-time father and teacher.
And he has no idea what he’s doing.
Inspired by the xianxia genre, Once Immortal is a whimsical, fable-style eastern fantasy novel which doubles as a comedic mediation on mortality, mentorship, and parenthood. Witness the birth of a realm of dragons and phoenixes, the Land of Sea and Flame. Enter Nayi’s mountain school for dragons, and join his class as they train to become great martial artists.
You might enjoy this book if you like:
- Eastern fantasy
- Cozy and humorous fantasy
- Cultivation and progression fantasy
- Magic school
- Dragons
- Short and sweet books
2024
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Juzi's Chocolate Scale for Books & Characters
October 20, 2024
If your favorite characters were chocolates, what would they be?
Introducing a fun new way to talk about your favorite books, characters, and chocolate! The Juzi Chocolate Scale was developed as a measure to help readers find the perfect books for them based on their prefered levels of “darkness”. Now you never have to worry about confusing terms like “grimdark” and “noblebright”. 70% cacao is easy to understand!
My personal interpretation:
Just Milk = “Does such an angel even exist?”
White Chocolate = “This is a really good person.”
Milk Chocolate = “Your average human. Might have some skeletons in their closet but is probably not a serial killer.”
Dark Chocolate = “This guy is a serial killer.”
100% Cacao = “This guy is a serial killer and also eats puppies for breakfast.”
Chocolate Scale Templates
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Writing Update: OI Draft 1 Completion
October 4, 2024
Pleased to announce that I have finished a very rough first draft for my latest book (OI). OI is a story of an old, fallen dragon god who emerges from retirement to train the next generation.
The first draft currently sits at about 50k words. As an underwriter, my first drafts tend to be very bare bones. I’ll be taking a short reading break to focus on brainstorming details for the setting and characters before starting on draft 2. Draft 2 will focus on integrating these details, fleshing out scenes, adding transitions, and ensuring continuity. Stay tuned, cultivators!
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Why You Should (Or Shouldn't) Read Sun Slayer
September 1, 2024
A biased but honest discussion about my lastest fantasy novel Sun Slayer, what you can expect, and what kind of reader would enjoy it the most.
Greetings, fellow cultivator!
I originally released this piece on one of my social media accounts but decided to share it here to pique interest in my new cultivation manual (eastern fantasy novel). I planned to make two separate posts about this topic, but I realized that many of the reasons one reader might hate Sun Slayer could be the exact same reasons another loves it. Let’s dive into a few of the Sun Slayer’s defining features which could determine whether or not the book is for you.
1. Multiple POV
I personally consider this to be one of my book’s most compelling features. Sun Slayer is a classic wuxia/xianxia-style story told from the perspective of the villain’s son. You get to experience the story from different sides, including that of the antagonist. However, I completely understand why this might put some readers off especially if you don’t like certain characters—which brings me to my next point.
2. Morally gray and villainous characters
I’m getting a sense that some readers are tiring of this trope, but as a writer, I never get sick of exploring what happens when normal people are forced to make difficult decisions. There are “sunshine” characters in Sun Slayer, but also a lot of characters who choose to do terrible things.
3. Unconventional timeline and structure
Sun Slayer spans about 20-30 years of history with a considerable timeskip about a third of the way through. The main cast is introduced as children, but by the end of the novel, many of them are in their 30s. You might find it hard to relate to the characters at different points in the book because they transition from the typical YA age range to adults. The change might be pretty jarring, but I also think some readers will enjoy getting to see the characters develop and grow throughout the book.
4. Soft emotion-based magic
I write in a genre where many readers appreciate a relatively hard magic system. (Cultivation novels, anyone?) It’s not uncommon for authors to have detailed stages or rankings which unlock specific abilities that are associated with points or numerical power levels and have fancy names for moves and blow-by-blow fight descriptions. I’ve never managed to get into that kind of writing style as a reader, and I think it definitely shows in my own work. What Sun Slayer has instead is a softer magic system where cultivators’ power is bound to a specific feeling or emotion. Depending on which emotion this is, you will face different advantages, disadvantages, and consequences for using your power. The system is meant to feel intuitive while also providing the reader insight into the mental state of the characters.
5. The Concept/Premise
Sun Slayer, at its core, is a story about a prince’s relationship with his past and younger self. It’s a story about a group of friends torn apart by the same factionalism which is slowly dividing the kingdom they inhabit. If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, give this book a pass.
But if what I’ve shared thus far seems enticing, I’d love for you to pick up a copy of Sun Slayer which is available both in print and ebook on Amazon, free on Kindle Unlimited.
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Sun Slayer Official Release
August 20, 2024
Sun Slayer releases on August 20, 2024 (today)! An Asian fantasy novel about clashing kingdoms, friends drawn apart by imperial politics, and a dangerous magic bound to the emotions of those who choose to wield it.
So, Mortal, you wish to survive the world of Sun Slayer? Allow me to offer a few words of wisdom.
- Know yourself, and know your enemy.
- Power comes with a price.
- If you’re a more sensitive soul, remember to prepare some tissues.
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Welcome, Mortals!
May 7, 2024
Hello, I am Juzi, your friendly neighborhood orange. I use this space to chronicle my adventures in the mortal realm while ensuring that everyone stays up-to-date on my latest goods: orange juice and fantasy books.
As I prepare to launch my debut novel (Sun Slayer) sometime this year, I have been drafting a second project: a creation myth set in the same fictional world. This books is shaping up to be very different in tone from Sun Slayer and much shorter in total word count. However, I’ve truly been enjoying the processs and hope you’ll enjoy spending time with the characters as much as I do.
I’m off to write and make myself a lemon smoothie. Enjoy your day!
