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D’oh!

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Hello peeps!

Yes, I just likened everyone to an Easter marshmallow confection. That’s how I feel today…soft, squdgey, bit sweet, and like I’ll swell up and explode if anyone were to stick me in the microwave. Such is life.

Anyway, I just realized that the last post I had on here was saying that the paperback of Vhantalya was delayed. I never updated!

I have a shame.

I was able to fix the cover issue with the print versions of Vhantalya, and it is now available in paperback and hardcover through Amazon. Though I have been looking for alternate ways to get print books, perhaps to sell directly here off my website, I haven’t yet found a viable alternative. The hunt will continue, but for now if you don’t want to support the ‘Zon ebooks are available pretty much everywhere. My books have also been added to Storygraph, and of course you can still find them on Goodreads.

So as the end of the year (this crazy, terrible, exhausting year) creeps in and 2026 inches into sight, let me share my hopes for the coming year.

Amaranth, the first book in a duology set in Kaloran some time after the events of Vhantalya is currently progressing. I really waffled with this one. First it was supposed to be one book, but it became clear that it would be roughly the size and shape of a skyscraper if I did that, so I broke it into two. Then, most of the way through the first version I decided to completely change it up, and wrote a second version. Then reread the first version, decided I liked it better, and went back to it. Then reread the second version, realized I really liked it too, and decided to take elements from both (and sacrifice some, can’t forget that part) and am now working on the third, melded version.

I was hoping to have it to betas by the end of the year but as that’s now but weeks away and I’m roughly halfway through with what I need, I expect more I’ll be on the call for betas probably no sooner than February.

In the meantime, work on my modern(ish) day standalone book, So My Grandma Summoned a Demon, continues apace. A slow pace, granted, but apace nonetheless. I am determined to get this one out in 2026 as well, so look for a call for betas to come hopefully fairly close on the heels of Amaranth.

And it may be a bit ambitious, but I am also hoping to have either Scarlett or Ink in a Black Sea to betas, at least, before 2026 comes to a close. Both would be amazing, but I’m not holding my breath for that.

Lastly, the beginning of A Rat’s Honor has been penned and it is the next standalone after SMGSAD I have planned for release. Look for that hopefully early 2027.

In short, 2026 books to be published (by hook or by crook!):

Amaranth

So My Grandma Summoned a Demon

To be to betas in 2026:

Amaranth

So My Grandma Summoned a Demon

Either Scarlett or Ink in a Black Sea (or if insanity hits and I win the lotto and can devote all my time to writing, both)

2027 books to be published:

Tribulant (the second in the duology with Amaranth)

Either Scarlett or Ink in a Black Sea, depending

Possibly A Rat’s Honor

*whew*

And now that I’ve laid all that out back to work and hopefully not as long to the next update!

Take care, and happy holidays to everyone!

Paperback delayed…

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Hey everyone!

So I received my print proof for Vhantalya and there’s a slight issue that needs fixing. Unfortunately with the time it will take to fix and get another proof and verify, it means the paperback version of Vhan won’t launch now until probably the 11th.

I should be getting my hardcover proof in the next couple of days. If that is good and the paperback fix happens fast enough I may be able to pull that date in a little, but for now the 11th is the new set date both for hardcover and paperback versions of Vhantalya.

It’s a small issue but makes the book look unprofessional and anyone spending money on my writing deserves the best product I can put out.

This affects only the print versions. Ebooks are still out and available!

AHHHHHHHHH!

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And with that said, I happily announce that Vhantalya launched today! The ebook is available for purchase pretty much wherever ebooks are sold (see Available Now!) page. Print paperback editions will be available on 06/30, and hardcover (hopefully) on 07/11!

You may also have noticed I revamped the site a bit. Let me know what you think!

For those of you who aren’t in the know, Vhantalya is the first book of a multi-book saga that keeps increasing in number every time I look away. The second book in the saga (first in a duology), Amaranth, should be going to betas this fall! I am whole-heartedly planning for it to release next year. And hopefully we’ll have another release this year, if I can get my crap together.

I’m still diligently working away on my other manuscripts. I have the first draft started for A Rat’s Honor, working on the rewrite for A Human Heart, about 75% through the second first draft of Scarlett, still chipping away at the first draft for both So My Grandma Summoned a Demon and Ink in a Black Sea…and the list goes on.

For now, I better get back to it! I hope everyone out there is staying as safe and sane as they can…I know it’s hard right now. But stick to it, and never forget that you’re a rockstar!

Until next time!

Vhantalya gets a cover and a launch date!

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Hello everyone!

Vhantalya is finally (nearly, so close) here! We have a cover, thanks to the wonderful Library of Scars. We have a tentative eARC launch date for Netgalley, and publication launch date!

Vhantalya is a standalone high fantasy clockpunk story set in the sword-and-sorcery Renaissance-era world of Kaloran. Though it is a standalone story, Vhantalya kicks off a saga that will continue next year (knocks on wood!) with Amaranth and Tribulant, a duology set roughly 60 years later.

But we’re not here to talk about those two (more info can be found on my home page). We’re here to talk about Vhan!

Without Death, there is no Life…

Running is all Vhantalya has ever known. She is an aleeph, an avatar of the element of Life, and the last of her kind. In order to bring an end to the evil that has plagued the mortal Upperworld of Kaloran, she must reach the Great Tree Y’Edenel and reawaken a god.

Milla is a creature of the Otherworld, a predator that feeds on Life. Yet she has sworn to protect Vhantalya in order to destroy the Fool King and end his plans for good. Mysterious glowing clocks on her palms count down the short time she has left. She must get Vhan to the Tree, the only place where prophecy can be fulfilled. If she succeeds, it will cost her everything. If she fails, it will cost the Tree…and every world caught in its branches.

**

Like Reboot, eARCs will be available *fingers crossed* through Netgalley on the 23rd, and once published will be found everywhere ebooks are available. I will try and update a quick post when they are available here and on my socials, but I will be traveling the next two weeks (and working on the first draft of A Rat’s Honor!) and my internetting may be sporadic.

I’m setting the publication date, as of now, to 06/20! That is a definite for ebooks, and a tentative for hardcover and paperback. I’m looking at a few analog printing options that will allow me to sell directly off my own website or at least off of some of the larger corporate indie publishers. I think I should be able to get that sorted so that print books are available for purchase on 06/20 as well. If not, I’ll update.

So excited! This saga has been a long time in the making and its so nice to finally be able to see it coming to fruition!

Stay tuned!

February 2025

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Hey everyone!

So I doubt I’m the only one for whom the last three months have been the longest decade of their lives, so I just want to take a moment and spread some love, hugs, and support to everyone, everywhere, who are struggling right now. Though it may not feel like it at times, you are seen and loved.

On a more cheerful note, though my writing was on hiatus for the good part of two of those three months, I’m happy to say I’m closing in on getting the final edits for Vhantalya put to bed. I don’t have an official launch date yet, or a date when ARCs will be available, but I am trying really hard to get everything done and dusted and launched by May 16th.

Why? Well, I’m glad you asked! On the weekend of May 23rd I will be attending BookNetFest, in Orlando, Florida! I plan to bring a few copies of Vhantalya and Reboot along with me to give away, and I’m really looking forward into meeting several of you that will also be attending!

Given the state of…*waves at everything*, I have opted out of flying to Florida and will instead be taking a train. As this adds quite a bit of travel time to and from, and because I will have little to do on the train beyond stare broodingly out the window, get involved in a strange Victorian-style murder mystery, or read (or so I hear that’s how it happens when authors board trains), I have decided to bring my portable keyboard and knock out the first draft of one of my unstarted novels.

I have…a lot of those, so it took a little while to narrow down which one I wanted to go after, and I’ve finally decided on A Rat’s Honor.

I’m a pantser, and very often the idea is all I have in mind when I sit down to write, so keep that in mind when reading my summary below (things are very, very open to changing!). In my head this one contains shades of the Redwall series, The Rats of NIMH, the Tale of Despereaux, and Watership Down (still to this day my favorite book).

A group of rats that have been experimented on by a shadowy government agency find themselves alone in the rubble of a post-apocalyptic world (disease or zombie, I haven’t quite decided yet). Humans have disappeared, and strange threats howl in the night outside the walls that keep them safe. Far more intelligent than any wild rat thanks to the experiments, this colony have developed their own society, culture, mythology, and religion.

One young rat, Artmark Fleeker, breaks taboo and ventures into an area strictly off-limits to all but the colony’s spiritual leaders. There he discovers some human media, including tales of knights, dragons, sorcery, and chivalry, and determines that he wants nothing more in life than to be a knight.

For a while, all he can do is daydream and practice in secret, because if the others of his colony found out what he’d done he’d be cast out forever. Or worse!

Then one day he meets a new and unexpected friend, and when his colony and everyone he loves is threatened by foes both within and without, and their entire way of life is thrust into jeopardy, what he’s learned may be crucial not just to their evolution as a people, but their very survival.

It is only then that Artmark truly begins to understand how valuable honor is…even for a rat.

A Rat’s Honor. First draft coming to a train near you in May!

October 2024

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Hello everyone and welcome to spooky month! Though I’m not currently working directly on any of my horror novels, I do have several planned and greatly enjoy the genre, and this is always my favorite time of the year.

So get out there and support an indie author by trying a spooky read this fall! I myself will be giving The Black Cat Bookshop by E.M. McConnell a try (no doubt among others).

I also highly recommend The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. While its not an indie novel, it is by an indigenous author and is a fantastic read.

Also, I updated the ‘Available Now’ page! Now there’s a universal link you can click to find pretty much everywhere Reboot is available for sale – and I won’t complain if you share it with friends 😀

Not much else to update this month. I continue to tick away at getting Vhantalya ready for publication, and getting my first drafts done of Scarlett and So My Grandma. No major delays except my own ‘ooh shiny!’ distractions when I should be writing.

Kind of like…*ahem*…now. So, off I go!

September, 2024

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Hello all you wacky kids!

Reboot has now been out in the world for three months, and for a first-born mutant child conceived of nightmares and caffeine-free diet coke, it ain’t doin’ too badly! Finally ready to take its first toddling steps on gnashing tentacles into the greater world.

As such, Reboot is no longer exclusive on KU/KS and can now be found almost everywhere ebooks are sold (Smashwords, Apple, Barnes & Noble, etc). It is still available in hardcover and paperback exclusively on Amazon.

I’m also busily working on its younger siblings. Vhantalya, the first book of my clockpunk high fantasy Immortal Elements saga, is still on track for release in early 2025 (no set date yet, but I’m thinking January or February). I’m also busily working on So My Grandma Summoned a Demon, and Scarlett, both of which I’m hoping to get out next year as well around fall/early winter. AND I’ve made healthy, steady progress on the next three books in the IE saga – Amaranth, Tribulant, and The Rose of Fire, and I’d love to see one or more of those out in 2026!

Thank you so much to everyone who gave Reboot a try, and I hope you enjoy the Immortal Elements world of Kaloran starting next year. I have so much wonderful stuff planned. Stay tuned!

We’re FINALLY here!

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Hey everyone!

Couple big announcements today!

Reboot is now officially in the ARC stage and now has an official launch date!

Reboot will finally be published and available for purchase on Sunday, June 16th!

I know, doing a book launch on a Sunday is a little unorthodox, but without spoiling the book for those who didn’t have a chance to beta read, the date was too good to pass up. Add in the bonus that it is also Father’s Day, and I just couldn’t resist.

For those who don’t know, ARCs are Advance Reader Copies, or Advance Review Copies. They’re uncorrected proofs of the book (physical and/or e-book) sent out pre-publication in the hopes of generating hype and reviews for launch day. They are not the sale copy, and while they should be fundamentally complete ARC books are still subject to change up until launch day. Netgalley is a free to use site for professional and amateur reviewers both small and large.

If you are interested in signing up for an account and reviewing Reboot, I have links added both to the Coming Soon! page as well as the main page. The link will take you directly to Reboot’s listing.

Thank you everyone for all your help and support. I can’t believe we’re finally here!

Cover Reveal!

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We’re screaming into the home stretch now. I’m hard at work putting the final touches on Reboot, running full tilt at my hoped-for launch date of mid-May, 2024. I’ll post an exact date as soon as I have it. Doing final edits, setting up pre-orders, getting an ARC account set up to get those underway…there are a lot more fine details than one would think!

You may have noticed I updated the front page of the site! That’s right, Reboot now has an official cover! Despite repeated efforts and several false starts, I had to step back from doing my own cover for this title. It’s clear that while I am an artist, I am *not* a designer, and that’s okay. Thanks and credit goes to Betibup33 Design for the cover.

And keep an eye on this space, I’ll have ARC and pre-order information (as well as a solid launch date) up here hopefully in the next couple of weeks!

The thing about being the worst, it’s only up from there!

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Hey everyone, and welcome to 2024!

I am the literal *worst* it seems about updating the blog posts here and keeping you appraised of what’s what. You may have noticed, especially if you’re a beta of mine, that although I had three stories on my works in progress to finish in 2023, every single none of them actually got completed.

So yeah, about that…

I did quite a lot of work this year. Had a couple of firsts. And by firsts, I mean drafts of course!

*crickets*

Ahem. So, anyway, once I start writing a first draft, I’ve never wiped it and started over from scratch. I’ve certainly never wiped it *twice* and started over…but that’s exactly what I did with The Tree Y’Edenel. I got about 90k into the first draft and realized I wasn’t even a third of the way through. I like a big meaty book, but a 500k word MS was probably a *bit* much. I was also waffling over the direction it was going, so I set that original draft aside and began fresh.

Then, about 60k into that version, I stopped again. Though I liked a few nuggets of this new draft, for the most part it felt even more wrong footed then the first and wasn’t going to be any shorter unless I completely rushed the characters through it. That wouldn’t serve the characters, the book, or my readers.

I read back over the original 90k, approaching it with a bit of a fresh perspective, and ultimately decided to merge the two. I also realized that no matter which approach I took, this story was going to be much too long for just a singular book.

So I made the hard choice to split one book into a duology. The first draft for part 1 now stands at 105k and I am within spitting distance of wrapping it up. I’m also launching directly into part 2, which I expect will round out the first draft at about a similar word count.

Of course this means I had to rearrange a few things. The Rose of Fire, the next book in this same saga, has been bumped now to next year to make room for the duology, which bumped every subsequent book back a year as well. But I’d rather take more time and give you, dear friends, a better quality read.

I haven’t been idle on the other two stories that were slated for 2023 either. I have made good and rather satisfying progress on both So My Grandma Summoned a Demon, and Ferry Tail, and I will continue to work on these even as I start to tackle 2024’s first draft list. I’ve also rearranged (again) and added to (also again) my WIP list. There are also some title changes, most notably to the Willem series that I am starting this year.

And good news! The first draft of one of the stories slated for this year, the Human Heart, is already done! I need to give it some edits, of course, and rearrange the ending a little bit, but it should be up and about and ready to toddle to beta readers here in a month or two.

Even better news: the finishing line for Reboot is now in sight! I’m doing a few more quick edits now based on beta feedback, and then Reboot will be going to the editor. I’m nearly done with the cover as well, just need to give it a final spit and polish. As of this writing, I am bound and determined to at least have ARCs out and a firm launch date set by the beginning of May this year, just in time for BookNetFest!

So exciting! At least, I’m excited, and I hope that a few out there are a little tiny bit excited as well.

Happy New Year, and may yours be filled with joy, love, and wonderful books to read!