Lou Paduano | Urban Fantasy Novels | Sci-Fi Crime Series

End of Year Wrap-Up

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Happy Holidays! We made it. It’s been a whirlwind kind of year, but here we are at last.

A note of gratitude

None of this works without you, gentle reader. Not this blog, not the social media insanity, the newsletter, or the writing itself. None of it matters without you. I cannot thank you enough for being here and supporting my continued efforts to entertain and engage with you.

It means the world, not only to me, but to my family.

A crazy year indeed…

Four book launches in the last three months. Five this year if you count the Greystone box set. It’s so exciting to see The DSA come to life after so many years. It’s even more thrilling to revisit Portents with the Greystone-in-Training trilogy. I’m having more fun creating with each passing month and that is a gift I hope to share with you for many years to come.

The Good

The DSA is out. People are enjoying it. At this month’s Mini-Con, DSA outsold Greystone for the first time. A number of people were immediately pulled in by the premise. Trust me, the best is yet to come with the series.

I hit my sales goal for the year. I didn’t think I would after some very slow months at the start, but I did it. The local shows were the big winners, for sure, and I hope to continue to participate as my schedule allows.

I’m fully mapped out until 2022 now with projects. It’s a crazy feeling to be locked in for the next two years, but definitely helps figure out my schedule on a weekly or monthly basis.

The Less Good

I’m fully mapped out until 2022! I have so much to do!

Seriously though, the only bummer is that I’ve pushed some projects to the back burner to focus on current series. I’m really hoping to be able to put some time into new genres, but we’ll see with everything else going on.

Digital sales. I still haven’t quite mastered this one. Every time I think I’ve figured out a good metric, a decent strategy for people to find my books the game changes and I have to start over again. I was hoping DSA would launch stronger than it has, but the hope is that once Book 6 is out in April that there will be more interest in binging the whole first season. Same with Hammer and Anvil, but that might change next week as the book goes on sale for the holidays.

Happy Holidays!

I’m off for the next few weeks. Will there be any rest for me? Probably not. I’m working on the script for The Final Gauntlet, the last book in the Greystone-in-Training trilogy. (It’s coming together so well! Loving this one.) I’m also finalizing Spectral Advocate so I can order my first proof.

I will be back in January to announce project dates so get ready!

I hope you and your loved ones have an incredibly festive and harmonious holiday season.

Take care.

Order Hammer and Anvil now!

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Hammer and Anvil launches today!!!! I’m so excited to bring this story to you. Soriya’s training has always been something I wanted to explore in more detail and the way A Circle of Shadows left things, I thought it opened the door to diverge from the main tale and really dive into the background.

Being able to bring back Beth and take a small piece from their lives to build this story was incredibly fun. Go back and read Signs of Portents and A Circle of Shadows again. You’ll see everything was right there from the start. That’s what I love about writing, about living in this series–every piece offers so much variety and depth to be mined with future tales.

I really hope you enjoy it.

Order your copy of Hammer and Anvil today!

It’s her first case and it might be her last.

Soriya has worked her entire life to become the Greystone—protector of her city, Portents, against the growing shadows of myth and legend. All her efforts are in jeopardy when she is struck down by the destructive power of the Minotaur.

Soriya must now find a new path. Only one thing is certain—she’s going to need help.

Beth, a researcher with insight into the city, has been locked in her own mystery—hunting for the recently stolen hammer of Hephaestus.

Working together to unravel the secrets hidden in Portents, Soriya and Beth must learn to trust the other’s unique perspective. However, they aren’t the only ones seeking answers as the Minotaur turns his rage on the city… starting with Soriya’s beloved teacher.

eBook is on sale right now for only $0.99!

Head to your favorite retailer now for your copy of the first adventure in a new Greystone trilogy.

Paperback also available!

Amazon – US, UK, CA

Barnes and Noble

Want a signed paperback copy? 

You can now order directly through me! (US customers only though, sorry…)

That’s right. Looking for a signed copy of one of my books? Shoot me an email at lou@loupaduano.com to find out more!

Happy Reading!

Hammer and Anvil Pre-Order Alert

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The Greystone-In-Training trilogy kicks off with Hammer and Anvil, now available for digital pre-order!

What is the trilogy all about?

A Circle of Shadows put a close to certain story elements and certain characters. But it was never meant to be the end of the story. Nor was Signs of Portents meant to be the beginning. There was always more to the past, more to the history of these characters.

Especially Soriya.

This trilogy centers on Soriya during her training years with Mentor. Specifically, her final three years of training. Hammer and Anvil picks up with a 15 year old Soriya and her first true test as the next Greystone, under the watchful eyes of her teacher and the chaos that ensues.

It’s an absolute blast returning to Portents for this special trilogy. Not only does it offer insight into Mentor and Soriya’s relationship but it plants some seeds for where the second cycle of the main series is heading.

Pre-Order Hammer and Anvil today!

It’s her first case and it might be her last.

Soriya has worked her entire life to become the Greystone—protector of her city, Portents, against the growing shadows of myth and legend. All her efforts are in jeopardy when she is struck down by the destructive power of the Minotaur.

Soriya must now find a new path. Only one thing is certain—she’s going to need help.

Beth, a researcher with insight into the city, has been locked in her own mystery—hunting for the recently stolen hammer of Hephaestus.

Working together to unravel the secrets hidden in Portents, Soriya and Beth must learn to trust the other’s unique perspective. However, they aren’t the only ones seeking answers as the Minotaur turns his rage on the city… starting with Soriya’s beloved teacher.

The secrets of Soriya’s training are revealed in the first adventure of this new Greystone trilogy!

Special Bonus for Box Set Buyers!

A sneak peek at Hammer and Anvil has been added to the box set for those who purchased it. A nice tease for the start of what I hope will be a fun journey with the characters, both new and old.

Hammer and Anvil arrives on October 24th!

Writing Update – July 30, 2019

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It’s been a strange month in the basement over here. I try to keep forward momentum on a number of projects at all times. The last few weeks, though, it hasn’t felt that way to me. Like I was just spinning my wheels instead of actively closing out projects.

Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast, I guess.

Writing Update

DSA Season One

The season is off to the editor. I was glad to see it off but since I sent them over I’ve had some thoughts about checking different areas again. Anything to drive myself insane with worry.

Over the course of August the entire season will get one more pass to close things out.

If you read my newsletter last week, the release dates are set for the first 3 books in the season.

The Clearing launches October 9th. Promethean arrives November 13th. And The Bridge will be available on December 11th.

Pre-Order info coming next week!

Greystone-In-Training

My alpha readers finished up Hammer and Anvil last week, so I am in the process of fixing up the draft before giving it one last pass.

I love coming back to Greystone, so much so that I outlined book 2 this month. The title made my wife giddy with joy. Very excited to share more details next month.

The trilogy is really shaping up and I think it’s going to transition nicely back to the main series when it’s time for books 6 through 10.

Greystone

I’m making a real effort to flesh out the back half of the main series before diving into the drafting phase. Greystone was a great lesson in how to plan things out, how to plant seeds and see them come to life with each new release. The problem was my timetable and how quickly I was forced to go from book to book  without any downtime in order to hit my deadlines.

Really want to plan that aspect better by having a clear path from the flashback novel of book 6 to the series finale in book 10. Right now, there are some notions here and there (including some awesome tidbits for books 7 and 8) but nothing concrete yet in terms of the overall arc.

Talk to you next month about the launch of Greystone: The Complete First Cycle and more!

Writing Update – March 19, 2019

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This appears to be the month where things came to a grinding halt. Why, you ask?

THE FLU!

My daughters have been sidelined all week with the terrible bug and it’s taken its toll on me as well. The old brainbox has turned into a massive fog of late so work hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world. We’re on the mend, slowly – so slowly – and after fumigating the house I’ll be back to it.

But let’s get to the writing update already!

Writing Update

DSA Season One – Book Three is DONE. The Bridge is one of my absolute favorite stories in the series. I was so glad it came together as easily as it did. It required little tweaking on my part from the previous iteration.

Currently, I’m editing Book Four. This one is a little more tricky than the previous two installments as this one has to play a couple different roles. Not only is it meant to be a direct continuation of The Bridge but also introduces a new world of characters to be explored. Juggling between the two is a feat. I’ve come to realize I sacrificed some of my momentum by doing so.

This week I’m fixing it up, nailing down the specifics on the arc long plot and how it can best be promoted within the pages of this chapter of the story. The main plot is set, it’s all those nasty little subplots and twists I want settled before I move onto the final two books.

My original deadline was March 31st for all six books. Since January turned into a script-fest for Season Two I pushed out the deadline until April 30th. Barring any further illness (UGH) this will happen and I’ll be well into the script for the Greystone-In-Training novel, Hammer and Anvil.

Launch Dates

I’m reticent to announce anything until I nail down some specifics – editing and cover design-wise. My hope, one I truly believe is feasible is to launch DSA in October and the Greystone novel in September. If that is the case, the First Cycle Box set will launch in August to help promote the new book.

It’s going to make for a crazy summer but I think it’s possible once I figure a few things out.

I will keep you updated!

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