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

Pathways in the Dark Teaser

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Earlier this week I shared a first glimpse at December’s digital only FREE release – Founder’s Day. Like Resurrectionists before it, Founder’s Day serves as a primer for the rest of the short story collection coming out in February – Pathways in the Dark.

Background for Pathways in the Dark

This was the title of the first book way, way, way back in 2008. I thought it summed up my feelings about the series nicely. Unfortunately it never fit with the narrative being told and Signs of Portents was born from that change.

But the title still fit and I knew it would. Somewhere.

When I put the final touches on Tales from Portents last year, I realized how much I enjoyed the short story format. It was a nice break from writing out those epic novels and really opened up new ways of telling tales set in the Greystone universe.

I come from a comic book reading childhood (he said staring at his Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus next to his computer…) so I’m accustomed to larger epics broken up between smaller – yet still important – moments in a character’s life.

That was the purpose behind Tales. Background on the characters and the world.

Pathways in the Dark is very much the same, yet – to me – it feels completely unique. Tales was a prequel. With Pathways, everything is in the present.

The importance of the moment…

Theme became the connecting point for these stories and all tied back to the title of the collection. Pathways in the Dark represents a glimpse at each character following the events of The Medusa Coin. From Ruiz to Myers, from Soriya to Loren, each player faces an obstacle that calls their path forward into question.

Pathways is about how to find your way back to the light at the darkest of moments. How to build a life from ashes. How to succeed. And how to fail…

Pathways in the Dark arrives in February

pathways in the darkThe shadows are growing around Portents.

Detective Greg Loren attempts to recover from injuries sustained during his hunt for the Medusa coin but is pulled into more darkness as the full extent of Erikson’s attempt at immortality is discovered.

Soriya Greystone works to connect with the city she protects, stumbling on fluctuations caused by the evolving Bypass and an ancient cult attempting to bring back the god, Anubis. On top of the dangers surrounding the pair, the Founder returns to the city and brings death with him.

Danger is around every corner and Portents grows darker as war inches closer to the surface in these tales from the Greystone collection.

War is coming…

I said it last time. We’re rolling downhill on our way to one explosive finale come next September. Pathways takes you one step closer to the end.

And not everyone comes out of the dark…

I can’t wait to share more from this incredible project. Lots of cool tidbits and teasers coming closer to the end of the year.

Thanks for reading.

Founder’s Day – A Glimpse Ahead at Greystone

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It’s been a crazy launch month for The Medusa Coin. I am always amazed at the support from writers and readers alike, willing to do anything to make sure we are all doing our part to spread the word about indie authors. It has been an incredible community to work with this past year and I hope to be able to do more in the future.

What comes next?

The Medusa Coin changes things for the series. I won’t spoil the book here. I’ll save that for later in the month when I start my commentary on the manuscript.

Much like a single book there is a feeling like we’ve been climbing to the top of hill, pushing this gigantic boulder in front of us. The Medusa Coin was the apex, slowing building and building and now comes the fun part.

Falling down.

Loren and Soriya are headed toward an event, one utterly unavoidable. But in their way are certain obstacles – each unique to our two principal players.

Loren’s arrives this December with the release of Founder’s Day.

Founder’s Day – First Look

Founder's DayOn the eve of the Founder’s Day Celebration in the heart of Portents, someone is murdering city officials and dressing them up in a signature black robe and cloak.

What does it have to do with the Church of the Second Coming? And will Loren be able to find the killer or will the entire city of Portents be at risk?

The seeds are planted for the end of the first cycle of the Greystone series in this tale!

Founder’s Day is a direct sequel to Resurrectionists and will be available FOR FREE on December 5, 2017!!

The challenges in this tale…

I went over this one many times. The second I hit the publish button on Resurrectionists last year I knew this story was coming.

The challenge came in juggling priorities in this story. Not only was it a sequel to Resurrectionists, it served as the primer for February’s release – Pathways in the Dark – AND set the stage for book five’s incredible climax of the series’ first major arc.

Talk about pressure.

With Pathways, especially when it came to this tale, I was able to open the door to some new ideas. I was able to widen the scope of the series but also ground it in a way that I hope will still entertain readers set on myths and monsters.

Founder’s Day is a true test for Loren, one that will require all his detective skills to solve.

More news and a preview of the tale coming your way next month!

Writing Update – September 28, 2017

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Has it been a month already? No idea how that happens. A busy month all around with a new project in development for your reading pleasure!

Writing!

The Medusa Coin launched and my incredible advance team has done some fantastic work promoting the novel and posting reviews. I cannot thank them enough for their hard work in making the launch a success. The $0.99 launch window closes on the 30th so grab your copy now!

 

             

 

Pathways in the Dark is back from the lovely and talented, Kristen Hamilton over at Kristen Corrects. I’m hoping to really dive into it this weekend to make sure everything lines up with any additional changes and tweaks. If you’re interested in joining the advance team for this one be sure to email me at lou@loupaduano.com and I’ll shoot you a copy when the time comes.

Time for a new project!

The fifth and final book (for now…) of Greystone is written. Edits are coming! The draft is strong and I know where I need to make it better. It’s been an amazing experience taking this journey with Soriya and Loren. With it winding down next year it saddens me to leave them behind for even a moment but…

It opened the door to a brand new project! The Lost Outpost is my first foray into science fiction proper with a space opera/military/horror feel to it that I think plays to my strengths and should be engaging to people not in love with the genre. The book is outlined and I’m slowly diving into the scripting phase – my favorite!

Stepping into a new world has been challenging and the process takes some getting used to again. Learning new voices, finding new angles for storytelling and pushing boundaries not yet explored takes time, but oh man is it fun to figure out along the way.

The Lost Outpost, if things go according to plan will be heading your way early 2019. (Crazy to think about, I know…) I’ll be talking about it more come November when NaNoWriMo kicks off!

Reading

Ambassador Book One: Seeing Red by Patty Jensen – To get in the sci-fi spirit I took the opportunity to dive into Patty Jensen’s space opera series Ambassador. The world building involved is incredibly rich and the characters have a diverse history. Everything is explained well and sufficient background is given for all the customs and protocols necessary as an ambassador between Earth and other worlds. The conspiracy building in the background definitely has me intrigued about future installments as well.

I’m ignoring the love story component of the novel. It didn’t speak to me or have any real bearing to what I felt was the main thrust of the narrative. I’m sure it widened the potential audience for the series but for me it didn’t fit with the pressure Cory Wilson’s character was under during the novel.

I’m heading to Buffalo Comic-Con this weekend! And yes, I’ll be the guy holding the My Little Pony’s for my kids while we wander the floor. See you there!

Writing Update – August 24, 2017

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I was away on Monday. It’s a rare thing and I took advantage of the time after a crazy summer of writing. I also learned a bit about myself in the process. I suck at down time.

It’s something I need. I recognize that fact. At this point in the game, however, I seem to be missing the capacity to handle such things. So what did I do?

I remodeled a bedroom. Spackle, paint, new shoe moulding. Fun stuff.

Writing-wise? I outlined two new series. That is the very definition of the OPPOSITE of down time. Stupid brain…

They’re pretty cool ideas too, some trippy futuristic sci-fi action and a YA Horror series. I don’t mind letting my mind work on things like that. My frustration comes from not being able to write them out from the word GO. Both of these will sit on the backburner until my schedule opens up (hmmm, 2019 maybe?).

Now, that is just a fact of life. There are only so many hours in the day and I have a commitment to the projects already on the slate. That’s the way it is and has to be or I’d never move forward on ANYTHING. I get that, I do. Most of the time. But yeah, down time and my brain have yet to reach the same page. For now…

Greystone

If you’re on my newsletter you already know, but if not I’m glad to repeat it as often as possible:

The Medusa Coin comes out in LESS THAN 3 weeks! I originally considered leaving it at the full price of $2.99 but as the days inched closer I realized that really takes the fun out of promoting it to you and all of my exceptional readers.

So I’ve brought the price down to $0.99 for a limited time launch offer! The book hits digital shelves on September 12th so order your copy today!

            

 

Paperbacks won’t be available until the 12th but if you order one through Amazon it will be part of the Kindle Matchbook program. What is the Matchbook program? It means if you buy a paperback you can also purchase the Kindle version of The Medusa Coin FOR FREE. I love this program and absolutely try to utilize it with every published work.

Pathways in the Dark

You’ll be reading much more about this project in the coming months but I am happy to say it is off to my editor for the next month. I’m happy to see it take the next step to completion. I think this collection went far smoother than I thought it would.

When I was putting down my ideas for where the characters should be, what beats they need to hit to propel them forward to the final book in this arc, they really took shape. Binding them with this theme of finding your way through the darkness of Portents really strengthened the project as a whole.

I’m excited to share more about what’s inside starting next month!

Book Five!

THE DRAFT IS DONE!

Knowing this will be the final Greystone novel for some time and the conclusion of quite a bit built up since Signs of Portents, it was tough to say goodbye to so many wonderful characters. The action is intense in this one, the threat larger than anything we’ve seen so far in the series.

There are some heartbreaking moments in the book, some revelations I didn’t see coming when I started down this road.

I start the self-editing process in a couple weeks. Each character gets a moment, each thread stretched through the first four books comes into play here. It’s the largest story I’ve ever conceived and it is going to surprise you where things go.

Reading? What’s that?

I keep thinking there will be more time for reading now that drafting is done. Guess what? Not so much.

I am planning on putting together a Fall Reading List as things fall off the schedule. Hopefully by next update when I take another crack at some down time. (HA.)

Until then, thanks for reading!

Writing Update – August 10, 2017

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Putting a pin in it…

Closure. It is the greatest feeling in the world. Concluding a project that has eaten up weeks and months of time. Sometimes even years if you’re looking at things from a macro/series point of view. That is what this month is for me: project conclusion!

The Medusa Coin

Only 1 Month Away! Crazy, right?

I had the opportunity to read through the book again, this time in paperback form which is always a nice bonus. So glad I did.

project conclusion

I have a tendency to move a little more quickly than I should with my work. Juggling multiple books in various stages, plus raising my two munchkins and making sure the missus still knows I exist in this or any reality tends to fill the schedule pretty quickly.

Add a couple unforeseen calamities (I’m looking at you leaking toilet!) and some mistakes may sneak through.

Like in The Medusa Coin.

A few moments of “are you freaking kidding me?!” summed up the experience of reading through book three of the Greystone series. I’ve read the book at least fifteen times but some of the mistakes I made were insanely obvious and should have been weeded out months ago.

Suffice it to say, the book is NOW all set to go! The manuscript is clean and uploaded to retailers. Looking forward to hearing some reactions from my early readers soon.

Pathways in the Dark

project conclusionI’m heading back into book four mode for the next couple of weeks to clean it up for my editor. It’s been over a month since I finished so it will be nice to revisit.

And probably find the same cringe-worthy moments experienced in The Medusa Coin. (UGH!)

This will also be the first time I’m reading the short stories in chronological order. I’m curious to see how it holds together and if some subtle connections are needed to keep readers interested.

Should be fun.

And once this pass is done, so am I with my work! I might even take a week off! (Love project conclusion time!)

Reading

Tim Tigner’s Chasing Ivan – I finally had some time to sit down and enjoy a book last week. Insomnia helps for some things, I guess! Anyway, Chasing Ivan is the prequel to Tim Tigner’s Kyle Achilles series. An action thriller in the vein of Tom Clancy or Greg Rucka, Tigner offers an interesting look at espionage with his lead character.

I enjoyed the pace of the narrative, which never slowed for a single second. The level of detail filled out the world for Achilles without drying up the prose. The cat and mouse elements were nicely done and it dovetailed nicely into the start of the series proper.

Be sure to check it out. You can download it for FREE on Amazon.

Thanks for reading.

Writing Update – May 25, 2017

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I have to be honest with you. I’ve been distracted lately. With so much going on writing-wise it’s been happening more and more. That and a constant cold that has slowly turned my brain to mush this month. But there has been writing going on so let’s catch you up on what I’m currently brewing in the writing cauldron.

Currently Writing

Pathways in the Dark self-editing has been a slog. I might be pushing too hard, too quickly so I’m taking this week off to focus on a few other things. This collection means a lot to me and I think it came together nicely but it’s not where it needs to be yet. A couple months of tinkering will do it. I just need to sit down and solve this thing like every other project.

So what have I been distracting myself with lately?

Would you believe Book Five’s outline?

currently writing

(I even upgraded from the pink and purple index cards used for The Medusa Coin…)

Yeah, I did mention possibly moving too quickly for my own good. Looking ahead, though, has already helped refocus some of the plot points in Pathways. I’m still refining the outline and will be for the next few weeks as I put the script together. And then again when drafting takes over this summer.

For now, I am happy to say there is a very clear spine for what will be the final novel in the first cycle of the Greystone series.

It is a definite ending.

For now.

As for everything else going on, I am heading back into The Medusa Coin for one last pass. You’ll be hearing more about the next step for September’s release next month.

Reading

Lots of reading going on lately. Loving it.

Mark Dawson – Phoenix

She does Britain’s dirty work, but this time she needs help. Beatrix Rose, meet John Milton…

Beatrix Rose has a knack for making the British government’s problems go away. When the assassin is sent to Venezuela to track down a missing scientist, she meets a contact who knows the lay of the land: none other than John Milton…

As the state-sanctioned assassin and the special forces soldier team up in South America, they’ll do more than capture a missing scientist. They’ll discover a secret that will change Beatrix’s life forever…

Phoenix is a short story that unites two landmark thriller characters in a single tale. If you like ruthless assassins, fast-moving plots, and Jack Reacher-style action, then you’ll love USA Today bestselling author Mark Dawson’s latest short.

Buy Phoenix to witness the thrilling team-up today!

A great novella showcasing the characters from Mr. Dawson’s various series that serves as a nice primer for his genre. Action packed in the vein of Greg Rucka, I enjoyed every second of it and can’t wait to dive in for more.

The proceeds for this book go to a good cause, experimental cancer treatments for a close friend of Mark Dawson. So please consider purchasing a copy to help assist in a small way toward saving a life. You can learn more about it here.

The Blended Ones – Angela J. Ford

Caught in the fate of the Eastern World, the destiny of the Blended Ones, Treasure Hunters, and Horse Lords become twisted together in a frightful quest. In the midst of their whirlwind adventure, they discover love, loss, and uncover the truth about who and what is behind the chaotic, spiraling events in the Eastern World.

The Blended Ones is Book Two in The Four Worlds series but can be read as a stand-alone novel.  I’ve purchased both and can’t wait to dive into them. They look amazing.

From May 25th to May 29th The Blended Ones is FREE!

Grab yours today on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ1D35Q

For those looking to try out a whole slew of the best and brightest authors around in Science Fiction and Fantasy, check out the Dominion Rising box-set.

22 brand new novels are being offered in this set for only $0.99!!

From the back cover:

Find the Science Fiction and Fantasy reads you’ve been craving! Whether it’s alien invasion or dark fairytales, heart-pounding galactic adventures or cyberpunk romance, Dominion Rising will satisfy with a thrilling mix of 22 all-new full-length novels set in fantastical realms.

Sword and sorcery, far-flung galactic empires, alternative history, epic magic, slipstream futures: this collection of carefully selected, exclusive novels is sure to delight readers of speculative fiction.

Over five thousand pages packed with aliens, faeries, vampires, gargoyles, warriors, telepaths, space pirates, starship captains, hapless mercenaries, street urchins, robots, cyber-enhanced humans, badass heroines, and lost princesses.

These award-winning, New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling authors have left no stone unturned in the science fiction and epic fantasy universe to bring you the very best escape from planet Earth.

All the novels are available exclusively in the Dominion Rising collection.

The collection will be released on August 8th but you can pre-order your copy today!

The Greystone Saga Volume One

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of The Greystone Saga Volume One, collecting Signs of Portents and Tales from Portents. Only $0.99 until June 22nd!!

           

Thanks for reading.

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