Welcome back! It’s time for another rip-roaring update on all my writing trials over the last couple of months. Let’s get to it!
Writing Update
Greystone
Heart of Forever is DRAFTED! That continues to astonish me. It’s been a long road to get to this point. The book is massive. There are so many characters involved, so many nods to the rest of the series, but at the heart (see what I did there…) remains Soriya and Loren. This is their swansong story, and I wanted it to feel that way for the readers.
I’m editing this 114,000-word beast right now. The first pass was completed last week. Everything is starting to take shape. Another month of readthroughs and edits, and things will be set for a February 2027 release.
Some people have reached out about the book, wondering why editing takes so much longer than drafting. No draft ever tells the full story. Books evolve as you write. For me, there were a ton of details to thread through the novel. One kept me up for days as I tried to figure out how to flesh out a certain arc. I needed to filter in dialogue or narration throughout in order for one particular moment to pay off with maximum impact. That meant finding moments that fit the thread and weaving around or trimming other points to focus on this one. Days of thinking led to approximately 100 words being added to the book. (Chapters 27, 41, and 64. I’m talking about you!)
That’s the challenge of editing, but also the fun of it. We’ll see how it all stacks up during next week’s readthrough.
Army in the Obelisk
The pre-order is live! I finished formatting last night, and the book is ready.
This remains one of my favorite projects. Speaking of challenges, the serialized structure was a blast to play with.
Be sure to snag your copy. It’s only 99c and plays a critical part in the overall series. You’ll see what I mean when Secret of the Stone arrives in August.
Need another reason to pick up Army in the Obelisk? How about it’s a lot of fun! Egyptian mythology wrapped around a kick-ass adventure with Soriya and Loren? Hell, yeah, it’s fun.
Reading Update
I haven’t done this in quite some time. I figured I would spare you my comic book reading, which has been the majority of my reading over the past year.
Recently, I charged up the old e-reader and started diving into the massive amount of books I’ve stockpiled. I bought them. I should read them, right? That’s my plan, at least. Check out the first two I’ve binged below.
Star Trek: The Collectors by Christopher L. Bennett
I’m a nerd. Sue me. This is a series about the Department of Temporal Investigations. I love time-travel stories. This one goes far beyond that. There are time shenanigans throughout, including a trip 21 million years into the future. Oh, and a Borg dinosaur shows up. Of course, I enjoyed this book. A Borg dinosaur!
Lights Over Cloud Lake by Nathan Hystad
I am always impressed by Hystad’s output. The man is a beast when it comes to pumping out cool sci-fi novels/series. This was a standalone endeavor about alien abductions and UFOs. It definitely spoke to the X-Files fan in me. A great story, too, on a personal level from the main character’s perspective.
Looking forward to diving into more of Hystad’s work.