Hello, everyone. I hope the holiday season treated you well.

You may have noticed that there was no January update, and there’s a good reason for that.

Honestly — I am exhausted. I’m so exhausted that I didn’t even remember to make a post here when I announced the release of Lord of the Night Realm: Reunion on Twitter and Instagram. (It’s April, by the way. Sorry for being unceremonious.) I also haven’t been updating the progress tracker, though I assure you that despite my exhaustion, the work is still getting done.

There’s so goddamn much that’s frustrating me these days; rampant bigotry and hate, AI being used to replace people… It reached a point where distancing myself wasn’t enough to separate me from my frustration. I already knew about theses things, so I’d end up just thinking about them and how they affected the people I cared about. I was starting to get sick from it.

After Reunion is released, I’m giving myself a month-long vacation. And when I return from it, I’m approaching my works with a new mindset that will vastly improve my enthusiasm and productivity. Because ultimately, I just want to be creative and share my works with those who care to see them. Be that writing, art, music, whatever.

Anyway, this has been more of a rant than an update. So let me mention a couple of things coming soon.

First, I’ll be adding a page for artworks I’ve commissioned of Lord of the Night Realm characters, as I now have a good few and I’m sure that others would like to see them. Second, I’m adding a small directory of fellow indie authors whose works I’ve read. I’ve been blown away by the wonderful stories these authors have written and want anyone curious about my praises to find them easily enough.

That’ll be it for now. Here’s hoping I’ll be in a better mindset for March’s update.

Until next time, take care!

Greetings, everyone! I hope the season has been treating you well. Finally we’ve gotten some substantial snow, but it feels like every time we do, rain or warmer weather is right around the corner to melt it all away. But if Christmas looks anything like today, I’ll be happy as a clam. There’s nothing quite like the look of snow-covered branches through a mile of forest. And all the bird activity outside my window as they come to the feeders is a major plus!

I’m a slow reader and haven’t had many reading opportunities since the last update. I finished the novella Structural Integrity by Tabitha O’Connell, which was a little outside my usual zone but was an absolute delight from front to back. It was also nice to read something shorter for once. Then, I picked up something a little different after spotting it by chance at my local bookstore; The New Vampire’s Handbook (multiple authors). Its like a fictional advice book with a healthy dose of humor. The photos and illustrations were absolutely on point. And now, I’ve been reading The Oracle Stone by Talli L. Morgan. I can’t remember the last time I was so utterly gripped by the end of the first two chapters! I need to find more time to read so I can make serious progress because I gotta know more.

Let’s talk about Lord of the Night Realm. If you’ve been following the Reunion progress meter here on my site, you probably noticed that I finally reached 100% writing this month! Woohoo! I didn’t make my goal of November 30th, but I finished just a few days into December, so whatever. Close enough! Now my dear friend and editor and I are kicking it back into editing gear, though it’s been a slow start. But each time I sit down and do it is easier than the last, so I’m hopeful that we can keep a good pace and stay on track for an April release.

I’ve also been working on interior and cover revisions for Sojourn. Yes, I know, I can’t leave well enough alone. The interior is just a few punctuation improvements, so nothing major. But there was something off with the cover ever since release that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I had help from a few people with more graphic design experience to make it better in print, but even then I wasn’t totally content. It wasn’t until the past month that I realized the problem was my own design. So, I went in and made a few major changes, ordered a proofing copy, and am blown away by the difference.

I’ve also begun dropping Book I and Book II from the titles, instead opting to keep it in description and on the title pages. I didn’t know quite what I was doing and it doesn’t look great in listings because of that. It’s a learning process, what can I say?

You might be asking when this new cover and updated interior will be available, and right now all I can say is “very, very soon”. I’ve got water dripping from my ceiling fan, which just so happens to be right above where I sit at my computer, so I’m stuck on the laptop with neither software for finalizing those adjustments until further notice.

Anyway, that’ll be it for now. Happy Holidays to those celebrating and a happy winter/summer to everyone else! Until next time, take care!

It is with regret that I must announce that the serialization for Lord of the Night Realm: Book II – Reunion will be coming to a premature end. Life has taken one unexpected turn after another since starting the serial in May, including a dire family emergency and personal emotional challenges. Routines crumbled and everything else fell off track, making it especially difficult to put them back into place.

This absolutely does not mean that Book II won’t be completed. Rather, this gives me the freedom to write at my own pace while also giving it the time and consideration that it deserves. I personally feel that the quality of Book II has suffered in recent chapters due to aforementioned events coupled with arbitrary deadlines. Additionally, ending serialization early will allow me to better care for myself without the looming stress of releasing chapters “on time”. Not to mention it eases the stress placed on my editor, whose had their own set of life troubles the past couple of months.

Lord of the Night Realm: Book II – Reunion will end serialization with the release of Chapter 46 on August 19, 2022. This chapter marks the end of the book’s first arc—a chapter that I personally love which shows many lively and pleasant moments while darker events still loom on the horizon…

Book II is currently slated for a Q1 2023 print and e-book release, but this is subject to change. Please keep tabs on my website, Twitter, Instagram, or Patreon/Ko-fi for any news or updates. I’ll certainly be sharing them as the writing process continues.

The best advice I read said to have your story completely written before you serialize, and twice now I’ve ignored it. With my lesson learned, I can move forward with writing Book II at a pace that works for me while also setting aside time for future story projects, including a brand new serial series.

Thank you so much for your understanding, and I look forward to delivering the completed Book II in the not-so-distant future—July is already half over, for Triad’s sake!