PROJECT UPDATES: April 2017

It’s a wonderful season here in rural Connecticut. Spring is in the air; the days are getting warmer, the trees are starting to bud, chipmunks and squirrels are skittering about, and the grill’s been broken out on more than one occasion. Also, this is the most productive time of year for me, so allow me to fill you all in on what I’m currently working on, what’s steamrolling down the pipeline, and what’s still to come.

Let’s start with a biggie.

SOULTAKER

The first book in my planned Knights Eternal trilogy, slated to be released by Ragnarok Publications in July of this year. Since the pre-order for the paperback is already up over at Amazon, this is a good time to reveal the splendid cover that artist Pablo Fernandez created:

Amazing, right? I’m pretty damn excited about this tale finally seeing the light of day. I’ll have more on the project as we move closer to the release date.

WOLVES AT THE DOOR

The 2^nd book of The Infinity Trials is finished, coming in at a brisk 344 printed pages. Editing is done, proofing has been completed, and formatting is mostly all set. All I’m waiting on now is a cover, which Jesse Young is currently slaving over and should be finished with…soon-ish. As soon as said cover is done, all it will take is a short amount of workshopping—perhaps two, three days, tops—along with finishing the formatting, and then it will be available for purchase. So get ready for more dark adventures from Jacqueline Talbot and her band of misfits. It’s gonna be a good one.

LOST IN THE SHADOWS

The 3^rd Infinity Trials book is also finished, from a pure writing perspective. I’ll be sending the manuscript out to my editors and proof-readers some time in the next two weeks. Of course, I’ll also need a cover for this one too, which means I’ll be putting Jesse to work again very, very soon. No rest for the wicked, eh?

Right now, we’re looking at a mid- to late-July release. Hopefully, that’ll come to fruition, but I can say, with a smidge of confidence, that we won’t be pushing too far past that time. This is, so far, my favorite of the Jacqueline books, one where I got to experiment a little bit. It's also by far the longest, coming in at a sizable 460 printed pages. I hope you’ll all be as happy with the outcome as I am.

QUEEN OF THE DEAD

As of this moment, I’m approximately 33% finished with the rough draft of this novel, which will be the 4^th—and penultimate—volume of The Infinity Trials. This one has been proving slightly problematic, but in a way that will end up being positive for the reader. I’ve had to keep myself honest, beginning the process of tying up all the loose ends I’ve created over the previous three installments. It can be a painful process, but the payoff will be spectacular. That much I can guarantee.

My soft prediction is that this book will be released a week before Halloween, a good time for something called Queen of the Dead to see the light of day. I’ll certainly keep you updated as progress moves along.

And finally…

WIEDERGEBOREN: THE ETERNAL RETURN OF EDWIN VYSE

As Boy in the Mirror is the only Infinity Trials novel to have been released as of this moment, readers have only just briefly been introduced to Edwin Vyse, who is rather important to the plot moving forward. The character is based on a short story I wrote many years ago. He has a rich history, and I feel that history needs its own outlet, as it’s a little too involved to include fully in the scope of Jacqueline’s story.

My plan is to take the next two months and completely rewrite that original story, lengthening it and turning it into a novelette/novella. I’ll be doing this using what is normally my “reading time,” aka the free moments available to me at my day job. Therefore, the book I’m reading right now—the indomitably awesome Husk, written by old favorite D.P. Prior—will constitute the last review to appear on this blog until this story is finished.

Once completed, I plan on releasing Wiedergeboren as both a cheap read and a freebie gift for those who sign up for my newsletter. For those who’re longstanding fans (I know who you are), I’ll gladly send out a complimentary copy if you so desire.

And…that’s about it for today! We’ll chat again soon, folks. Until then, I’ll keep my nose down, and keep on workin’.

Dead of Winter Official Release Announcement:

Idleness in Art

Just a quick little tangent for today.

As a writer, sometimes the effort it takes to construct sentences and paragraphs that fall into line with the whole of a certain creation can bring with it a sort of fatigued laziness; a mental state through which inaction, at the time, might seem more productive than putting thoughts down on paper you just know won’t do the job. I fight with this often – there are hours that I sit there in front of the laptop, staring at the screen, typing the first few letters of a word only to delete them immediately. This can go on for hours, until I finally slam the cover shut and go about the rest of my day’s business.

I’ve often asked myself…is there any way to avoid these situations?Yes.

The conclusion I’ve found is that there’s no such thing as wasted words. Even a passage that will inevitably wind up in the recycle bin is a worthwhile endeavor. Creation is all about trial and error, of mistakes and changes of thought. Jessica Torrant (from here on known as ArtWiffy) has taught me this. Watching her lather a canvas with paint, stare at it sideways for a moment, and then throw another layer on top of what she’s just finished, all the while with this odd expression on her face that might seem to be a smile if not for the intensity brimming right below the surface, has been an inspiration. No longer can I sit idle and feel sorry for my lack of inspiration. The only muse I need is right here (taps on temple). It’s from within that art springs forth and, just like everything else in life, the mistakes mean just as much as the finished project. After all, there wouldn’t be a finished project if not for those mistakes. It’s all a part of the process.

So thank you, ArtWiffy, for giving me that knowledge. No more meandering. This one's for you.