It’s Unusually Quiet…
About two weeks ago, I finished writing the sci-fi project I’ve mentioned off and on. It’s officially the longest book I’ve ever written, but was so much fun.
The title (for now) is Wraith and the Revolution. I’ve also commissioned some character artwork that will be included as part of the finished book, from JustMiss Art. She’s completed 5 pieces and is working on the 6th at the time of this writing. There will be 7 total. My hope is that the artwork will help with early promotion of the book, as there are some very fun characters—a cyborg, a mercenary, an engineer, and a plant-evolved alien, to name a few.
I’m tentatively considering a publication date in mid-2025, but you can read a synopsis of it here: Wraith and the Revolution
I’m taking a bit of time off from it now that the draft is complete to focus on a few other things. I’ve edited Cursed Blades and Catalyst of the Storm, books 4 and 5 in The Mage War Chronicles, as well as a short story related to The Caein Legacy. The short story will be shared with my newsletter subscribers in October.
But here’s where things get a little strange.
I’m used to characters demanding my attention, screaming for me to tell their stories while I finish up other projects. I have a few possible writing projects I’d like to work on, but no one is rattling around inside my brain demanding their story be the next one in line.
My head is unusually quiet, and I don’t know if this is a good thing or not.
Since I finished the rewrites for The Relics of War in early 2022, the demands on my attention have been almost constant. First, it was Jal’den and Sal’zar with The Ballad of Alchemy and Steel, then Seren do’Vox for Magic in the Deeps, then Owen Greenwaters with Serpentus, then Drake Keller in Catalyst of the Storm, and most recently, Kye Verex, the main character of Wraith and the Revolution. It was one character after another after another, all demanding my attention.
Now that all of their respective stories have been drafted, there’s something akin to silence. I’m not used to it, and it’s weird.
Which is why I’m taking this unexpected quiet time to edit things. I know the silence won’t last—it never does—so I may as well take advantage of it while I can. It’s easier to focus on revisions when I don’t have a fictional someone demanding my immediate attention.
So what’s next? Final edits (I think this is round 4?) for Harbinger. I need to have it ready for my proofreader soon. And then…
I’ll probably go back to writing something. I have a few short stories in mind, a potential novella, and book 6 of The Mage War Chronicles is outlined.
There is no shortage of projects in my queue, it’s just a matter of deciding which will be next—or who will start screaming for my attention first.