Category: Writing Page 2 of 15

I’ve done National Novel Writing Month in the past. Not last year, of course, as my hand was in a cast. Ouch. I’m not “officially” doing it this year through the website and everything.

But… I’m unofficially doing it. I’ve been very slow this year in my writing, partly because of that aforementioned hand injury, and then everything else that happened this year. I will be very glad to put 2023 behind me for many reasons.

So I’m doing my best to jumpstart this book I’m working on, the sequel to The Certainty of Blood. You can follow along on the bar to the right. So far, for the first three days of November, I’ve written 5,181 words.

A good start!

The first reviews of The Certainty of Blood are starting to arrive… and they’re excited!

“I was hooked from the cover…”

“Suffice it to say that while reading this book I felt everything its dwellers felt – the confusion, the despair, the love, the hope, the hopelessness, the pain, the rage, the sadness, the triumph, the beauty – and that is the true mark of talent.”

Can’t wait? You can now read chapter two right here.

Pre-orders are still open. Available May 1st in ebook, paperback, and hardback!

Chapter One of The Certainty of Blood is available right here!

And pre-orders are still open. Coming May 1st!

When Aldan discovers the power to burn someone’s blood, he is taken from his family, branded, and sold into slavery as an arena fighter. A painful life and an early death are all he can expect, until he listens to a supernatural voice coming from his own blood. Taking her advice, he uses his power to become the greatest arena fighter of the age, fighting year after year with one goal in mind. If he can purchase his own freedom, maybe a normal life with the woman he loves is possible. 

And now, he needs to win only one more fight… against a rebel leader who people are calling “the chosen one.”

From the grueling training grounds where boys learn to kill, to the luxuries of the sinister Hawk King’s palace, Aldan’s whole life has led inexorably to this one day. This one fight.

The king holds everything Aldan cares about. All he has to do is kill this final opponent. But love and friendship demand a different outcome. The choice is not as easy as it first appeared…

Gladiator meets The Name of the Wind in this mesmerizing tale of blood, glory, magic, and love.

The exact release date is not settled yet, but my tenth book, the launch of a brand new story (and world) is coming in the second quarter of 2023.

An epic fantasy, The Certainty of Blood is the longest book I’ve written so far. Thanks to my hand injury last year, it’s also gone through the longest period of revision and editing. I’m very proud of this one.

The working title was Bloodless, but that never really fit with the actual story. The Certainty of Blood does a much better job.

Subscribers to my newsletter have already gotten a sneak peek at the opening chapter. (See why you should join us?)

The cover is being designed now. I’ve started early work on the layout and bonus extras. And I’ll start looking for advance reviewers.

So stay tuned. It’s been a long, slow return from my injury and surgery, but a new book is coming (and more later in the year).