I’ve enjoyed participating in National Novel Writing Month for the past three years. Writing 50,000 words in a single month is a big deal, and a great motivation! But I’m not doing it this year.
Instead, I started out 2021 operating on a similar pattern to NaNoWriMo for the entire year!
My goal for this year is 500,000 words written. As of the start of November, I’m over 409,000. I have a little less than 92,000 words to go.
So I might actually write 50,000 words in November, or I might not. I don’t have to, and it would add another layer of goals/stress on top of what I’m already doing.
Does that make 2021 NaNoWriYe? No, because I’ve written more than one novel, I guess.
Anyway, I’m writing every day, and you get to read it when it’s all done. That’s what matters, right?
Some of you may have noticed that I have multiple books going all at once (see the sidebar). This is a deliberate choice on my part to accelerate my release schedule. Here’s what I’m talking about:
My first book, Until All Curses Are Lifted, launched on August 13, 2019. The second book, Until All Bonds Are Broken, launched on April 30, 2020, eight months later. I followed this with Viridia in October, less than six months later. Then Until All The Gods Return debuted on May 25, 2021, seven months later, but over a year after the previous book in the same series. Now I’m launching Incarnadine in a few days, only four months after my last book (but still eleven months after the previous book in the same series).
As a reader, I know how frustrating it can be when you read something you like, and then the sequel doesn’t arrive for another year. (Or ten, or twenty. You know, if you’re George R.R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss.) I want to avoid that, if at all possible.
It’s also good business practice for an independent author. Readers are fickle (you know it; admit it), and if you don’t keep putting out new products, they’ll wander off and forget to come back.
So if you’ve been following along this year, you may have heard of my big goal: write 500,000 words in 2021. It looks like I’m going to achieve that goal, if I keep at it for these last few months. I’m almost to 350,000 right now.
What does this mean to you? It means, for example, that both Until All The Stars Fall, the final book in the Heart of Fire series, AND Auric, the next book in the Dragontek Lore series, are both already written. They need editing and revisions still, which I’m working on, but they’re essentially done. And I’m almost a third of the way through the first draft of the fourth Dragontek Lore book (and the title is a spoiler, so I’m not revealing it yet).
If all goes according to plan, Until All The Stars Fall will be out by Christmas, only three months after Incarnadine, and seven months after Until All The Gods Return. And then, Auric will be out in January-February, only a month or two after that.
If I keep up the pace, I’ll probably publish anywhere from 4-6 books in 2022. Of course, that’s also dependent on the books selling, so I have the money to keep doing this.
So let’s make a deal: I’ll keep writing, and you’ll keep buying. Sound good?
The Dragontek Lore series explodes outward in the second book, Incarnadine! After Beryl and his friends accomplished the impossible in book one, what do they do now?
Check out the first chapter right here, then stay tuned for the cover reveal, and more news before the release on September 22!
Incarnadine, book two in the Dragontek Lore series, is out to the beta readers. The cover artist is hard at work and should be done in another week. Then it’s just a matter of final corrections, proofreading, and formatting. I don’t have a release date yet, but sometime at the end of this month, or the beginning of September.
With that done, I move on to the revision/editing phase of Until All The Stars Fall. This will take a while, as I want to be sure this one is absolutely right. Look for it by the end of the year.
At the same time, I’m making rapid progress on Auric, the third book of the Dragontek Lore series. It may also be ready by the end of the year, or early 2022.
And what’s next after that? I’m not 100% sure. Stay tuned…
BIG news: on Saturday, July 10, I finished the first draft of Until All The Stars Fall, the fourth and final book in the Heart of Fire series. This is it. The end. The completion of the saga that started when I first sat down to write in June, 2017. While I still have months ahead of rewriting, editing, and proofing before publication, this still qualifies as a major milestone.
When I started the Heart of Fire series, I thought, like the tradition, it would be a trilogy. But as I neared the end of the first book, and began mapping out what was yet to come, I realized it would probably take four books. I didn’t make a firm decision on it until I was well into writing book two, and knew for sure it would not fit in three books.
I didn’t keep track, but I can make a rough estimate that I spent at least 750 hours writing these four books. Maybe double that for all the time spent rewriting, editing, proofing, formatting, and so on. That’s a lot. When you spend that much time with people, even fictional people, you come to know them very well. Marshal, Seri, and their supporting cast, have all become real to me. I know them so much more than I did four years ago. Some of them, like Dravid, surprised me with how significant they became to the story.
And so, as I wrote “The End” on Saturday, I had quite a mixture of feelings.
I’m happy that I’ve finished this epic undertaking. I’ve wanted to write an epic fantasy since around fifth grade, and now I have. I’m ecstatic that it’s complete.
I’m relieved that it’s over. There were a few times, especially after the release of book two, that I despaired, wondering if it was even worth it to finish. Would anyone other than friends and relatives read it?
I’m excited to finish it up with the editing and so forth, so it can get out there for you to read! I’m also excited to see what happens with the cover. I have a good idea of what I want on it, but we’ll see what the cover artist thinks.
I’m depressed that it’s over. It’s a big letdown from an emotional high. And I’m sad that this may be the last time I write these characters. (Or is it?)
One word I’ve seen other writers use is bittersweet. It’s a great word, and quite possibly the best word for this particular situation, for all the reasons I just listed.
So where do I go from here?
First of all, the Dragontek Lore series needs some love. Incarnadine is coming in a couple of months, and I need to finish up the editing and proofing of it. I’ve gotten behind on that while focusing on Until All The Stars Fall.
I’ve already written the first scene for Auric, the third book in the Dragontek Lore series. I have writing goals for 2021, and I need to keep going. That’s the next book I have in the pipeline.
Once it’s done… I’m not entirely sure. But I’ll need to make a decision in a couple of months. I could easily launch into the fourth book of Dragontek Lore (the title of which is a major spoiler). Or I could start something new. But what?
I have rough ideas for several books. One is a fantasy adventure series, not as epic as Heart of Fire, but in a similar vein. I’m still musing over a truly massive epic fantasy that I want to write, but I know that I’m not ready for it yet. I need to do a lot of research and preparation for that one.
And then there’s the other possibility. Am I really done with Antises? With the characters of the Heart of Fire series? There is plenty of room for new stories in that world. I even laid the groundwork for some of them. But is it enough to carry a new series? For some of these characters that I love so much, do I really want to put them through more trouble? Don’t they deserve a happy ending?
All heavy questions to ask. Honestly, I suppose the answer will come from the readers. If the series continues to sell well, and the demand is there… a return to Antises becomes much more likely. We’ll have to wait and see.
Wow, I haven’t updated the blog in a while. Sorry about that.
After last month’s book launch and big giveaway, many new readers are discovering the world of Antises! If you’re one of those readers, welcome! You’re in the right place. You can also see more short posts from me on my Facebook author page. And the best way to keep up to date is with my newsletter. (Plus, you get FREE stories.) Sign up. All the cool kids are doing it.
Here’s an update on how things are going with my books here at the midpoint of this year:
Incarnadine – the editing on the sequel to Viridia has been slow lately, because I’ve been focusing more on writing. I’ll need to pick up the pace, because it will be time to start writing the third book before long!
Until All The Stars Fall – I am smack-dab in the middle of writing the climax of this book… which is really the climax of the entire Heart of Fire series. I’m definitely feeling the pressure here. I’ve already re-written several scenes, moved some characters around, and panicked over parts of it. But it’s coming together now. I hope. If I keep on schedule, the first draft will be done in just a couple of weeks.
You can see the progress bars over on the right column of this website. I keep them updated most of the time.
In the meantime, I’ll try to find time to write something more interesting here.
I messed up. Somehow, I failed to click the one little button that made Until All The Gods Return available on Kindle Unlimited at its launch. I have corrected that now, but Amazon takes a while to process it. If you were looking for that particular option, please be patient. It’s coming!
