The first month of 2024 has been an active one.
The Next Book
As of the writing of this post, the manuscript for the next book (titled THE REVENANT AND THE CULT, BOOK 1: THE TRAPPER AND THE MISSING SPY) has been revised, reviewed, and sent out for one final editing pass. Once it comes back, it'll be revised again, reviewed again, then sent off to the book formatter. That should be sometime in February. Audiobook production will start in March, and yes Steve Fortune will be narrating.
The release date is May 21st, 2024.
The cover is done. My son is working on a cover reveal/trailer video. Unlike the other two books, I will not be releasing a sample chapter as I can't find someone to narrate it. So, what I may do is narrate for Foreword. I might as well as it is sort of a personal message from me to you at the beginning of the book.
As I stated in other posts, THE REVENANT AND THE CULT is actually 1 book that I've divided into two parts. The Foreword explains my reasoning (as does this blog post).
This time, I'm using two editors for the manuscript. Not that I intend to replace one with the other - I'm happy with my current editor's work. However, should circumstances arise where she cannot edit a book, I need to have a backup. So, These next two books should be a good proving ground for a secondary resource.
I still have to create a map and send it off to an artist to draw up. I do have a rough sketch and an artist in mind. I also need to find an artist for a corresponding bookmark. I have a couple of names in mind.
Book 2
My wife has reviewed Book 2 of THE REVENANT AND THE CULT and has given it her seal of approval. On a scale of 1 to 10, she rates the book a "9," and told me that she felt it was as strong as THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB! So, if you liked my debut novella, you're in for a return to the fast-paced action and mystery.
I'll (hopefully) be using the same cover artist as I did with book 1 (Jason Robinson - Illustration by Design). Right now, development is stalled as I focus on getting the first book ready to publish.
Book 2 of THE REVENANT AND THE CULT will be my 4th book published. My tentative release is late September.
Future Books
I've started writing my 5th book. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but the ideas are flowing, and I have a narrative I'm forming. I'm eyeing having two books out 2025: the one I'm currently drafting, and - depending on the sales of THE REVENANT AND THE CULT - Halsedric's origin story.
Halsedric's origin story has several chapters already complete. It would be another novella like THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB, and address a recurring event: the hunt for the notorious Prophetess. I abandoned the work because it lacked a sufficient middle to carry you from the first act to the third. All of this, of course, is subject to change.
Upcoming Schedule
OK, so, I tried implementing a kind of calendar of events on this site and nothing seemed to work well. I've given up trying to put it here. Instead I set up a calendar on my Facebook page. You can check it out here. I also have a section on my website that will take you there.
As is stands right now, I'll be attending:
The Clawson Comic Book and Toy Show (Clawson, MI), February 4th.
The Midland Mall Comic Con (Midland, MI), March 2nd & 3rd.
Superheroes Con (West Branch, MI), May 11th (tentative).
BasedCon (Grand Rapids, MI), September 6th, 7th, & 8th.
I'm also looking into attending The Writer's Cantina in Utah. That will be sometime in June.
And that's all for now. I usually post a weekly update on Twitter, Facebook, and Minds. Check those out for to see how my writing is progressing.
Until next month...