August Update
July is already past us, and I forgot to write an update. Whoops. There’s not that much to talk about, so let’s jump right into it.
Heretic Spellblade 3 is out, if you somehow haven’t read it already. Thanks to everybody who left a review or rating, and to those who let me know about the typos that slipped through. It seems to be a pretty well received volume of the series and I hope you enjoyed it, despite coming six months after the last one.
After so many delays, I’m focusing on Demon’s Throne 2 and 3 next, rather than tackling another difficult project. No timeframe yet, but I expect to talk more about it either during next month’s update or close to the end of the month.
Preview chapters of Demon’s Throne 2 are now going up on Patreon, if that interests you. I’m also slowly adding stories and behind-the-scenes content, but there’s no pressure as those will always be there.
No audiobook news to announce. Heretic Spellblade 3 has been sent off to Podium, and I’ll let people know once I have a release date. I’ll likely have something to announce for Demon’s Throne once I have another book or two out.
Finally, there’s been some confusion over series length. This is my own fault, due to the post I made a while ago.
Heretic Spellblade isn’t ending in Book 4 - although Book 4 will be a really important book. Both it and Demon’s Throne are currently planned for six books, although Demon’s Throne can be published faster due to both being easier to write and the fact I have all the covers for it up my sleeve. It’s possible there might be a seventh book in either series, if the planned content can’t fit into six books without rushing things.
While it’s possible both series get extended further if they do well, I imagine it would be closer to a sequel series or second arc. Demon’s Throne definitely has space for a much grander sequel series. I like planned endings because I feel that results in a better story, as it means I can build up to plot points, major villains and characters, and important scenes sometimes several books in advance. I’ve already written drafts of some of Heretic Spellblade’s final chapters, for instance.
This also leaves room for me to work on other series. I’m only one person and my writing pace is slower than many other authors in the genre. I have a lot of respect for the folks who can churn out the monthly novels and maintain quality, because my quality dips hard if I write like that. Finishing the arcs for my current series allows me to finally work on a couple of the different ideas I’ve been drafting for a few months now, and come back to these series at a later date.