What's New(sletter)?
June 25th Update - New book art, the self-publishing printing process, and How a Game Lives.
Woah, another newsletter already?!
Yep! And maybe too soon? I’m not sure how often to do these things yet, but I’ll figure it out. Eventually…
In the meantime, there’s plenty to talk about in today’s newsletter, so let’s get right into the updates!
Story Updates
King Maker → Line and Proof Editing: 83%
Planned Release: August 19th (pre-orders available soon!)
My fantasy novella about a Dwarven prince set on peace in a city plagued by violence, and his struggle to become king of a people who hate him.
My editor, Robin, has officially started on her edit of King Maker, and she’s on track to deliver it back to me by June 27th. Once she’s finished, I’ll tackle a (hopefully quick) final revision before declaring the book done.
I’ve worked with an editor only once before, on Truth’s Overture, but King Maker will be my first published work of fiction that’s been edited, and I’m so excited to see something of this quality pushed to even greater heights with the help of such an experienced editor like Robin.
Circ de Phasma (WIP Short Story) → First Draft: 65%
Planned release: Mid-Late July
A short story about a terminally ill ventriloquist who performs in a circus for the dead as she comes to terms with her mortality and the end of her show.
This is a weird premise, but I think it has the potential to be special. This has gone up by about 40% since my last update, and though I wanted to be wrapping up the first draft by now, I’m incredibly happy with the progress made.
I’ve all but decided on titling this one Circ de Phasma. Sometimes I can find the name of a story before I’ve written a single word, and sometimes it happens at the 11th hour, but it always feels good!
Truth’s Overture → 6th Draft: 3%
Planned release: Mid-Late 2026
My first full length epic fantasy novel about an imprisoned god who attempts to convince his executioner that the other gods, the Chorus, are the guilty ones through a series of interconnected stories throughout history centered around the powerful mortals who changed the world.
It’s been pretty slow writing for Truth’s Overture, so it’s only seen a small increase. I’m still hoping to finish this draft up and get it into the hands of a line/copy editor by the end of the year, and I’m optimistic about that goal.
New Art and Printing!
BEHOLD, THE MAP OF MORDKIN!!!
This is the fantasy map for King Maker’s underground city! Ruled by three Dwarven families who control their own magical ore/gem and split by harsh borders, this place is cramped and ready to erupt into war!
One of the biggest points of feedback I received from Beta Readers on this story was a desire for more descriptions to help orient them within the city. While I went through and gave the location descriptions a bit more TLC, I didn’t want to slow down the pacing of the story too much by going into depth about how far away everything was or where it was in relation to everything else.
So, I commissioned my cover artist, Kathleen Harwood, to make a map of the city!
This is the first time I’ve ever had one of my fantasy worlds rendered on a map, and I’ll be honest, seeing it finished for the first time made me unreasonably excited. The layout of this city was so hard fought on the writing side, and seeing it drawn out just made it feel so REAL.
And for some behind the scenes context, this is the terrible version I drew for the artist as reference:
I think we can all agree which drawing is better.
Bookmarks and Proof Copies
One of the unforeseen challenges of self-publishing King Maker has been getting the printing quality for the book right. Too light, too dark, too… red? I mean, just look at these!
I’m happy to say that the fight is almost done, and I’ve ordered some (hopefully) final proof copies that should be arriving this week. As long as the print quality on those covers looks good, I’ll be good to start ordering the hardcover copies ahead of the release. And you know what else is getting printed?
BOOKMARKS!
I’ve made two different bookmarks for King Maker, featuring the front cover and the map of Mordkin. I’ll be including one of each with every signed copy that will be made available through my website soon. The pre-orders aren’t set up yet, but once they are, you’ll be the first to know.
As long as you’re on my email list. Speaking of which…
How a Game Lives: The Annotated Essays of Jacob Geller
I’ve been following along with YouTuber Jacob Geller’s video essay series for several years now, and let me tell you, I love it. Whenever he puts out a new video, I’m sat, and I know I’m in for a good time. I quite literally recommend him to everyone I talk to who enjoys these types of videos (him and YouTuber Schnee), and a fair number of those who don’t.
So, when I heard there was a special edition being put out by Lost in Cult of his most popular essays with additional annotation and thoughts by other authors and essayists, I absolutely leapt. AND NOW IT’S HERE!
Geller is a captivating speaker and videographer, and his thoughts on literally any video game and theme absolutely enthrall me. If you’d like a taste of his content, I usually recommend Games, Schools, and Worlds Designed for Violence or After a City is Buried
Honestly, there are so many incredible essays by this man, I’m thinking of doing a full post about this beautiful book in the future, with some of my own thoughts on my favorite essays that really changed my perspective on what a video game could be. Is that something you would be interested in?
In Case You Missed It
Roll 4 Fiction Ep. 9: Necessarium ad Exodum
Short story - Gangster/Sci-Fi
The Earth was just obliterated by the Don of Neptune, but every villain has an origin story. Discover the escalating events leading up to the planet’s destruction as the events unfold—in reverse.
Hero Moments - North Stars for Your Outline
Non-fiction - Writing Advice/Process
I look at what outlining and planning processes have worked for me in the past, analyze what I do now, and create a new outlining process to use for the future, guided by what I’m calling “Hero Moments”
Wrap Up (Conclusion)
Lots of things happened this update! New book art, merchandise, and a new short story and essay.
I would love to know your thoughts on the dedicated post around my favorite Jacob Geller essays, so please vote on that poll if something like that would interest you.
Look forward to hearing more about King Maker pre-orders in the coming weeks! Pre-orders should be made available by the next Newsletter(!!!).