Frequently these posts begin with me addressing something that long-time fans of mine will already know. Considering this is book six of my very first series, something tells me the only people reading this are those who have been following me for a long time.
I have history of dopey book releases. Some of them were incredibly avoidable, like my now famous decision to release The Other Eight — a book with an absurd premise completely unlike any of my other stories– on April Fools Day. Others were less foreseeable, like releasing a book on Election Day 2016, which turned out to be a rather distracting day.
Well, I’m releasing Book of Deacon 6 in the depths of a global pandemic. Fun! I hope everyone is staying safe. Social distancing, washing hands, the whole nine yards. So far so good in the Lallo-sphere. But no matter how well things are going, there are some things we can’t ignore. Most of us are hurting for money. Most of us have far more important things to worry about than keeping tabs on a fantasy series.
We’re all doing our best, and I’m trying to do my part. In a recent post, I listed the books I have that are currently free, including some new stuff. I’ll repeat it below, for convenience, and add to it the full-series sale I’m doing for the main Book of Deacon ebooks in most stores.
The Coin of Kenvard is, for now at least, planned to be the final book in this “era” of the series. I have more stories to tell, for sure. The Jade/Halfax Era is likely to get more stories, for example, and there’s already a book set in the years afterward written that I’ve been holding back until Myranda and her crew had their story told.
It’s been a long ride, folks. Lots of ups and downs. We’re all in a pretty solid down at the moment, some more so than others. I hope this story will take you away from that for a while, and I hope that together we can find our way through to the other side stronger and wiser than before.
Hey, folks! I’m trying to get better about doing regular updates here on my blog. (In the inevitable event of failure, you’ll find me most active on twitter, and moderately active on Facebook.)
Yesterday I finished the first revision of Free-Wrench 6. I’m still brainstorming a name and cover, but it’s good enough now that Beta Readers can take a look. The story is about 100,000 words, probably with a few thousand more once the epilogue gets added. the edit is due in July, so possibly an August launch?
What am I working on now? Well, while the Beta Readers do their beta reading, I’ll see if I can refill the hopper on short stories and such for Patrons. As it is, the pipeline is empty. I’ll either release a secret sneak peek of a pending project or else I’ll release as a standalone something that was previously tucked away in one of my old collections. Unless I’m REALLY on the ball, and then I’ll get a fresh short out. It’ll be fun to find out!
On the personal front, so far COVID-19 has been relatively kind. My dad lost a friend, but my family has been healthy. I hope everyone stays safe, washes their hands, and gets through this. I’ll do my best to keep the distractions coming!
We’ll get this part over with quickly. The Book of Deacon Main Series (the whole thing) has been discounted for quite a while. First it was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first book and to prepare folks for Book 6. Then it was because we’re all locked up and maybe you’d like some cheap stuff to read. But all good things must come to an end. The Book of Deacon Main Series Sale ends Monday.
So, what comes next?
Free-Wrench 6, of course! Once I hit “post” on this very article, I’ll be popping open Free-Wrench 6 to start the revision. It’ll be going to the editor in… July, I think? But I mean to have it buttoned up long before then. Like The Coin of Kenvard, Free-Wrench 6 (still haven’t picked a name) will be potentially the end of its era. Also like The Coin of Kenvard, I’ll be discounting the main series to help people prepare for the release of book 6. It’ll be a while yet, but I’ll definitely let you know when it comes along.
Hey folks! It’s April Fools’ Day! Time for my annual “Non-Canon Mess-around.” But before we get to that, I’d just like to let folks know that The Coin of Kenvard (Book of Deacon 6) has just been delivered to Patrons, and can be pre-ordered now!
Hey, folks! Right about now we’re all supposed to hunker down and keep infection risk from the COVID-19 to a minimum. For us author types, that’s par for the course. But some of you may be hard up for cash and going a little stir crazy. Thus, I decided it might be worth giving folks something nice to read.
This is a collection of short stories that have appeared either in Patreon or in the Collected Editions of my three main series. Here’s what you get:
Squee’s Day Out – Squee goes on an adventure on her own. (Big Sigma)
Building the Perfect Pet – The story of how and why Karter created funks. (Big Sigma)
Meeting of the Mas – Ma has a conversation with Coal and Ziva about Lex’s state of mind. (Big Sigma)
The New Inspector – The story of how Wink became a member of the Wind Breaker crew. (Free-Wrench)
Lil and Coop – The story of how Lil and Coop joined the Wind Breaker crew. (Free-Wrench)
The Beast of the Cave – The story of what Mott got up to after The D’Karon Apprentice (Book of Deacon)
This will be the new Newsletter Perk starting in a few weeks, but I thought it would be nice to not require folks who might just be hungry for a story to get it free and clear.
You can still sign up on for my newsletter now and get the previous newsletter perk. And if you’re new to my stuff, I’ve got three other books that are absolutely free:
A nice quick update for you folks! The Coin of Kenvard, the sixth Main Series book in the Book of Deacon Saga, is available for pre-order now. Wide release is on April 16th, and “Novel Supporters” of my Patreon get it on April 1st.
In the wake of the Perpetual War, the world cannot afford for history to repeat itself.
Myranda and Deacon have helped to guide their world out of the clutches of the D’Karon. But victory has come at a price. Deacon’s mysterious affliction is becoming more than he can handle. Will he be forced to choose between his own life and finding the source of the anomalies that threaten his home?
The Coin of Kenvard is the sixth full-length novel in the Book of Deacon Saga, and marks the end of the Perpetual War Era for the series.
Hey folks! Got some exciting news for you. If you’re a fan, but you haven’t had the money or the notion to support my Patreon, you’ve been missing out on at least one short story (and as much as a full novella) every month. I promised, way back when I started the Patreon, I wouldn’t lock anything behind the paywall forever. Well, today’s the day I make good on that promise!
Paradoxes and Dragons is a collection of ten short stories and novellas, representing roughly one full year of Patreon stories. Here’s what you get!
A story of a man trying to survive the dehydrated remains of his world when he finds companionship in an unlikely form.
The fabled “Fat Unicorn” story I talked about in the past. Bella is a zaftig cryptid shy about how different she appears from her sisters, but that won’t stop her from leaping to their rescue when they need her.
It Does Not Follow
Afraid that AI may be too smart for its own good? You might be right…
Note to Self
One of the stories that fulfills the “Paradoxes” requirement of the title, Note to Self is about a guy who future people keep sending on errands.
The short story that spawned the Shards of Shadow series, this is the tale of an imp trying her darnedest to take over our pesky little planet.
The Back Way
Another time travel short, this follows a woman who gets a suspiciously well-paid job at an antique shop and learns that the clientele might not be as contemporary as she thinks.
A short continuation of The Other Eight, this story shows what a government funded superhero team does when there’s no evil doers to vanquish.
A Big Day for Blodgette
Because (contrary to my sales history) some people just can’t get enough Pizza Dragon! We follow the events after my novel Structophis to learn what becomes of Blodgette and the crew.
A second dragon story to keep the promise of the title, Something Precious is about a little girl hoping to get adopted who doesn’t care how “monstrous” her would be caretaker is perceived to be.
The most substantial story in the book, The Rills continues the story that began in Between, this time focusing on the three-headed water dragon who is beginning to wonder what it would be like to be someone else.
Patreon supporters have had access to these stories for as much as a full year, but there are some bonuses even for them. This is the first time they’ve been available in a single book, and several of them have had fully illustrated covers added that weren’t available at release. This ALSO marks the first book with illustrations scattered throughout, as I have included the “story cover” of each short.
I hope you enjoy it!
Urban Fantasy Audio
If you’ve been holding off on picking up the books of Shards of Shadow because you don’t have time to read, the audio books are steadily releasing. Books in Motion has got two books finished, and a third on the way!
Read an Ebook Week
If you’re reading this shortly after I posted it, then we are in the midst of Read an Ebook Week. Smashwords has got loads of books on sale, including nearly all of my books for free or half price. Check it out!
Book of Deacon announcement to come…
Book of Deacon Six has a name, and a cover. I’ll reveal them both soon…
This is a little bit of a personal thing. If you’re a fan, feel free to read it, but this isn’t really for you. This is for my friends and myself. It is long, detailed, and mostly serves as something of a record of an incredibly touching moment, as well as a snapshot of a time in my life. Sort of a public diary. If you’re interested in book news, I’m sure it won’t be long before you’ll have to scroll past a few lengthy posts of such in order to get to this. But if you’d like to know about something important to me, then buckle up, we’re going for a ride.
Hi, folks! January 28th is the 10th anniversary of The Book of Deacon’s first publication. I’m going to celebrate with a Q&A/Announcement Video.
Do you have any questions for me?
They can be anything from questions about past and future books, questions about/for characters, personal questions, business questions, trivia questions, you name it! You can ask in comments here, or if that turns out to be problematic, head over to my Goodreads Page, my twitter page, or my Facebook Fan Page.
I’ll also be announcing some plans for the year, if only to hold myself accountable so next year, if I fail to do any of them, I’ll be able to shake my head at Past Jo for putting so much on my plate.
The Questions So Far (POSSIBLE SPOILERS):
Dave (from Twitter): Where did the red shadow get the cloak that made him appear to be just another human?
April (From Goodreads): Will there ever be a follow up to Structophis?
Zachary (via Email): What books are you planning to release this year?
Gin (From Facebook): I’m curious where you got the inspiration for Entwell Num Garastra. That was quite a trek for Miranda and friends to reach!
Joseph (From Facebook): How many more books in The Book of Deacon series do you have plans for?
Greg (From Facebook): Will you write more [in the Shards of Shadow Series]? More from Blot’s perspective or even before from her world?
Ngoc (From Facebook): How were you inspired to create the characters in The Book of Deacons? I love that they are so complex with their own unique personality.
Sean (From Facebook): When is Oriech getting his own story?
Various: Which of your stories is your favorite?
Various: How can I get one of those cool coins?
Questions will be in the video first, and subsequently posted (along with the video) in a new Blog Post.