If you read my August 2018 post on THE NECROMANCER’S KEY Audible deal, then you’d know that Audible also requested a novelette to be released as an Audible Original.

That day is here. A GODDESS SCORNED has been released as an Audible Original! Narrated by the fantastic Oliver Wyman who also narrated my Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, Revenant Winds, and my novellas Tower of the Forgotten, and At the Sign of the Crow and Moon.

That link again in case you missed it ;) A GODDESS SCORNED.

Audible members now get more 2 Audible Originals and 1 audiobook every month, so pick up a GODDESS SCORNED with an Audible Original credit and get to know more about Niklaus du Plessis, the immortal swordsman in REVENANT WINDS and TOWER OF THE FORGOTTEN.

Description:

Niklaus du Plessis, master swordsman, hasn’t aged a day since being chosen by his goddess. A slave to her will, he moves from one cryptic mission to the next in the hope of pleasing her and perhaps ascending to become her equal.

After centuries of dancing to his goddess’s tune, Niklaus meets the priestess Callis Drethna, and at her urging they embark on a quest together to find an ancient artifact. As they face mortal dangers, Niklaus’s affection for Callis grows, and he begins to wonder if there is more to life than unquestioned devotion.

Except a goddess’s chains are not so easily cast off, and Niklaus must make a choice between a mortal woman and one who is divine.

Whatever he decides, blood will be spilled. But will it be another innocent’s, or his own?

2018 – Decision, decisions…

I started 2018 as I do every year, with a birthday on 22nd January! Then my daughter’s birthday on 28th January. But enough about me and my family, what about my work…

In February a short story I wrote was released in the Art of War anthology for charity, alongside many accomplished authors. It was an honour to be included, and a great way to support such a worthwhile charity.

February was also manuscript delivery time for SHADOW OF THE EXILE to 47North, followed by rounds of developmental edits later on, copy edits, and everything else which accompanies a release like cover design, the description, promotional text, etc.

Book two in the series, DAWN OF THE EXILE, was due to 47North in July, so there was no time to rest! It might surprise you to know that I was also working on another Sword & Sorcery novel, plus the first few novels in a new hexalogy — titled THE NECROMANCER’S KEY. You might wonder what was happening with the sequel to REVENANT WINDS — I’ll get to that a bit later…

Once I’d delivered DAWN OF THE EXILE in July, the usual edits happened, and I continued to work on my new hexalogy. Audible made an offer for the audio rights for THE NECROMANCER’S KEY hexalogy, and we have a great relationship, so it would have been stupid not to accept. But that of course means that most, if not all, of the big publishers will not sign print and ebook rights, as audio is off the table. Only time will tell if a publisher picks up the rights, or I self publish, but I have a little help now in sorting out publishing deals, because…

At the same time as all this was going on I was in discussions with Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky, who offered representation later in the year. You can read all about that here.

Overall, 2018 was a very good year for me. And if I accomplish half as much in 2019 I’ll be very happy! Not half an agent though… that might get messy…

So why all these other novels and not the sequel to REVENANT WINDS yet? To put it simply, it was in the best interests of my career, and my goal of remaining a full-time author, to have multiple new works in good shape and ready to pitch or self publish. As an author, you are the CEO of You, Inc., and it is very difficult to build a long term career without having multiple irons in the fire. You have to plan years ahead and set out what books are priority and what it’s in your best interests to focus on first. Yes, some readers will be disappointed, but they would be even more disappointed if you have to give up writing and find other work to keep a roof over your head and food on the table.

But 2019 is here now, and I have finally returned to REVENANT WINDS 2, while at the same time managing multiple revisions of my S&S novel and the first few novels in my hexalogy. I also have a third book planned for after DAWN OF THE EXILE (yay Tarrik!), but at the moment I lack the time to make steady progress.

On top of all this, I also have another secret project that I’m working on (more planning for the future…), but I can’t say much more about it at the moment as it’s in the very early stages. What I can say, is that it’s set in my Sorcery Ascendant world and my agent Joshua is very pleased with what he’s seen so far.

With any luck, sometime in 2019 I’ll be able to announce a sale of print and ebook rights of my THE NECROMANCER’S KEY hexalogy, and perhaps even for my secret project! And if no publisher bites, then THE NECROMANCER’S KEY will be self published.

My heartfelt thanks yet again to everyone who bought my books, or left a review, or helped keep me sane on social media.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2019!

Yes, you read that correctly. Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky offered representation which I accepted. Joshua has a stellar record which speaks for itself, and he represents skillful and celebrated authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Peter V. Brett, Michael J. Sullivan, Elizabeth Moon, and Myke Cole, to name a few.

I’ve been keeping this exciting potential development under wraps for a while, as Joshua and I had numerous phone calls and emails, discussed my career so far and what I’m working on, and he considered the first book in a new hexalogy I’m writing.

As I’ve stated previously, my goal is to follow the hybrid author path — that is, to pursue indie publishing along with traditional publishing deals. And this is massive and welcome step which will hopefully open many doors.

As an author, you are the CEO of You, Inc., and an entrepreneur. My goals center around creating quality books and products, building a long term career, and growing a sustainable income that enables me to spend more time writing. Signing with such a reputable agent is akin to collaborating with a business partner to achieve mutually beneficial goals.

I have many years of writing ahead of me, and plenty of ideas and books I’m working on (too many at once, possibly!). And with some self published works released, a trilogy with HarperVoyager, a duology with 47North, and various deals with Audible, this is just the beginning!

I hope you’ll join me on this exciting ride, as it could be a wild one!

And many thanks to Michael J Sullivan and his wife Robin for the introduction! I owe them so many drinks now…