Welcome, new folks!

Hi, there. If you've joined the mailing list recently, I want to make sure you get your free Frosthelm book, Traitors Unseen. If you haven't gotten it, you can get it free here (the site will ask you to sign up for this newsletter, which you're already getting) or here from Smashwords. It's also on Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Please, enjoy with my compliments.

What Grows From the Dead

My latest book, a mystery/thriller, is nearly ready for release. I finished my last serious editing pass and sent it off to my editor, Tami, right before composing this message. Tami may even see this before she sees the manuscript (she's on my mailing list too).

This is my second novel set in the real world (actually in central North Carolina, where I live). Got Trouble was the first. This is a completely separate story, not a sequel. Where Got Trouble leaned more towards thriller, this is probably more of a slow-burn mystery, although it does have some significant action scenes as well. Both are stories of people whose lives aren't going how they want, who then learn that things can get a whole lot worse.

What Grows From the Dead tells the story of Morris Drummond, a former college professor who's been unfairly sacked from his college teaching job and then has had to deal with the death of his mother, neither of which events he is handling very well. Stuck living in his mom's house with no career and no real prospects, he gradually discovers that his mother was keeping a secret, one that grows more serious and more dangerous as he learns more of what she was up to, and as people who know more than he does about all of it start messing with him, in a big way. With only a few friends and allies, his life starts unraveling even more than he thought possible, and he'll have to solve the mystery his mother left behind to have any chance of surviving the forces arrayed against him, only some of which he can even identify.

After the proofreading is complete, which usually takes a couple weeks, I'll need to make any necessary corrections, do a final read-through, and then do all the formatting necessary for the ebook and paperback. But I'm hoping for a mid-to-late March release if everything goes well.

Other projects

With WGFTD out of my hands for now, I can dive back into my next epic fantasy novel. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the first draft of that one. It's the story of Lady Isovar, a massively strong, supremely overconfident knight errant, and her squire, Chevson, whose only goal is keeping Izzy out of trouble, which means keeping her from killing or destroying much of what she wants to kill or destroy, which is a whole lot of things. The story alternates between their two points of view as they travel across three kingdoms in search of clues to an ancient enchantment, one that's affecting both of their lives.

I'm hoping to have that book finished, edited, and released by May, which is a tight schedule, but which I think is possible if everything breaks my way. I would love to enter it in the 10th annual SPFBO, the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off, which is a huge contest for indie fantasy authors and book bloggers. I've entered the three full-length Inquisitors' Guild books in SPFBO in previous years, and The Woeling Lass even reached the semifinals, which was great fun.

I've got an artist working on a cover for the new fantasy book, for which I don't even have a title yet. It's early days, but he's got a concept and is filling in characters first and then will move on to the background (and a bunch of zombies, as it turns out). Here's a tease of that project:

Kenai progressing

My most recent sci-fi story, Kenai, has reached the semifinals of the SPSFC, the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, a sister contest to SPFBO that's run by Hugh Howey of Wool/Silo fame. There are 18 semifinalists out of 221 original entries, so that's exciting. Kenai is up against five other books in its semifinal group, and only two of those six will make the finals. The competition is fierce, and the other authors and books are really good, so it's both fun and nerve-wracking to see what the judges think of each of them. I'll let you know how it goes, but it might be a month or two until the finals are set.

Some stories to try

I'm part of several author collectives, and we share each other's work to try to help all of us reach more readers. In many cases, the books we share are are free or discounted. Sometimes, they ask that you sign up for a newsletter like this one. Here are some new books I have to share this month:

First up, I have Blood and Loyalty by Luna Fox and F. Lowberry, a fantasy story about dragons and magic and all that great stuff. It's currently FREE on Amazon, so you can grab a copy and see what it's all about for absolutely zero money.

Next, I have The Survivors by Richard Rimington, a free prologue story to his Infinite Void series. This is large-scale space opera, with galactic threats to humanity and zippy spaceships and that kind of thing. It's also free, so you can give it a try at no risk and see if it's for you.

Next up is StarWolf by L.A. Frederick, which has so much awesome stuff going on on the cover I can hardly stand it. A wolf warrior person with a cape and armored cargo battle shorts, not to mention both a viking axe and a cool blaster pistol? Great stuff. And I haven't even mentioned the Space Krakens or the five destroyed planets yet. It's only $0.99 for a full-length book.

Next, I have a whole set of epic fantasy books, all featuring strong female leads, all free! There are a whopping 47 books here, all of which you can check out and download for no money, so there's a huge variety to choose from and no risk at all.

Finally, I have Cataclysm by Paul J. Bennett, the eighth book in his Frozen Flame epic fantasy series. There are politics, wars, magical dangers, and all kinds of cool stuff here. Have a look and see if it's what you're after!

Thanks

Thanks so much for signing up for my newsletter. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for upcoming books! I love hearing from people. If you've read one of my books and wouldn't mind leaving a review anywhere (Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, LibraryThing) I'd really appreciate it! Each review helps me reach more readers. 

I hope you and your friends and family are having a safe and rewarding 2024!

May the Bloodmother watch over you - 

Dave