Free and Cheap Books for February!

Hello!

I hope my email finds you well. We've had temperatures in the 70s here this week, which has been awesome. I've started talking walks/jogs in the afternoon, and the warmer weather definitely makes them more enjoyable.

At my most recent doctor's visit, my diabetes numbers were a little high. Nothing crazy, but enough that I knew I needed to get back to doing some exercise. At first, I was taking walks just to help burn off extra sugar, but I've found that it's a great way to unwind. I listen to music or talk on the phone with friends. Being outdoors also seems to boost my creativity, so it's a win-win.

Speaking of creativity, I've been writing almost every day on my newest project. In case you missed my last newsletter, here's the premise:

What if dragons chose the wrong riders to bond with?

Imagine a world where dragon riders are revered as heroes who protect humanity. They are selected by the dragons themselves, based on their supposed purity, bravery, and potential for greatness.

But one day, the dragons make a mistake.

They bond with a group of outcasts—criminals, exiles, and rejects living on the fringes of society. The Council claim this is a sign of corruption and demand that the dragons sever the bonds. Yet, to everyone's shock, the dragons refuse.

For the first time in centuries, the dragons defy tradition, insisting that these flawed humans are the ones the world truly needs.

I'm really excited about this project. As a writer, I don't plot anything out before hand. I'm a discovery writer, meaning I discover the story as I'm writing it. Oftentimes, the story goes in a direction I wasn't expecting at all. I have an overarching idea, and usually an ending in mind, but everything else gets fleshed out as I write the story, including the world building.

With this book, I've done something different. I've spent a lot of time writing character backstories, some important world building history, and how certain things within the world work. It's fun, but I can't say it's making the process of writing any easier or "better" for me. I suppose time will tell!

If you're familiar with my books, you know I write shorter, episodic stories. That's just how my brain is wired. When I get to a certain point, my mind tells me to wrap it up and move on to the next thing. That's not a bad thing. My books have done very well considering that, but I would like for this new series to be longer.

I've written longer books before, but those ones don't sell as well as my shorter works, so I've really leaned into it since that's what works for me. I'm not going to force the story to be longer, though, because the story is the story regardless of how many words it takes to tell it.

So, we'll see how it goes as I continue writing.

In other news, I was accepted to Pesacon at the last minute, so I'll be in Pensacola, Florida from the 14-16 (next week!). If you are in the area or plan to attend, I'd love to see you stop by and say hello.

In my last newsletter, I also mentioned my birthday was coming up, and I'm now officially 40. Despite passing a milestone birthday, it didn't feel any different than any other day. Well, aside from this sweet cloak my wife got me:

This thing is legit. It's a functional cloak, so you can wear it outdoors in the cold and everything. It's got some heft to it, but it's not overbearing. It's also quite soft on the inside, like a nice blanket. I don't know about you, but I think we should normalize wearing cloaks again. If you're interested in getting one yourself, my wife got it from Knightweave.

Below you'll find 2 promos, one with free books and one with regular price books. You'll also find a Kickstarter campaign for my friend Michael Webb for a deluxe hardcover, as well as the campaign for my next deluxe Osnen volume which is launching March 4th.

What I’m reading: I'm preparing for a reread of Dragonlance! I preordered the 40th anniversary edition, and it is really nice:

What I’m watching: I watched Carry On on Netflix recently. I thought it was pretty good. Jason Bateman played a great villain. He's normally in more comedic movies, and this showed his flexibility of roles well.

What are you reading/watching?

As always, a huge thank you for the support!

Richard