Surviving the Arctic and Preparing for Dragons
Feb 28, 2025 4:56 pm
Hey nerds,
Wherever you're at, I hope you've been well and safe this February.
I am relieved to announce that me and my family survived record low temperatures here in South Dakota. In fact not only have we survived, but we were rewarded with tantalizingly Spring-ish weather only days later. That's right we went from -20 F last week to 60 F degrees this week.
I'm just waiting for the cold to set back in, but I have been enjoying getting outside the past few days, nonetheless.
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Writing news...
This past month has been mostly a break from writing for me, while Children of the Gods has been with my editor.
I've played around a little bit with the next Pantheon book, Swordslinger, but the last few months were a bit of a grind, and over the past several years, I've grown to realize that creative breaks are really important for my long term creativity.
And there were also plenty of other things to work on like:
- Preparing the Rage of Saints Deluxe Edition for print.
- Preparing for the Children of the Gods Kickstarter campaign.
- Putting together an almost-finished new Shopify store to start selling signed books.
- And brainstorming things to come.
It's been nice to not have the pressure of daily word counts or daily number of chapters to edit for a few weeks.
But I'm gearing up for a busy March with the edits for Children of the Gods coming back in a couple weeks, and the Kickstarter coming shortly after that.
Speaking of...
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Follow the Children of the Gods on Kickstarter
The campaign launches on March 25, and will include Ebook | Paperback | and Hardcovers.
We are four weeks out, and I must say the reception and anticipation has been huge so far. A few weeks ago, I officially revealed the cover, and it would seem Joe Requeza and Rachel St. Clair absolutely knocked it out of the park, based on the feedback.
Of course, I already felt that way about it, but it's been really special to see so many people getting excited for this book!
We are already closing in on 500 followers over on Kickstarter, which is pretty wild!
Today, I am thrilled to give you the FIRST LOOK at the world map, designed by Moreno Paissan and Angela Gubert (also known as Ink Compass Maps).
They hand-drew this one, and wow.... I am in love with it.
The events of the first book take place almost entirely on this island at the edge of the world. The Faltari people have some Norse inspiration, and Ink Compass absolutely captured the wild vibe of this setting.
So... if you haven't followed the campaign, I hope you'll follow along!
Lots more incredible things to come. This book is epic and character-driven, and I think you're all going to be swept up by this world.
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Rage of Saints Deluxe Update
In other news, I got back the first proof copy of the deluxe edition. This was for the paperback copy, which I do first to ensure the text interior and images are printing right.
There were a couple of small tweaks needed. And now, the next step will be the proof copy for the hardcover, which will include color images, and the foiled faux leather cover.
I've also ordered the Gallows Saint Challenge coins. I should get a proof copy in the next couple weeks, but even this digital proof has me very excited.
It will be a raised antique silver on a black background, which really just looks awesome!
Only 100 of these are being made, and there are still about 40 left in the Late Backer store, if you're interested.
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In Pantheon News...
The first book has been included in Audible's Plus catalog, which means, if you're an Audible member, you can listen to it for FREE. So be sure to download your copy now!
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My Own Nerd-dom
Reading: The Poppy War by RF Kuang, and I am loving it....
Watching: Severance... all caught up and I seriously can't rec this show enough!
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And I reckon that'll do it for February.
I hope you'll follow Children of the Gods!
I am so excited for what March has in store :)
Cheers!
Stephen
The Shadow Watch Saga (a complete epic fantasy series)
Pantheon: Rogue System (a complete LitRPG fantasy trilogy)
Age of Fire (a dragon epic fantasy)
Deluxe Editions
