Last Chance for the Darkling Queen
Jul 28, 2025 4:52 pm
July Update!
Heading into the final stretch of summer before my kids head back to school and my wife heads back to work as an art teacher.
After a busy few weeks in the latter part of June and the first half of July, things have been settling down before the end of the summer. We've been enjoying a cooler and rainier July than normal, and lots of time hanging out in the yard with the kids, going to parks with friends, ice cream, and yard work and little projects around the house.
I don't usually have a lot of time for movies, but actually went to two in the past week: Superman and Fantastic Four.
Admittedly, I've been a bit burned out with super heroes of late, and didn't have real high hopes when these reboots were first announced. But actually really enjoyed both, especially Superman. This one was the most I've liked Superman since the early seasons of Smallville back when I was in high school (yikes!).
Anyway, I hope you've had a nice July...
Darkling Queen: Nearly $35k raised, two days left
This campaign has been amazing! Thank you! We funded in the first hour, unlocked four Stretch goals, adding artwork, an audiobook, and a city map...
We've got an additional color illustration that will be unlocked if we can bring this one to $40k, which is certainly possible in the usual surge that occurs in the final couple days of the campaign.
Don't miss it!
Children of the Gods: Ebooks and Audiobooks
For backers
We are delivering all digital copies of the book through BookFunnel. If you don't have an account, simply create one using the email you included on your survey.
To get your books, log in to the BookFunnel app or my.bookfunnel.com using your Kickstarter email. If you don't see Children of the Gods there, double check you didn't list a different email.
Those who added on the audio, you should see this in your library as well.
Feel free to reach out if you're having difficulty - those with Apple email addresses may require extra steps to get their books, but issues have been pretty rare in the past.
For non-backers
And for those waiting for Kindle and Audible, Children of the Gods is launching in ebook and audio on Sept. 30:
*Audible preorders are supposed to go live here very soon... they tell me...
As for CotG Hardcovers
All the preliminary stages are done, what I call Phase One, where we format the interior and exterior of the book to printing specifications.
And now, the printer is preparing to create a sample copy with all our exciting features.
More info here in the latest backer update...
Writing Update
I'm currently working on a Children of the Gods prequel story, tentatively titled, "For Our Burning"... it will likely wind up as a novelette, around 50 pages.
I am plotting our bonus short story for the Darkling Queen, and hope to have both these stories completed in August, so I can buckle down on Age of Fire #2.
I've got a lot of the early plotting done for Age of Fire #2, and am excited for some months of focused writing to close out the year.
_________
Okay, that's all for now!
See you in August!
-Stephen
p.s. Only two days left for the Darkling Queen. Check it out here!
Want to Connect on Social Media?
The Shadow Watch Saga (a complete epic fantasy series)
- Street Rats of the Fringes (free prequel)
- The Shadow Watch
- The Rage of Saints
- The Darkling Queen
- The Well of Shadows
Pantheon: Rogue System (a complete LitRPG fantasy trilogy)
Children of the Gods (a dragon epic fantasy)
