April Update on Book Nine

I know people are here primarily for the books, so whenever there's a break, I try to take time to give updates on my progress. No serious spoilers this post, but don't read if you'd prefer to avoid having any information on the ninth book.

Making too much progress on the book is being impeded because I'm stretched very thin at the moment by various things. However, I can report that the ninth book is taking shape in an abstract sense and I'm really looking forward to putting more time into it.

The title is likely to be "Skyvenom" unless I change my mind about the name of the sublime material. I hope this one will be a bit shorter than the extended Wakespire and Deathseed, but it will probably be mid-sized for the series at smallest because there's a lot to cover.

I consciously planned TWC to be a less action-oriented series, but it's still action, with a big fight every climax. I always want to keep thing fresh in a long series, which is why I try to do different sorts of fights, sprinkle in competitions, and so on. With Skyvenom it's finally time to take a step further in this direction.

I'm not saying the book will have no fights, I'm just prioritizing other elements. Can I make negotiations and soulcrafting as tense as combat? For some readers, there's a 0% chance and I could write the negative reviews now! But for most of you who have been on board this far, I think you'll enjoy the slight shift. Just another step in the path of making the characters feel like they've truly reached a new tier instead of staying in place on the power treadmill.

Anyway, over the course of May I will have a variety of fun things to show you. Somehow I still haven't posted the cover reveal, plus I have some crazy TWC fan art. Please look forward to it!