I have big news to announce, which I’ve hinted at a little over the last few months. We have sold the print rights to A Thousand Li books 1–3 (that’s The First Step, First Stop, and First War) to Ace (a division of Penguin Random House). We are in the midst of taking down the print-on-demand copies of the old books, with The First Step's new hardcover releasing next year, March 2026.
You can read all the details on Reactor, including ca...
2025-06-25 13:48:48 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone!
The Fourth Wall—Book 12 of A Thousand Li—releases on Amazon in less than a week, and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of you who’ve stuck with Wu Ying on this journey.
If you’ve finished reading and enjoyed the book, I'd appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave a short review or even just a quick comment on Goodreads or2025-06-25 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone!
As a big thank you for all your amazing support, I’m giving away a hardcover edition of Fool’s Play, the fancy Kickstarter-exclusive version with all the bells and whistles.
This one’s not available anywhere else, so if you missed my recent campaigns, here’s your chance to snag a copy!
To enter, just drop a comment below. I’ll pick a winner tomorrow. Open to residents of the US, CA, UK, EU, AUS. This giveaway is not affiliated with Patreon in any way....
2025-06-17 15:00:14 +0000 UTC
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The rest of survival class was more of the same, a theoretical discussion about the world, the dungeons and the faults that we moved through. As Dario later explained, we were not going into the dungeon itself till the fault itself reset and so it was time to cover as much of the theory as we could.
That meant understanding all the various portions of a dungeon, the different kinds that had formed all through the world, the types of faults and the reasons for their creation as wel...
2025-06-17 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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"Thank you, Healer Pialleni!" We chorused together as the healing warmth washed over us, relieving us of our aches and pains. Marshall had picked things up this morning, releasing not just one but two stones at a time, adding to the sheer volume of injuries that had arisen.
Fun.
As we broke off to grab lunch, Pialleni waved me down. My friends shot me enquiring glances, but I waved them on as I threaded my way through the crowd to stop by the Healer. She, considerately, wait...
2025-06-13 13:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Alright, this is a big update. There’s some major changes that need to be discussed, and I’ve been putting off writing this update for a while. However, it’s time for you all to know, so let’s get to it.
A Thousand Li & Celestial Cataclysms
That’s right, book 12 is out! At least in ebook. Audiobook is waiting for July 2025 when Audible (who have the exclu...
2025-06-10 15:00:14 +0000 UTC
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I managed to finish half my meal before I was bothered by the pair of Yorrick and Brand. They tromped over, Sarah and Kira both following along at a more sedate pace. I was a little surprised to see Kira back, though Yorrick I knew never missed a cheap meal.
I had noticed them when I came in, but had chosen a seat away from the group for more private time. If there was one major drawback to this universe, the sheer volume of extroverts, as though introversion was something that ha...
2025-06-10 13:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The rest of the class was very much hands-on. We were split into three groups, allowed to review, touch and play with the various materials, asking questions of the Professor or one another. In short order, the Professor found the subject matter experts in the group - children of miners, jewelers or monster part cleaners - and had them answer the questions, allowing us to learn from individuals who had practical experience handling these resources.
I soaked it all in, as best I could, r...
2025-06-06 13:00:05 +0000 UTC
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By the point where Professor Wynn had finished giving her warnings, everyone was well and truly tired of plants and other minerals. Of course, we all perked up once she got to the Mana cores and shards, because that was where we would be making most of our income. Even Rayzan stopped lounging and sat-up.
"Mana cores. Beast cores. Core stones. Core spheres. Mana crystals. Stones." She ticked off the various names with a simple rapidity. "It matters not what you call them, and there are r...
2025-06-03 13:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 58 - Wu Ying
"Wake up, boy." Mother Ong growled, poking Wu Ying with the cane she had brought along. When he failed to stir immediately, she prodded his body again even as the cock that had entered along with her let out a long, loud crow.
Wu Ying rolled away from the second blow, wincing as the creature let out its raucous call to morning. Except, from the lack of sunlight streaming in from the windows, it was not morning. In fact, his senses that had spread out across...
2025-06-02 13:00:10 +0000 UTC
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The Fourth Wall, the final book in the A Thousand Li series is now available for Patreons to download via BookFunnel.
If you read the preview chapters note that this final version contains updates and edits, there's about 20,000 more words added to this story than the preview chapters that were released a year ago.
The Final Step On A Thousand Li Journey
The half-...
2025-06-01 04:00:06 +0000 UTC
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I’m not sure she truly expected her pronouncement to go over well, but it did manage to make a few of the more bored looking students pay a bit more attention as Professor Wynn turned to the next table. Sometimes, spelling out the stakes helped some of the denser members in a crowd.
And sometimes, it just made them angry and annoyed. Brand, sitting beside me, showcased that reaction with the sneer and crossed arms. He probably was missing the rest of her lecture, busy debating with he...
2025-05-30 13:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The monster, artifact and component crafting, and identification class was the first class that was held in a room that felt like a university classroom. In a descending lecture hall, with tiered seating and a wall on the other end, there were tables that allowed us to sit and stare down at the lecturer and the three tables worth of parts he had brought along. Each table was split into different basic elements, from monster parts – cleaned and washed, thankfully – to enchanted or imbued m...
2025-05-27 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 57 - Fa Yuan
“Right Guardian.” Three voices, echoing in near unity entirely by accident. Over a decade of being bond sisters, of working together, training together, even – if some rumors were to be trusted – sleeping together. The three women who bowed as they greeted Fa Yuan were sisters in all but blood.
“Elder Geng,” at the impish smile on heart shape faced, Fa Yuan corrected, “Zhe Lan, you are looking well. Marriage suits you. How is h...
2025-05-26 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The next morning was much of a repeat of the day before, except this time everyone was dressed in their adventuring gear – or at least, some form of armor – and carried a weapon or shield. Marshall, waiting for us in the arena, continued to look bored, this time holding a book in one hand till the bell struck and we started running. Then, his free hand dipped to the nearest bucket and sent a stone blurring through the air only for it to be blocked.
The next few hours were grueling, ...
2025-05-23 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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It feels like I'm writing an update every hour to tell you about the Climbing the Ranks campaign. But I'm back again to tell you that we smashed through the second Stretch goal. Temporary tattoos are coming your way!
Next up: at $6,500 CAD, we’ll unlock a postcard art print and you get to vote on the design!
I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow at some point to tell you that we've hit that stretch goal with no problem, with the rate that you all are...
2025-05-21 17:13:05 +0000 UTC
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Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve hit our first stretch goal. Foiled bookmarks are officially unlocked!
Now it’s time to reveal Stretch Goal 2: at $5,000 CAD, we’ll unlock temporary tattoos featuring the Benevolent Durians crest. All physical backers will receive one as part of their rewards.
Keep sharing the campaign and clearing these floors! 2025-05-20 14:57:27 +0000 UTC
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Sadly, I – really, no one – got a chance to listen to Brand’s explanation of his skill to Watcher Ramone Flynn. Our latest trainer was very thorough in enforcing the privacy that was demanded by Brand. What he did do, was send us to separate rooms as we provided details of our skills.
Most of us were split into various, disparate groups in the training hall, then sent to massive classrooms that had long tables and chairs within. Those that desired privacy were ushered into s...
2025-05-20 13:00:13 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 56 - Wu Ying
"Do you wish to negotiate your payment?" Mother Ong asked, seated at her table, tea poured before the three. The entrance hallway had quickly turned into a simple visiting room where a dining table had been set, a tea set already prepared for their presence. All through the residence, plants hung or grew, filling the residence in a manner reminiscent of his old Master in many ways, if not for the numerous scuttling, furred bodies that traversed the ground in corne...
2025-05-19 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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This was previously posted to bsky - you can read the post here and comments.
Why do books take so long to arrive?
I just finished the ATL sequel (Celestial Cataclysms) series' first book, and it's 249k words.
I started it on Aug 2, 2024. That's 9.5 months.
I was writing other work till early this year, it's true but also cogitating time.
Hey everyone,
I'm thrilled to announce that we’ve officially hit our funding goal in under 3 hours! Thanks to your incredible support, this project is now 100% funded, and it’s all because of you.
Every pledge, share, and word of encouragement means so much to me.
But we're not stopping here.
With the goal reached, we’re now turning our sights to some exciting stretch goals.
If we can hit $3,500 CAD, ...
2025-05-16 18:56:57 +0000 UTC
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I've just launched the campaign for signed print editions of Climbing the Ranks 3.
If you’ve been following Arthur’s journey up the Tower, you won’t want to miss this one. The campaign offers:
➡ Signed paperbacks and hardcovers
➡ New chapter headers by Etheric Tales
➡ Three new inte...
2025-05-16 16:30:02 +0000 UTC
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“So what did you think of Marshall?” Brand asked, his plate dropping beside mine as he took a seat across from me. I looked up from my meal – the world’s equivalent of stew and bread – and sighed. Resolutely, I put my spork in my mouth, the tuber crunchy and bursting with umami as I crunched my way through, refusing to be rushed.
The entire dining hall was busy, even those few noviates who had chosen not to stay in the dormitories made use of the very convenient – and cheap ...
2025-05-16 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Book 2s deserve love too.
From May 12–16, every book in the Return to the Realm sale is the second book in a sci-fi or fantasy series, and every single one is $0.99 or less. There are more than 50 books on sale!
Check out the sale here.
2025-05-14 15:08:08 +0000 UTC
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“What the hell was all that about?” cursed one of the other students, a young lady who was cradling one arm and shooting glances up the embankment to where the injured had been dragged.
Yorrick, slumped over and breathing hard, nodded vigorously, one hand clutched around a bleeding arm, pushing the jagged piece of flesh that had been flensed off him back into position.
“That was combat training.” The voice that came from above was dulcet, sophisticated and highly amu...
2025-05-13 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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It’s been a long road. Eleven books filled with cultivation breakthroughs, political intrigue, fierce battles, and moments of quiet growth. And now, the end is in sight.
The final book in the A Thousand Li series is just around the corner. To celebrate, the whole series will be on sale.
Here’s the breakdown:
Chapter 55 - Wu Ying
The inside the compound was a mixture of farm, barn and residence. Once past the main gate and the privacy wall before it, Wu Ying turned the corner to be met with an unusual sight. The main residence itself was set far back, complex spatial wards managing to compress the vast land within till he was within the residence itself.
Inside the compound, large gardens with multiple forms of spirit herbs dotted the land in place of a lawn, flagstone pathways leadi...
2025-05-12 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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“Welcome to combat mastery. Now, run.”
The speaker was a tall, angular man dressed in court finery: bright colors and soft cloth. Not at all what you would expect for the training ground, nor the powdered face, mascara and rouge on his lips. Memory spoke of eighteenth-century France, when men were fops, and of glimpsed individuals down the streets of Haeros, a society of fashion-forward individuals with their own code. Eccentric but harmless as far as I could figure it, though there...
2025-05-09 13:00:03 +0000 UTC
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I'm excited to announce that the System Apocalypse: Kismet Omnibus is launching on June 1st with a brand new look and cover art by the incredibly talented @hakosaari_art!
2025-05-08 13:10:23 +0000 UTC
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By the time I arrived at the dining hall, the meal was in full swing. Even if I had rushed my wash, the other thirty or so attendees had descended on the buffet counters like a pack of locusts – or, in this world, a group of ravaging goblins. The entire hall was rather large, with long wooden tables and benches set all down the room in a pair of aisles and the buffet table on one end.
Unlike any good buffet on Earth, though, there was a distinct lack of a dessert table. In fact, the g...
2025-05-06 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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