Carlos and I discussed a few meters away from Rajni whether to accept her offer. Scratch that. Not meters. Centimeters. It’s easy to forget how small we are now.
“It’ll help us survive,” Carlos said.
“Right,” I said. “At the expense of everyone else’s survival.”
Carlos exhaled and leaned closer, voice low. “She’ll learn it eventually. And if she eliminates them, that’s less competition for us.”
“Ouch. That’s cold,” I said, though I had t...
2025-07-25 14:01:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
Author's note:
With the release of Handyman 3 and Card Slinger 1, I haven't had much time to write Farming Beetle. Anyway, I had some extra time and ended up writing two more chapters. Enjoy!
*
Now that I think about it, in Earth stories—books, movies, whatever—there’s always some kind of epic journey. You know the drill: the hero sets off from point A to get to point B, and in between, there’s the full disaster buffet. Bandits. Sta...
2025-07-25 13:59:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Deckard pulled his jacket tighter around his neck, shielding his throat from the wind. Autumn had turned colder, wetter. Rain slicked the quiet pavement, puddles reflecting the dull gray of the overcast sky. But the chill felt good. After yesterday, he was glad to be outside.
He’d spent the day holed up in his apartment, shuffling decks and running solo matches on repeat. The problem was, you couldn’t lie to yourself. You always knew what the other hand held. With chess, both sides ...
2025-07-24 18:44:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
By the time Jack regrouped with the team, all the NPCs had already vanished. They always cleared out the moment a wave was marked complete—like regulars at a restaurant who knew that if they didn’t leave quickly, they’d be stuck in line when it opened to the public.
Jack knew what that meant. He was headed straight to the kitchen next. And based on how things had been left, he was probably walking into full-blown chaos.
The group was chatting casually, but one person stood o...
2025-07-23 09:47:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Rob was the first to make contact.
He slipped into stealth just before closing in—his outline blurring, then vanishing altogether. The sabertooths didn’t notice a thing. From Jack’s point of view, it looked almost as if Rob had teleported to the back of one of them. Of course, that wasn’t the case. He was just using stealth.
Not until he reappeared behind one of them, blades already in motion.
A blur of motion. A flash of steel.
Rob unleashed his strongest comb...
2025-07-22 16:25:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Good news, everyone!
Hidden Class: Card Slinger 1 is finally ready for release! It'll be out on August 4th, and I’m keeping the $0.99 launch price through August 11th—that includes the first week after release.
To celebrate, I’m also making Card Crawler and Hidden Class: Pacifist 1 available for free on Amazon on August 4th and 5th.
And since ...
2025-07-22 09:40:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey everyone!
Big news — The Bushcrafting Potter is now live on Audible for ...
2025-07-20 13:49:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
The mysterious puppeteer turned out to be a bird.
Not just any bird—it loomed taller than even the colossal macaws that roamed the island’s core. One of its legs had been replaced with a tree trunk, gnarled and smoothed into a crude wooden stump that pounded the earth with each step. Its feathers were a chaotic patchwork of mottled green, shot through with streaks of red, the brightest of which flared defiantly on its throat like a warning. One of its eye sockets was hollow, a dark ...
2025-07-18 15:35:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
The courtyard had transformed—from a swarm of starving rioters into a daycare at nap time. One-Eyes and their goats were sprawled everywhere, snoring softly. Even Pterry was out cold.
Jack checked the clock between labored breaths. Only one hour left until the first event wave hit. And all he’d done so far was cook.
He stepped back for a moment, eyeing the setup that had allowed him to feed this crowd. Five fires. Five large cauldrons. Esther and Riku’s health. Tons of used ...
2025-07-17 17:48:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jack materialized at the fortress gate, cold wind hitting his face like a welcome slap. Back in the mountains. Back in the game. “Jack! Come
Jack materialized at the fortress gate, cold wind hitting his face like a welcome slap. Back in the mountains. Back in the game.
“Jack! Come here! Quick!”
He looked up to find Horace waving frantically from the battlement.
“What’s going on?” Jack called, already jogging toward the stairs.
As he darted up, he hear...
2025-07-16 14:05:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
After a satisfying workout and a hearty breakfast with his parents, Jack rushed back to his room. Even after a quick shower, sweat clung to
After a satisfying workout and a hearty breakfast with his parents, Jack rushed back to his room. Even after a quick shower, sweat clung to his skin. He toweled off as he logged into the meeting.
His face flickered onto the screen, joining the mosaic of video tiles.
“Hi, guys.”
“Hey, Jack.”
“Hello!”
Amari sa...
2025-07-15 09:25:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
Deckard blinked against the sting in his eyes. This was one of the good days—one of the rare moments when his mother remembered who he was.
Deckard blinked against the sting in his eyes. This was one of the good days—one of the rare moments when his mother remembered who he was.
“Deckard, you haven’t been eating well. You look older, too,” she said, her voice soft as she stroked his hair with her wrinkled hands.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve been taking good care o...
2025-07-11 09:30:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
The system message blinked to life, carrying a sweet note of triumph. Wave 40 Cleared. +1 Breach Point. You’ve defeated the Flying Marmoset.
The system message blinked to life, carrying a sweet note of triumph.
Wave 40 Cleared.
+1 Breach Point.
You’ve defeated the Flying Marmoset. +4 Breach Points.
A warmth spread through Jack’s chest. He’d soloed a boss—really soloed one. Just him.
"Jack, that wa...
2025-07-10 10:18:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
The courtyard, once noisy with conversation and movement, had quieted. All the NPCs were seated with bowls of shagrat stew, while Jack, Horace, and Marie kept glancing toward the gate.
“They’re cutting it close, aren’t they?” Jack muttered.
“They are,” Horace replied, his tone unusually serious.
A ping broke the silence.
“Hey! Caught in a package—can’t make the wave!” came Amari’s message in the party chat.
“He’s not coming,” ...
2025-07-08 09:30:32 +0000 UTC
View Post
Author's note: Hi everyone! Wishing you all a great week!
*
The first recipe he’d obtained from the crossover between bushcraft and brewing was for a type of yeast.
Recipe: [Wild Yeast]
Ingredients:
• 1x [Honey]
• 1x [Water]
• 1x [Fruit] or [Flower]
• 1x [Jar]
Instructions:
• Mix equal parts [Honey] and [Water] in a sterilized jar.
• Add an overripe [Fruit] ...
2025-07-07 09:41:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Cerberus regional office housed thirty immersion capsules spread across three floors. It had taken him a two-hour drive to get here, fuel paid out of pocket. But if this went the way he hoped, the raise would more than make up for it.
The sliding doors parted with a soft hiss, letting in a wave of warm air that brushed against Rook’s face. He stepped into the lobby, where a receptionist tapped away at a touchscreen terminal.
“Hello, ma’am.”
She glanced up, polite...
2025-07-04 12:55:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
After checking on his hives, Jack jogged back to the courtyard, where Esther was just tying off the brim of a grass hat.
“Esther, change of plans. Can I have you switch over to brewing mead instead?”
“Of course, sir. What about the hats and sandals?”
“Don’t worry about those. Here.” Jack dumped as many pots of honey into her inventory as it would allow.
Esther blinked. “This is... an impressive quantity of honey.”
Jack grinned. “And the...
2025-07-03 08:41:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jack’s avatar materialized in the courtyard of the Breach’s fortress.
The air was crisp, and the sun was about to set. He heard the nearby stomps of marching soldiers and the scrapings of Christoff’s knife as he crafted arrows.
The friend’s list showed everyone’s name in bright, white letters with a green circle next to it.
Oh no. I was the last one to log in.
His stomach sank. The others had been online for the past twenty minutes.
That meant ...
2025-07-03 08:27:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jack blinked. “Holly?!”
Time seemed to stop.
Tuesday night flashed before his eyes—the train ride, the pleasant conversation, the texts they’d exchanged afterward. He hadn’t expected to see her again so soon—especially not here, mid-job, covered in dust and grease.
Holly stood a few steps down near the stairwell, holding a mug of tea in one hand and three thick books cradled under the other arm. Her soft cardigan and faded jeans gave her a homey, endearing...
2025-06-30 14:03:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi everyone!
I hope you're having a fantastic week.
I’ve got two quick announcements to share with you today:
1. Final Edits for Hidden Class: Card Slinger
I'm about to begin my final round of proofreading and editing for the first Card Slinger book, which is set to release on August 4!
Based on reader feedback, there are two main changes I’ll be making:
Deckard’s age: I’...
2025-06-27 16:30:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sheer number of notifications cluttered most of Deckard’s screen. Collection updated. +2.2% crit chance Congratulations! You’ve captured
The sheer number of notifications cluttered most of Deckard’s screen.
Collection updated.
+2.2% crit chance
Congratulations! You’ve captured all the cards from the macaws’ ecosystem.
Congratulations! You’ve captured all the creatures living in the jungle ...
2025-06-27 16:20:20 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jack’s father opened the back of the van. Inside, it was packed with gardening tools, tangled wiring, old toolboxes, and other odds and ends. He rummaged through the clutter and pulled out two long boxes.
“Here. Carry this.”
“O-OK.”
Then came a ladder, which his father handed to him without pause. “This, too.”
Jack balanced the long, thin boxes of bulbs under one arm and wedged the ladder beneath the other. He’d been jogging and doing push-ups la...
2025-06-26 11:00:36 +0000 UTC
View Post
It had taken seven hours of non-stop crafting, but Jack had finally completed not just the chestplates for the soldiers, but the bottom pieces as well.
Ten full sets of armor now rested in neat rows on the pavement. The chestplates were familiar by now—reinforced along one side with bone bars, woven securely into the rope mesh.
The bottoms were simpler from a bone carving perspective: three bone bars ran along the form of each thigh, anchored in place by twisted cords. The...
2025-06-25 14:57:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jack’s hand shook as he brought the cord through the hole in the bone plate. When it refused to go through, he whetted the tip with his mouth and finally managed to push it in. He threaded the cord under and around the ropes, securing it in place.
That’s the last one.
He’d cut corners wherever he could—barely sanding the bone, skipping the waxing of ropes and cords entirely, and rushing through the collar and fringe. The resulting chestplate wasn’t pretty...
2025-06-24 17:09:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi everyone!
I just got back from a family holiday — the first one my parents have taken in a decade, since they’ve been caregivers for my three grandparents. It was a special trip, and I’m feeling creatively recharged!
The first chapter of this week will drop tomorrow, but I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes moment with you all first.
I just received my two latest paperbacks in the mail, and they look amazing on the shelf! I’ve been meaning to show...
2025-06-23 17:32:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi everyone,
I had a blast reading through your comments and comparing the votes on the latest poll about what Jack should do. Thanks so much for taking the time to participate and share your thoughts—your insights were genuinely inspiring.
So far, the blowing horn option has taken the lead. That was actually the direction I was leaning toward myself, but I’ll take a little more time to mull it over before locking it in for the next chapter.
One quick heads-up: ...
2025-06-20 19:14:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
After its clash with the Kraken’s farming team, the Red Macaw moved on—first to the Ogres, then to the Gorgons.
Deckard watched as it stretched its massive wings.
“Watch out! Feather storm incoming!” someone shouted from afar as the players scattered.
The Red Macaw snapped its wings shut with a powerful jolt, sending a gust of wind and a flurry of razor-sharp feathers slamming into the retreating team.
It spread its wings wide again and let out a piercing caw...
2025-06-20 19:02:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing well
⚠️ SPOILER ALERT
If you haven’t read the last few chapters of Handyman, you might want to catch up before reading further!
Now that we’ve managed to get everyone out before they turned into salt or stone (phew!), it’s time to tackle the next big decision:
Jack finally has access to that mysterious black horn—and he’s ready to craft with it. But the question is: what sh...
2025-06-17 14:45:56 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jack forced himself to put away the black horn.
He didn’t just move it aside—he opened his inventory and stashed it away.
Out of sight, out of mind.
It was safer that way. The thing almost seemed to hum when left nearby, like a tuning fork only he could hear. It pulled at him like a black hole—dense, inescapable, whispering promises of brilliant designs and impossible gear.
A beautiful, dangerous distraction.
And right now, he co...
2025-06-17 14:41:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
Wave 31 was about to hit.
Everyone was already gathered near the ditch, eyes flicking between the countdown and the bend of the canyon.
The soldiers stood a little taller now, steadier on their feet—perhaps emboldened by their new armor or their role in repelling the shagrats, the very beasts that had once broken their morale.
Jack’s teammates were arguing enthusiastically.
“I think it’ll be flyers this time,” Rob said.
“Nah, it’ll be marmose...
2025-06-16 11:38:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
