Vampires. Evil, demonic, creatures of the night, known for drinking the blood of the living. Or at least that’s what some people say. The truth is far more boring: they’re just people, like the rest of us. People who need to drink blood to survive, so I guess that’s true. And so is the “creature of the night” thing. And the demon thing.
Often spoken of in the same breath as werewolves...
2023-07-17 13:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post“What...” I look around nervously at the group. “What should I do?”
“First, we will need to figure out the order we are doing this in,” Khazak says, more to the other rangers than me.
“I’ve got some dice in my bag,” Ragnar responds, turning back to his tent.
“That should work.” Khazak nods.
I then watch as all ten men take turns rolling a pair of eight-sided wooden dice, determining the order in which I am apparently going to...assist them. More t...
2023-07-10 16:01:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello readers! Hope you’ve been doing well since we last talked. After last month’s double audiobook release/preorder reveal, I don’t have a whole lot for you this month. But hey, sometimes no news is good news, right? Still for reference, here is where you can find the 2023-07-03 13:01:01 +0000 UTC
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“You liiiiiiike him.”
“Shut up.”
I’m in the gym with Tuck and the rest of our class, who despite no evidence to the contrary, is sure that I have feelings for Cadet Kaylin Zekram. Sure, he might correct, and maybe I am being a little too obvious with the way I’m watching him on one of the weight machines, but like hell if I’m going to admit that. Especially if he’s gonna act this annoying about it.
There’s also the fact that I promised Kaylin himself that I...
2023-06-26 13:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Here is the full color map of Northeastern Avural Ug'dol/Nova Mundus. This is the location where most of the events of Steel & Thunder Book 4, Arenas & Monsters takes place. Black and white versions of this map can be find in all print versions of the book.
This one was a lot of work, basically three maps in one. Hope you like!
2023-06-19 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post“Another boring night.”
“Better than an exceptionally eventful one.”
“Yeah I guess,” I say with a sigh.
It's been another uneventful day of patrol duty for me and Khazak. And I know he’s right that I should be thankful for the quiet night, but there's only so many times you can walk past the same set of trees before you start to feel like you’re losing your mind. I’m about ready to start giving them names.
It's late and any active patrols ended a long...
2023-06-12 13:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Summertime is here! Hope everyone is getting a chance to relax, at least for a little while. I myself just got back from a weekend in Chicago for International Mister Leather, and now I’ve got months of pool parties to look forward to back home here in Florida. But you aren’t here to read about my partying schedule. On to the news!
First up is the Arenas & Monsters audiobook! It just released last week, and is nearly a full twelve hours long. Ken, my narrator, put a lot of effor...
2023-06-05 13:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostTime to pick your next worldbuilding article! Because of the way the calendar is working out and some upcoming maps I will be posting, this is just for the month of July!
I'm always looking to hear more ideas for future worldbuild articles, so please, leave me some suggestions in the comments!
“So what are you thinking?”
“Maybe some CTF?”
“Nah, I bet it’s gonna be something with hostages.”
It’s Mannot afternoon, almost 15:00, which means the final class of the day is about to start. It’s been an okay day, for the most part. Given the amount of people they admit, all of us in the officer’s program have an almost identical class schedule. Still, outside of lunch I haven’t had much of a chance to say anything to Kaylin beyond a friendly nod f...
Welp, this article ended up being a lot longer than expected, so I'm splitting vampires into their own article!
Also, content warning for mentions of miscarriages below.
Lycanthropy, and perhaps therianthropy in general, is one of the most widespread and well-known magical afflictions. Once a month, on the night of the full moon, those affected will transform into a monstrous, half-wol...
2023-05-15 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post“I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Me neither,” I respond. “It did happen though, right?”
“Believe me, I had to stop myself from biting into the gold right in front of him,” Daddy confirms. “It was real.”
We’re headed back to the farm several hours earlier than we normally would be after a day at the market, Momma driving the cart behind us. Both of them are completely empty, except for the crates we used to carry the crops, which are als...
2023-05-08 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Happy May everyone! As the subject line should tell you, you can now purchase hardcover editions of all four Steel & Thunder novels! You can find them in all the usual places online. That’s not the only good news I have though: both the hardcover and paperback editions of ...
2023-05-01 13:00:19 +0000 UTC View PostI check the clock above my desk and sigh. It’s getting late... It’s Sepnot, which means the two day weekend is coming to a close and classes resume tomorrow. With a second, heavier sigh, I lift myself from my bunk and pull on my shoes. There’s something I’ve been putting off doing all day, because I was really hoping it would take care of itself.
I leave my room and make my way through the dorm wing of the academy, coming to a stop in front of a door I;’d only visited...
2023-04-24 14:18:31 +0000 UTC View Post
A high-resolution, full color map of the ruins of Karthani from Steel & Thunder Book 3, Secrets & Spires!
These should be showing up in paperbacks and hardcovers very, very soon!
2023-04-17 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“I think that’s everything for this one.”
“Okay, I’ll go help Daddy finish with the other cart.”
It’s Astraday, which means it’s time for another day at the Weston market. It’s early in the morning, just after dawn, and I’m doing what I’ve done every Astraday morning for the last six weeks: helping my parents load this week’s harvest so we can cart it into the town square. It’s hard work, but it has to get done.
I don’t really mind it though, even...
2023-04-10 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Spring could not get here fast enough! Arenas & Monsters has still been doing great, but as I always do, I’m going to ask you again for more reviews! C’mon, I know there’s at least a few of you out there that keep telling yourselves you’re gonna write one - consider this a sign to do it now! But that’s old book news, and given the email subject, you’re here for new book news.
My fifth novel, which will be released later this year, has been tentatively titled The Crow...
2023-04-03 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“So... What should we--”
“We don’t need to do anything.”
“What are you-- Hey, wait! Where are you going?” I call out as Cadet Zekram pushes his way past me and out of the still half-full room, ignoring all the stares that follow him.
And once he’s gone, all of those stares turn to me. I try to do the same as I follow after him, but it’s hard to ignore the weight of everyone’s eyes. I don’t even think about my friends, I just want to get out of ...
2023-03-27 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Evolution is the process in which living things develop new characteristics through genetic mutation and variation. Different factors, called evolutionary pressures, are what determines how successful these mutations are in propagating through the entire population Things like changes in food availability, environmental changes, an exposure to predators or even diseases. But on Terra, there are othe...
2023-03-20 13:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostLunaday, Virgus 5th, 4623
The past two days have been long, stressful, and exhausting. Ever since getting back to camp after the incredibly ill-advised attack on the Ragebloods, I have been on edge. It’s like I spend almost every moment constantly searching for a sign that a retaliatory attack may be on the way. Nothing has happened yet, but I have gotten very little sleep.
As I am sure it is only a matter of time before our enemies come calling, ...
2023-03-13 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
March is here, and soon spring will come, and I am so very happy about that. Arenas and Monsters released three weeks ago, and it’s been a great three weeks! It got moved into some new categories on Amazon that have a lot more competition, so it hasn’t quite reached the same chart topping spots as the rest of the series, but sales are strong and it...
2023-03-06 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Hey, Vaiken, did you hear?”
“Hear what?” I look up from my datapad to see Tuck poking his head around the corner.
“Zekram,” is all he says, excitement in his eyes. “He’s a sub.”
“What?” I pause the music I’m listening to, sure that I can't have heard him right. “Zekram’s not a sub. He’s a dom.”
“No, he’s not.” Tuck shakes his head as he enters the corner of the lounge area I’ve tucked myself away in to read. “Remember...
2023-02-27 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Here it is, the full-color map of Pákannon from Secrets & Spires. More maps coming soon!
Also, happy Arenas & Monsters release day!
2023-02-20 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostAerisday, Leus 30th, 4623
It has been a tense week since my...revealing hunting outing with Vakesh. The tension has not been with Vakesh himself, but with others in the camp. Several people have been voicing their displeasure at the way I now treat Vakesh - as well as a few other changes I have started to make.
I have not been overly affectionate with the man, but I have made my intentions and feelings for Vakesh clear. I also have put a st...
2023-02-13 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
It’s February, and while I’m not happy it’s still fucking cold outside, we’ve only got two weeks to go until Arenas & Monsters is released! Paperbacks are now available for preorder at all of the usual sites. You may notice hardcovers are also being offered - that’s an error I’m fixing with my publisher, though hardcover editions of all my books <...
2023-02-06 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostThis arc of The Journal of Khazak is going to be wrapping up in March, so it's time to pick out which story I'll be writing in it's place next. Feel free to leave me some suggestions on what you'd like to read about in the comments!
2023-01-30 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostIt's also time to pick out your next worldbuilding articles. As always, I'd love to get some new ideas or suggestions for more of these in the comments.
2023-01-30 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Daddy and I had continued to see each other when we could, though I think we were both realizing the realities of our situation. I was getting a little tired of feeling like a side piece. Still, when we did see each other, we always had an amazing time together.
Tonight was a quiet evening. I had moved out, into a place with a much more agreeable roommate. The three of us were hanging out in t...
2023-01-23 14:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Magical creatures are a common sight on Terra. Some of them resemble animals you are familiar with, while others may seem more abstract or even alien. Natural casters, as their name might suggest, have an affinity for these creatures. With their magic they can connect with them in various ways, even calling them allies in battle.
Animal companions are perhaps the most common type of magical cr...
2023-01-16 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostAquaday, Leus 25th, 4623
Hello again, journal. It has been several days since my last entry, days that have thankfully been uneventful. Vakesh’s health has continued to improve, and I would say he is almost back to normal.
Since making his recovery, I must admit that the two of us have been getting along great. I find myself being more patient, and there is a lot less grumbling from him when he is given an order. I even allowed him to come hunting...
2023-01-09 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Happy New Year everybody! And Happy Arenas & Monsters Preorders Are Live Day too! Steel & Thunder Book 4 is almost here, and you can use this link to order your copy from any of the usual online retailers. Paperbacks should be available soon, as will the audiobook! All the other books in the series have topped the charts, I wonder how high we can...
2023-01-02 14:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post