Hoo boy.

Did I make some promises I couldn’t keep!

But what have I learned? Never put a timeline on creativity. It sucks to say. I hate to admit it to myself. I thought writing the second book would be easier than this. I had the second, third and half of the fourth at least first drafted.

And then I decided to completed rewrite the entire second book. The bones of the plot are still there, but it’s a whole different animal now. But, it’s one I’m actually proud of.

I love the first draft, but this is better.

Then I decided to go into second draft. Third. Fourth. And I decided it wasn’t good enough just yet, it wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t happy enough. So instead of going to the editor and getting a cover ready for a cover reveal, and posting the first couple chapters to Patreon as promised…I rewrote large chunks of it again. And I’m still going at it. I’m about 65-70% done with the book, and I’m only 264 pages in. Which is only about 40 pages shy of the first book.

The final page count may differ, after editing and rewrites, etc. But this book is definitely going to be longer–and better–than the first.

I love my first book. But I can, and will do better.

I appreciate everyone’s patience. I’m sorry that I can no longer give a definitive date for when Book II: Phantoms will release. But I promise you, when it comes, you’ll know. But it’ll have to come in its own time.

In the meantime, I’m going to go back to posting and updating the lore here. I don’t think I’ll do weekly or biweekly as I’ve done in the past. I don’t want the lore to oustrip the writing. Some things may even end up spoiling certain parts of the world/plot I’ve been building in the novels.

But I promise, as questions come in, as ideas for lore and extra tidbits come in, I’ll post them. Maybe you’ll get two posts a week, maybe one a month. Maybe I’ll go a bit without posting. But I promise posts will come.

Again, I’m sorry to anyone I’ve disappointed with this update. I had originally hoped to have this book published by now, and revealed two-three months ago. But I also can’t rush this book on a deadline and still produce something I’m going to be proud of. I need the time and freedom to just write, at my own pace, as my life and schedule dictates. Unfortunately, this is not full time, and that’s a big part of it.

But I promise Book II will come. And it will be better than the first book.

I also promise not to die before I finish this series, and not to take as long as Winds of Winter. In fact, no…just for that, I am going to give you a deadline. One that I know I can stick to. This is a promise on my life.

I can promise you, with confidence, that Book II: Phantoms, will release before the Winds of Winter does.

When will that be? Stay tuned!

Seriously though, I appreciate the continued support. The continued visits to this site. The continued readership. Those who post reviews, those who don’t, those who buy the book and read it two months later, those who I’ve gifted copies too.

I’m not here to get spectacularly rich and wealthy off my books. Sure I’d like to be able to live off it, and I believe all authors, and artists alike, deserve to be paid their fair share for their work. But before all those hopes and dreams, and best case scenarios. Before any of that, my biggest priority is to just touch people with my writing. I want the words I write to stay with someone lone after they’ve closed the book and walk away. I want people who read my books to feel something after having read it. I don’t care if I give books away, or sell them right now. I just want people to read my books, and feel something, anything.

Thank you, genuinely, for being part of this journey with me, and for understand that this is the reason why I’m taking so long. Can’t rush genius or perfection–or me apparently!