It’s been a busy week with Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies officially entering the pre-release phase. I’ve been working with a few different author services and PR reps to get the book in front of the right people ahead of release. ARC readers can already review the book on Goodreads, and professional reviews should start rolling in by mid-October. If you would like an e-ARC in exchange for your honest review, there’s still time. Just shoot me an email at [email protected] with a link to your Goodreads and/or Amazon profile, and I’ll send you the download link.
If you happen to be a professional critic or book buyer, Ardent Wings is now listed on NetGalley, where it will be available until October 10. I’m still toying with the idea of running a promotion on NetGalley to get more industry eyes on the ARC. This pre-release phase is crucial for a successful launch. Without a healthy crop of honest reader reviews in all the relevant places and some widespread approval from the institutional critics, it will be an uphill battle for a new novel from a new author. But I believe in the work and the early-early buzz has been overwhelmingly positive, so I remain optimistic.
Progress Report: Tales of Ciel Release Plan
Hey. The Cyclones are 3-0. As I write this newsletter, the Giants are heading into overtime against the Cowboys, who apparently also suck, and Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann looks like he might actually want to play professional hockey this season. Most importantly, Ardent Wings has its first Goodreads review from ARC reader Corinna M.
There’s a lot to look forward to this fall. Whether or not you care about moribund NY sports franchises, High Trestle Press books will be hitting shelves in less than two months. If you haven’t followed me over on Goodreads or Amazon, now would be a prime time to do so. All are welcome–even Patriots fans.
My writing time lately has been pretty evenly split between The Divine Heretic and the Tales of Ciel. Book 2 in The Divine Heretic, What Lies Between, needs to be my primary creative focus at the moment, but I’m committed to releasing the Ciel series on an aggressive timeline. That means I need to be thinking four, five, six books ahead. With the first three books all at various stages of completion, I should have some breathing room, but I’m wary of letting the forward momentum stall. Here’s a first look at the planned release schedule so you can see the source of my anxiety:
- November 11, 2025: Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies released in paperback and Ebook
- February 3, 2026: Ophiuchus Flinched released in paperback and Ebook
- April 7, 2026: The Mark of Cain released in paperback and Ebook
- July 14, 2026: “Splinters of Yggdrasil” released in Ebook
- December 15, 2026: Tales of Ciel Omnibus: The Zephyr Arc released in hardcover. (This collected edition contains the first three novels plus two new short stories.)
- January 19, 2027: Cut Him into Stars released in paperback and Ebook
- May 2027: The Atlas of Everything released in paperback and Ebook
- August 2027: Odin of the Ash released in Paperback and Ebook
That’s six novels and three short stories between November and August 2027, and all threaded with the other three series I’m hoping to release with similar consistency. Ardent Wings is done and out of my hands. This week, I finished my neurotic proofread of the proofread for Ophiuchus Flinched. I just started in on the second draft of The Mark of Cain, and once I ship that one off to the series editor, I’ll begin writing Cut Him into Stars in earnest.
I promised I wouldn’t leave you hanging. I put these updates in writing in part to keep me honest. It’s a leap of faith for any reader to pick up an unfinished series, and I’m sure many of you have been burned before.