Dawn of the Lightbearer is finished!

After a very intense five months, the Dawn of the Lightbearer, book one in the Absolution of the Morning Star series, is now ready for the world! The e-version is currently available for pre-order, and it will be officially released on July 2nd- just in time for the Fourth of July weekend (it will be the same link). The paperback version is also ready to go, which will appear around the same time (depending on Amazon’s vetting process). If you like thick yarns of epic fantasy, full of mystery, intrigue, darkness, and adventure, I think you will find this an entertaining tale, which is the most any author can hope for. I’m thrilled with how this book turned out, and I hope you enjoy it!

Yesterday (June 24th) I finished formatting for Kindle, which requires another read-through. Just this morning, I completed the finishing touches of adding a map of my fictitious word, a detailed timeline, a diagram of a critical ship, and the rest of the back matter material and uploaded the manuscript two days before schedule. I’ve read through the book more than ten times and polished it as best I could. It never got boring, and I could reread it instantly if I weren’t so terrified that I would make mundane changes (i.e., those based on the spur of the moment feelings and have no real impact on the work). 

I’ve already begun mapping out the continuation of the story and will start book two very soon. It will likely be called Son of the Mourning (after reading Dawn of the Lightbearer, you’ll immediately know why). From its humble beginning on February 3rd (see a complete timeline here), the Dawn of the Lightbearer essentially wrote itself and was the fastest book I’ve ever written. I hope book two will move just as smoothly, and if so, it will be available early next year.

For those that are new to my worlds, Dawn of the Lightbearer is the beginning of an epic fantasy that will likely fill five books. It tells the story of young Erikson Gray as he is pulled from his simple life in the backwater colony of Grafton Notch and thrown onto a path to greatness. Dawn of the Lightbearer is a dark tale set in a world transitioning from the ancient to the modern world. Magic remains in myths and legends, but alchemy and the first breaths of science are changing the world, especially with the advent of gunpowder. A civil war ravaged the land less than a decade before the story begins, and the Empire of Lucardia irks towards the death of its first emperor and the tumultuous succession that will follow. During this time of weakness, an ancient enemy returns, and only young Erik stands in the way. But not all is what it seems in the lands of Lucardia. Secrets abound, and Erikson Gray must walk carefully indeed. Will he be Lucardia’s savior, or its Satan. Find out! 

Cheers!