Quick update and a piece of gold

I know, I was doing really well with posting on time twice a week, and I’m slacking. This is late, but it still counts, as it was posted on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it is budget time in higher education, and the situation is especially grim this year. Thus, my time is being consumed by work, and it is heavily infringing on my ability and energy to write. Hopefully, that will end soon, and the dust can settle.

For today, just a quick update. I haven’t been able to write in a while (more than a month). There was a vacation, and then I was sick, and now budget stuff. When I have had the time, I just wanted to sit and be a slug. But that changed last night. I was able to put down a few hundred words, and once that gate opens, even just a little, the flood returns. I expect to write more tonight.

After polling you all on which project I should devote my failing energy, the consensus was to continue Mishal’s tale (thank you all for your comments and feedback on my samples). I know I have been waffling a bit. I was getting lost in The Monk of Thanatos, and Koen’s release got me excited to explore that arc some more. But I agree, I should focus on finishing Mishal’s tale. As so often happens, it led to an opening. The validation to pause on Slyvanus and return to The Monk of Thanatos spurred an interesting dream that helped me come to terms with the series’ purpose and solidified something fundamental to my Lucardian Universe.

Mishal’s journey will cement two key plot points for the entire series, and they’re profound. If you have read Destiny of the Daystar, you know that the two series overlap at the very end of the book, and the secrets Mishal will discover become available to Erik in an interesting way during their brief interaction. This was always the plan. I am trying to create a web of interlocking stories. But what those pieces of information were remained somewhat elusive.

The dream changed that, and I am super excited. It led me to write what I call a “golden document”. I have a few of these for Lucardia, which outline key mythos or plot points. It solidified my magic system and grounds it in current physics research while elegantly connecting Mishal’s medallion and Erik’s sword Lightbearer. This is a massive step for me. But it also unveils the entire reason for the central conflict between all my conflicting groups- Capsia, the faith that surrounds him, the Order of Thanatos, the Red Cloths, the Nyth Cigfran, the Nephilim, the Alchemists of Ignis, the Guild of White, the various contenders for the throne, everyone in between, and even the gods in heaven.

Anyway, I risk spoiling things if I say any more, but it was a pivotal moment in writing this universe, and I’m eager to get it on the page. I am about halfway through the first draft of The Monk of Thanatos, and now that I have a clear outline, it will hopefully move quickly.

As always, thank you for joining me on this journey and for all your encouragement, support, and constructive feedback. More to come soon!

Cheers!