Sylvanus: The Final Stretch

I am happy to report that Sylvanus: Swords and Sons is nearly ready for publication! After months of editing, revising, rewriting, proofreading, and then proofreading some more, I have finally reached the formatting stage. I’m hoping to release the book very soon, perhaps as early as the end of October, though I may push it to early November to allow a little more time for final feedback and production work. Either way, the finish line is finally in sight, and I intend to have the book out well before the holiday rush!

As with all novels, it has been quite a journey getting here.

I completed the first draft in late August, and since then, I have devoted an enormous amount of time to making this the best book I can possibly produce. What began as a fairly straightforward editing process became something considerably more ambitious. I went back through the manuscript, examining everything from character development and pacing to dialogue, descriptions, continuity, and the occasional sentence that seemed determined to resist improvement. I cut it from 136k to 125k, and then it grew back up to 140k words.

One of the most valuable parts of this process has been receiving feedback from a valued ARC reader who has been following the Lucardian saga for some time. She offered thoughtful and sometimes challenging observations about an earlier version of the manuscript, particularly concerning Sylvanus himself, the supporting characters, and the long journey at the heart of the story.

Her feedback prompted me to look more critically at several aspects of the novel. I revisited character motivations, strengthened relationships, reworked important conversations, and added greater depth to moments that needed more emotional or moral weight. Some scenes only needed a few words; others were substantially rewritten; a few brand-new ones were added, too. The revised manuscript is now receiving another read, and I am looking forward to hearing how those changes have come together.

Perhaps most importantly, I worked to make Sylvanus’s transformation more convincing.

Sylvanus is hardly a model of humility. He is a prince in every sense of the word, making him proud, privileged, theatrical, frequently arrogant, and blessed with a rather generous opinion of himself. But under all that, he truly cares about his people. I had no intention of changing that. His flaws and how they interact with his rule are part of what makes him interesting, and I rather enjoy writing him. But this novel puts him through experiences that challenge almost everything he believes about himself, his family, and the world around him. I wanted those experiences to leave their mark, gradually revealing a more complicated man without turning him into someone unrecognizable.

I also spent considerable time refining the journey Sylvanus takes to reach Koen. It is a substantial part of the novel, and I wanted every hardship, encounter, and revelation to contribute something meaningful to the story. The journey is not simply about reaching a destination. It is about what happens to Sylvanus along the way, and why the man who eventually arrives is not quite the same one who set out.

Once the larger revisions were complete, I turned my attention to the prose. I eliminated repetitive language, tightened descriptions, removed unnecessary explanations, and worked to make the dialogue and action flow more naturally. I also discovered that I apparently have a handful of favorite words that I use with alarming enthusiasm. Several of them have now been placed on a strict literary diet.

Then came the proofreading. And more proofreading. And still more proofreading.

I have lost count of how many times I have examined this manuscript over the past several weeks. There were continuity checks, timeline reviews, grammatical corrections, and the inevitable discovery of tiny errors that somehow survived every previous inspection. Anyone who has spent months staring at the same 140,000 words will understand how easily the mind begins seeing what it expects to see rather than what is actually on the page.

But all that work has paid off. I am genuinely pleased with where the book has landed. The story remains the one I wanted to tell, but I believe it is stronger, more focused, and more emotionally satisfying than the version I finished in August. Some of the changes were small, others substantial, but collectively they have made a real difference. It has been a demanding but rewarding process, and I think the extra effort was well worth it.

And now, at long last, I am formatting it for publication!

For readers who enjoyed Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest, Sylvanus: Swords and Sons continues the Blood and Banners series, exploring another side of the people and events that will eventually shape the world of The Absolution of the Morning Star. Although the two brothers could hardly be more different, their stories are deeply connected, and I am excited for readers to experience that connection from Sylvanus’s perspective.

There is still some final production work to complete, and I want to leave myself enough time to consider any last observations before committing the manuscript to publication. But after spending so much time immersed in this story, it is enormously satisfying to see it becoming an actual book. It will also mark my ninth Lucardian novel, a milestone I am particularly happy to reach.

So, late October or early November it is! I am excited, relieved, and very much looking forward to sharing Sylvanus: Swords and Sons with you. After all these months, the prospect of finally putting it into readers’ hands is a wonderful feeling.

And once it is out in the world? Well, there is another Lucardian character named Erikini who has been waiting rather impatiently for her turn. That book has been completely and rather carefully outlined. As it sits between two already-written books, that was a necessity. As of last week, I’ve begun writing it, and I will soon be able to devote my full attention to her story. I’m excited about where that one is heading, too!

For now, though, I have one last hurdle to clear, and I can almost see the other side. Now, enough of this. I have a book to finish formatting!

Cheers!