In a world where light casts the darkest shadows, survival demands more than a sword—it demands a soul.
Welcome to Lucardia, a land where the light is fading, the shadows are stirring, and every choice comes with a bloody price tag. In the Absolution of the Morning Star series, nothing stays simple for long—not loyalty, not power, and certainly not survival.
It all begins when Erikson Gray, a young nobody with a chip on his shoulder and a knack for trouble, stumbles upon an ancient sword in a forbidden forest. That’s when the real trouble starts. The sword—Lightbearer—carries a past soaked in blood and secrets, and it isn’t long before Erik is thrust into a game of ambition, betrayal, and old rivalries. From the crumbling towers of Blackdown Castle to the windswept plains of the North, Erik’s journey is anything but heroic.
As empires fracture and old grudges rise from the grave, Erik must navigate a realm falling apart at the seams. Friends become foes, allies turn traitors, and the powerful have a habit of dying young. But for every plot twist, betrayal, and battle, there’s a darker truth waiting in the wings. Because wielding power isn’t about being the strongest—it’s about being the smartest, the most ruthless, and, sometimes, the most desperate.
From forbidden forests and sacred groves to the halls of broken kings, the Absolution of the Morning Star series is a tale of swords and sorcery, betrayals and broken oaths, where the line between hero and villain is as thin as a knife’s edge. Erik’s journey isn’t about saving the world—it’s about surviving long enough to see what’s left. Because in Lucardia, the only thing harder than finding the light… is keeping it alive. The Absolution of the Morning Star series will be six books.
Flashback Fridays #10
For this Flashback Friday, I’m going back to February 3, 2021—to the very first time I wrote publicly about the story that would eventually become Dawn of the Lightbearer. Of course, it wasn’t called Dawn of the Lightbearer yet. Lucardia didn’t have a name. There was no Absolution of the Morning Star, no sprawling history,…
Every Wound Has an Ancestry
I have spent some time beating myself up for not finishing Absolution of the Morning Star sooner. The series was moving along nicely. Four books were complete, and only two remained. I knew where the story was heading, even if some of the roads were still obscured. Then I got sidetracked by Koen. At first, Koen:…
Chasing the Current
Sylvanus: Swords and Sons has now crossed 60,000 words, placing me roughly at the midpoint of the novel. After a long and arduous journey, Sylvanus and his remaining companions are preparing to cross into the Northlands and enter the realm of his brother, Koen. It is a major transition in the story, but also in…
Writing in the Gray
I have never been all that interested in stories that divide the world neatly into good and evil. I hope that if you have read my work, it is immediately apparent. That may sound strange coming from a dark fantasy author. My books are filled with tyrants, monsters, witches, fallen powers, corrupted faiths, ancient evils,…
Five Years, New Covers, and a Homecoming
I wrote a longer reflection back in May about five years of Dawn of the Lightbearer. That was the month I first placed the book up for preorder, and in many ways, that was when the Lucardian journey began for me. Though I might have jumped the gun a little, as the book officially went…
