Status: Available now!
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What readers are saying:
“A vivid journey through the hidden corners of Lucardia—witches, wastelands, volcanic fortresses, and unforgettable new characters.”
“Koen’s transformation from impatient prince to battered, haunted man is gripping, brutal, and deeply human.”
“The relationship between Koen and Erikini sparkles with humor, wit, and pathos—one of the story’s greatest strengths.”
“Beautifully written—vivid, immersive prose that pulls you in and refuses to let go.”
“Koen and Erikini will take up residence in your imagination long after the final page.”
In the Absolution of the Morning Star Series, Erikson Gray is haunted by his father’s mysterious past and the stain he left upon Lucardia. Before Erikson was born, Prince Koen the Gray disappeared for three years. No one knew where he went- not his wife, brothers, or even his powerful father, Emperor Vesper the Uniter. One day, the prince simply vanished into the wilderness surrounding Blackdown Castle.
When Koen returned from his mysterious journey, he had changed. Gone was the emperor’s closest confidant, replaced by a brooding and troubled man filled with angst. Shortly after Koen’s reemergence, Erikson was born, and Koen and his younger brother Slyvanus rebelled against their father, dragging all of Lucardia into a terrible civil war.
Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest is a dark, character-driven epic fantasy about love, obligation, and the terrible cost of miracles. When Prince Koen’s political marriage to Rachel of Thorne fails to produce the heir his empire needs, he turns to the Nyth Cigfran—a scattered coven of witches whose flesh-craft may offer one last chance at a child. Joined by Erikini, an orphan girl who can hear the dead, Koen’s quest drags him through slavers’ camps, haunted catacombs, rough seas, forbidden cities, and a final, harrowing bargain that will scar his body and soul. It’s a story about a man who says, “I’ll pay any price,” and then has to live with what that really means.
Below is the history of its writing:
1/27/23- Started writing again! Currently at 5,356 words.
2/3/23- As usual a slow start as characters develop, but it’s starting to pick up now. 8,219 words.
2/11/23- 12,083 words. Things starting to move now.
2/26/23- Crossed 20,000 words!
3/9/23- 23,981 words. Missing not having a commute and writing more than a thousand words a day but still moving forward! Just finished chapter 5.
3/29/23- 33,223. I know I’m not speeding along as usual, but I’m still writing daily.
4/7/23- 35,114
4/22/23- 43,900 words. Finally, things are starting to move. Reached my daily 1,000 words goal these last few nights.
5/4/23- 50,094!
5/13/23- 55,878 words. After a difficult scene, I finally pushed through and moving along nicely now. Koen has just entered Dinasaur, where much of Lucardia’s saltpeter is produced. If you know anything about medieval saltpeter production, you’ll know that Dinasaur is not a pleasant place.
6/1/23- 65,398
6/9/23- 72,281
6/16/23- 76,947 words. Koen is about halfway done.
6/21/23- 80,240. Another stage in Koen’s journey is complete. About to write a sword fight 😉 Important, but take forever to write.
6/30/23- 85,461
7/13/23- 95,853, I should reach 100k this week!
7/17/23- 100,272! With a weekend of good writing, I got to 100k two days sooner than I expected. Koen’s ending is drawing near. I’m so excited!
7/28/23- 110,011. About half a dozen chapters left.
8/6/23- 117,285
8/9/23- 120,188- If everything continues to move as planned, I should finish the story by the end of the month!
8/19/23- 130,516- one chapter left to go!
8/21/23- And just like that, it is done! The ending just snuck up on me, but I couldn’t see what else I could write, so after eight months, the first draft of Koen is complete at 132,358. Tomorrow, editing begins.
9/1/23- About 2/3 of the way through the first read-through. So far, so good. No major issues!
9/7/23- First read-through complete. Time for number two.
11/10/23- After about ten passes, Koen is complete and ready for querying
2/10/24- Rewrite and edit complete
3/13/24- Still querying
8/10/24- After ten months of querying, Koen is coming.
9/11/24- Exciting news, Koen is being traditionally published with Grendel Press!
4/30/25- Koen back from the editor!
5/4/25- Edits just about complete after an intense few days.
8/11/25- Met with Grendel Press, things are moving along again. Set a bunch of things for front/back matter. More news coming soon!
9/8/25- Koen is coming October 1st! Preorder now.
10/1/25- Koen is here!
A visitor at Oakenyard
It took some time to get to this, but below is the fifth in my series of reports to Emperor Vesper Zuilkaarme on the strange happenings that occurred throughout Lucardia around the time of Prince Koen the Gray’s disappearance. You can read more about that disappearance here. To His Radiance, Emperor Vesper, Uniter of the…
Searching for need
I constantly struggle between being a writer and a bookseller. Really, I just want to write, but why write if no one reads it? So, one necessitates the other. I’m a decent writer. I can at least give myself that credit. It is hard-earned after struggling with self-doubt for years. But I’m not such a…
Bombardment of Restol
Below is the fourth in a series of reports to Emperor Vesper Zuilkaarme on the strange happenings that occurred throughout Lucardia around the time of Prince Koen the Gray’s disappearance. You can read more about that disappearance here. To His Imperial Majesty, Lord of Lucardia, Keeper of the Twelve Thrones, and Steward of the Sword…
The mystery of Dagon Light
Below is the third in a series of reports to Emperor Vesper Zuilkaarme on the strange happenings that occurred throughout Lucardia around the time of Prince Koen the Gray’s disappearance. You can read more about that disappearance here. To His Most Illustrious Emperor, I place before you an accounting of Dagon Light and the late…
The Phantom and the Citadel
Below is the second in a series of reports to Emperor Vesper Zuilkaarme on the strange happenings that occurred throughout Lucardia around the time of Prince Koen the Gray’s disappearance. You can read more about that disappearance here. This is an account from Grand Master Terrick of the Knights of Norn. To His Most Illustrious…
The mysterious disappearance of Sir Lodin
Below is the first in a series of reports to Emperor Vesper Zuilkaarme on strange happenings throughout Lucardia around the time of the disappearance of his son, Prince Koen the Gray. You can read more about that disappearance here. I hope you enjoy them! To His Most Illustrious Emperor, I place before you an accounting…
Salt and Lucardia’s magic system
Salt in Lucardia is never merely a seasoning. Across worlds—ours and theirs—it has always been a thing of reverence. Empires rose and fell upon the salt trade; soldiers were once paid in it, their salary stems from sal, the Latin word for salt. It purified wounds, sealed oaths, and guarded the living from what lingered…
Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest is here!
At last, Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest takes flight today, unfurling its dark wings and carrying readers into a tale of fate, defiance, and the shadows that bind us. This release marks not only the beginning of Koen’s struggle against the unseen hands of destiny, but also the opening of the Raven’s Nest itself—an…
Koen’s release is amost here!
This is my last post before Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest releases on October 1. It’s hard to describe what this moment feels like, standing on this edge. Terror, exhilaration, sadness, joy, relief—it’s all there, tangled together. Will this book succeed or fail? I have a lot riding on it. It’s my first traditionally…
Koen and the Circle of Eight
The impetus for the journey in Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest is that the prince must cement peace between his father, the emperor, and the Circle of Eight of the Northlands. But who are these warlords, and why didn’t the emperor simply impose his will as he did across all of Lucardia? In the…
Interview with Grendel Press!
Every story begins with a spark. For me, it was a forgotten name in a 13th-century chronicle—Lucardis—an obscure figure accused of heresy and erased from history. That mystery became the seed for Lucardia, the dark, myth-steeped world at the heart of my writing. Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Grendel Press to…
October 1 approaches: a three year journey
October 1 is coming, and with it the release of Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest. I’ve been sitting with this story for almost three years now, and to finally be able to share it feels surreal. It isn’t “just another book” for me—it’s a piece of my life, a rollercoaster, a soul that’s been…
Koen arises!
The journey began on January 27, 2023. As I worked through the first three books of the Absolution of the Morning Star (AMS) series, I felt compelled to explore the three-year disappearance of Prince Koen the Gray, the father of Erikson Gray, the protagonist of the AMS series. I finished the first draft on August…
Sylvanus makes his entrance
The in-laws are back safe in China, and the house feels quiet again as my wife and I adjust to their absence. They didn’t stay quite as long as last year, but two and a half months is still a long time to share a life so closely. Saying goodbye is always bittersweet. On the…
Preorder Now Available: Duke Rhime of the Spire
After a long journey through drafts, submissions, and soul-searching, I’m thrilled to announce that Duke Rhime of the Spire is now available for preorder, a Lucardian chronicle of power, sorcery, and sacrifice. This book marks a journey back to the early, darker days of Lucardia, set 310 years before the events of the Absolution of…
Mapping Lucardia: Three Eras, One Fractured Realm
As Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest slowly but surely inches toward publication, Grendel Press requested a map. The fantasy world loves maps, so this was no easy ask. I have many versions of a Lucardia map; the one I sent to Grendell is specifically for Koen, but Lucardia has undergone many changes over the…
The Silence Between Pages: On Loneliness in My Books
I’ve always been comfortable being alone. Not in a performative, monk-on-a-mountain sort of way—but in the quiet, backyard-on-a-summer-evening kind of way. I’m an introvert by nature. Growing up, there were stretches when there were other kids in the neighborhood and stretches when there weren’t. During the quiet times, I turned inward. I imagined stories, built…
Defining my world
Recently, I undertook a major project for my website. I’ve always wanted to produce a glossary for my Lucardian world, primarily for my readers but also for myself. Currently, I have completed eight books set in Lucardia (five published and three yet to be published). On top of that, I have about 25-30 other projects…
How Ruins Shape My Imagination
A few weeks ago, standing amid the remains of the Herculaneum in Naples, I was reminded why ruins have such a hold on my imagination. A decade ago, I visited Pompeii — vast, sprawling, monumental in its decay. Pompeii overwhelms with its scale, but it also distracts with its size. The Herculaneum, smaller and more…
I Don’t Write Heroes—And Here’s Why
I didn’t set out to avoid heroes. But every time I tried to create one—the kind who stands tall, speaks clearly, and always knows right from wrong—I felt like I was lying. The stories I needed to tell weren’t about saviors. They were about survivors. About what happens after the battle, after the prophecy, after…
What Naples Gave Me (Besides Jet Lag and Limoncello)
I know it has been some time since my last post, but I just returned from a much-needed two-week vacation in Naples, Italy. I had planned to schedule some posts before I left, but I simply ran out of time. A week before our departure, I received the line edits and feedback from the editor…
Before the Lightbearer: Why I Had to Write Koen
Now that Koen: Quills of the Raven’s Nest is back from the editor and getting all patched up (we’re almost there), I’ve fallen back in love with the book. I wasn’t supposed to write Koen. Not yet, anyway. When I began charting the course of the Absolution of the Morning Star series (AMS), I had…
One Step Closer: Koen is Home from the Editor
The line edits are in. After months of waiting, wondering, and second-guessing, Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest has come back to me from my savior with a red pen, the editor at Grendel Press, who heroically battled the creeping typo and the terrorizing grammatical error. This isn’t my first round of feedback, which came…
Five Years Later: A Thank You, A Reflection, and a Celebration
Five years ago, I hit “publish” on a story I wasn’t sure anyone would read. It was called the Island of Stone, a quiet horror tale set deep in the woods where shadows whisper and the past never really dies. It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t come with a marketing team or a big budget. It…
Doldroms
Just a quick update this weekend. I’ve finished editing Duke Rhime of the Spire and started querying. I am taking a slow and systematic approach there. There is no particular rush. It is a good book with good market appeal. The Novice of Thanatos is available for preorder and will be released on March 7th.…
Happy Lunar New Year!
If you don’t know, this past Wednesday was the Lunar New Year, and my wife and I celebrated by eating hot pot. As usual, we ate way too much. It is not a meal conducive to portion control. We dressed in red from head to foot, cleaned, and did not leave the house- all Chinese…
My path forward for this year
I’ve finished the first draft of Duke Rhime of the Spire and begun editing (yay!). It is currently at 103k words. As I mentioned in my last post, I wrote this book very quickly during the holidays, which usually means it will need a heavy edit. I started that process two days ago, and I…
From Sathanas to Erikson: The Evolution of Lucardia
As the release of Destiny of the Daystar quickly approaches (book 4 of the Absolution of the Morning Star, January 7th) and I feverishly write Duke Rhime of the Spire, a book set hundreds of years before the AMS series, I find myself pondering the weight of Lucardia’s extensive history. Oh, stop the moans. I…
What It Means to Write a Legacy Project
As the release of Destiny of the Daystar, book 4 of my Absolution of the Morning Star series, approaches (January 7th!), I ponder why I’ve chosen the last five years and ~2,500 pages to tell Erikson Gray’s tale. Some stories aren’t just books—they’re pieces of your soul, fragments of something more extensive you’re compelled to…
2024, a year in review
Another year is coming to an end. It’s time to look back and see how far we’ve come (or not). I’m rounding up my fourth year on this self-publishing journey. It hasn’t been a rocket, more like an air balloon, but I’m hopeful that 2025 will be a good year in my writing world. First,…
