Lucardia

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(in relative chronological order, both written and planned)

The Creeping Cankers

In my world of Lucardia, not every horror announces itself with claws, teeth, or a sword drawn in the dark. Some horrors arrive slowly. They creep beneath the skin. They fester. They deform. They turn a human face into something others cannot bear to look upon. They take years to kill, and before death comes,…

The Ruins Beneath Belief

Governments, whether modern-day or fantastical, are all very good at pretending the past is dead. They build roads over old paths. They raise new temples on the bones of older shrines. They rename holy days, outlaw certain prayers, scrape symbols from door lintels, and teach children that whatever came before was foolishness at best and…

Sylvanus it is!

After much deliberation, I decided to proceed with Sylvanus: Sword and Sons. In the last week or so, I’ve written ~9,000 words, which is such a relief after a dry spell that caused me concern. I thank you all for your kind words, support, and input after the post before last. It helped greatly, not…

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…

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…

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…

Preview of The Monk of Thanatos

Well, I’m still sick and trying to catch up on my real job, so I will need to be lazy once again. I should have some time on Friday to write about my trip, but for today, it is another sample. Seeing that I am working on two books at once, I thought I should…

Preview of Sylvanus

I just got back from a two-week vacation to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary. I will share more about that trip and how it helped recharge my writing batteries soon. It was a great trip with many adventures, but I am sick as a dog and jet-lagged right now, so I am being a little…

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…

Playing with Schrödinger’s cat

There’s a strange pattern in my life: whenever I say something with absolute confidence, I end up being wrong. Not just once or twice — consistently enough that my wife has noticed too. It’s become a running joke between us. I’ll declare something as fact, and the universe seems to grin and say, Oh, really?…

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…

Duke Rhime’s 10 Laws for Holding Power

The Westerly Kingdom of Lucardia is fractured — a realm of loyalists, opportunists, and a tyrant king. Rhime Battenborne doesn’t wish to conquer the realm with fire and blood alone. He will do it by obeying laws inscribed into his very being. Here are ten quiet, brutal truths that define how Duke Rhime rules Eldenspire…

The Silken Cord: Lysena’s Oath to the Spire

I felt I should give the opening chapter of Duke Rhime of the Spire some extra context and lore, in case you are interested. In the depths of the winter of 674 CLE, when the snows came early and the passes closed before the last herds were brought down from the high country, the banners…

Writing Evaline

Duke Rhime of the Spire is struggling, and I’m not entirely sure why. None of my books explode off the shelves. I’ve always been more of a drip, trickle, stream kind of author — the kind who builds slowly, book by book, with readers who find me in the quiet corners. But this one doesn’t…

Duke Rhime of the Spire is here!

Today, Duke Rhime of the Spire is officially out in the world. I didn’t plan to write this novel. It wasn’t on my release calendar or part of some long-term roadmap. It began as a creative impulse—one that hit me hard during the holiday break when snow covered the ground, coffee flowed endlessly, and I…

The History of the Spire, Part VI

Welcome back to the final part of my six-part series detailing the history of Eldenspire and the family that called it home, the Battenbornes. Duke Rhime of the Spire is available for pre-order now and releases July 29th! Here is what we learned from Part V. Varion the Cunning (650–670). Duke Varion of Eldenspire ruled…

The History of the Spire, Part V

Welcome back to the six-part series detailing the history of Eldenspire and the family that called it home, the Battenbornes. Duke Rhime of the Spire is available for pre-order now and releases July 29th! Here is what we learned from Part IV: Sereth the Warborn and the Fire Beneath (580–650). In 632, Sereth Battenborne reawakened…

The History of the Spire, Part IV

Welcome back to the six-part series detailing the history of Eldenspire and the family that called it home, the Battenbornes. Duke Rhime of the Spire is available for pre-order now and releases July 29th! Here is what we learned from Part III: The Long Watch and the Darkening (300–580). During the Darkening, famine, plague, and…

The History of the Spire, Part III

Welcome back to the six-part series detailing the history of Eldenspire and the family that called it home, the Battenbornes. Duke Rhime of the Spire is available for pre-order now and releases July 29th! Here is what we learned from Part II: During the Age of Restoration (160–300), the Battenbornes rebuilt Eldenspire into a thriving…