Kyle Belote's Blog, page 8

Free eBook GiveAway—May 1st!

Some secrets you take to the grave; others, you kill for.

Don’t forget to pick up your free copy of volume one on May 1st! The Bearer of Secrets kicks off the epic Dark Legacy Series!

Free Grimdark Fantasy eBook!

Don’t forget to pick up your free copy of the book that kicks off the series: The Bearer of Secrets, only on May 1st!

Back Jacket Blurb:

A young woman named Julie, crippled by amnesia and a unique past, is thrust into Warlock Lakayre’s life. Sinister forces hunt them both, and together they seek refuge in the distant settlement of Wizard’s Pass, but the journey is long and fraught with dangers.

Their path leads them through the Corridor of Cruelty, and Julie faces perils that shake her faith and fractures her sanity. Her greatest challenge lies on the other side: a great evil is rising from the ashes of defeat and has taken an interest in the new prodigy, hoping to twist her to his will. Perhaps she’s someone—or something—no one can control or predict.

The Bearer of Secrets—Free! Only May 1st!

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

In preparation for The Jackal of Shades, I’m having a free giveaway of the first book in the series. The grimdark fantasy series starts off with The Bearer of Secrets, and it’ll be free for one day only. Set your calendar for May 1st and pick up your copy.

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Volume IV: 3.1

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

Well, it’s time for the first update to Vol. IV. I’ve been able to make decent headway on the revisions so far, and almost on a daily basis. When I wrote this book, I overwrote, thinking bigger is better, and cutting down is proving a lot harder than I initially thought. I have lopped off large swaths between draft one and two, but between the second and the third is slower and less hacking.

As it stands, I’ve tackled sixteen of the fifty-seven chapters, so that’s sitting at around twenty-eight percent. For the epilogues, I’ve managed two out of nine, and that accounts for about twenty-two percent. Overall, the word count has been reduced from 319,000 to about 309,000. It’s not as much as I would like, but any bit helps. At this rate, if twenty-eight percent gives me a deduction of 10k, I hope to end up around the 280,000 mark. If more is cut, it’s a win in my book—no pun intended.

So, what does this mean? Will I make the 2027 deadline? I believe so, and there’s always the possibility that it could come early. With volumes IV and V already written, that means I need to shift focus and write VI, VII, VIII, and IX. Since vol. IV is the turning point in the series. The subsequent books might be shorter as storylines come to a close, one way or another. I may take the extra time to jump to six and start chopping away at the story. Who knows?

There’s also other works to consider, like the Maro Prakk collection, Warmaster, and anything else I might wedge in there. If I stopped all editing and just focused on writing, jumping from one project to the next, I could have a vast majority done within twelve months to a year and a half. But I would also suffer burnout and probably go on hiatus, and I don’t want to do that. We’ll see how it goes.

In other news, I piddled with the website and tinkered with the Facebook page, uploading new photos of the covers. I know both don’t get as much traction as I’d like, but I hope that will change soon. I am planning a giveaway for the first book in the series, so stay tuned for that.

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Vol. III: The Jackal of Shades Cover Reveal

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

At last, we get to the newest reveal in the forthcoming installment: the Jackal himself. When it comes to covers, I prefer simple over something chaotic. When I first envisioned what I’d like to do for the series, portraits and half in shadow, the Jackal was the first that came to mind. Being the first villain on a cover in the series, he strikes an intense eeriness. I knew his likeness would cause people to pause and consider.

When I found the artist, Ivan, over at https://www.bookcoversart.com, this was the first cover we designed together. The collaboration between us was more in-depth and focused than the two re-coverings, but someone like the Jackal warrants as much. With his wonderful touch and attention to detail, we were able to bring this sinister villain to life in a way I never thought I’d see. Because of how well he did—really blew me away—I knew I wanted Ivan to do all my covers from here on out. If you haven’t already, stop by his website, let’s get him some traffic, appreciation, and hopefully more authors ready to tackle their covers. Without further ado …

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Vol. II: Mark of the Profane Re-cover

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

The second of the re-covers is here! As before, I must shoutout the amazing artist, Ivan, and his incredible work bringing one of my beloved characters to life. It’s no easy feat to live up to the author’s imagination, and https://www.bookcoversart.com does it in spades. If you’re an author and wanting beautiful artwork, stop by and check out his portfolio! He deserves support, and let him have the opportunity to earn your patronage. 

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Vol. I: The Bearer of Secrets Re-cover

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

The first of the re-covers is finally here! It’s my joy and privilege to introduce you to the artwork of Ivan over at his website:  https://www.bookcoversart.com. Stop by and check out his work and leave a comment. Help out a fellow artist with some much-needed praise. 

The re-covering of volume II will be coming soon, and I can’t wait to share it with you. And then, the latest installment, volume III, The Jackal of Shades. 

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Volume IV: Draft 3 Underway.

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

Where to begin? Well, the cover for Volume III is complete, and I must say, I’m very impressed with it. In fact, this artist is re-covering Volumes I & II as we speak, and I will be unveiling those along with the cover for the latest installment. You’ll have to stay tuned for those. In addition, I’ve done some slight modifications to the blurb for The Bearer of Secrets. It’s more streamlined now. There’s a theme with the covers that’s carrying over, and I’m really excited to bring those to you. 

As stated in a previous post, I have two sequels to the Maro Prakk novella already written, the third was finished within the last two weeks. The second book has had two drafts, and it’s going to collect some digital dust for the moment. I’ve got to step away from projects so I can come back with fresh eyes. Plus, when I get burned out on one project, I can pick up something else and break up the monotony. 

With Warmaster done, and with a potential 2026 release, where does that leave me? Volume IV. It’s had two drafts, and it’s a solid story, but it’s still a huge book. With two rounds whittling away at the word count, and excising a whole novella out of it, I’m still sitting at 319k words, down from 402k. So, I’ve officially started on the 3rd draft, and we’ve got to get to five before the editor. Since this book isn’t due until 2027, I won’t feel the urge to hurry through. I’m really hoping to whittle this monster down another 50k words, remove all fluff, and give you the juicy morsel underneath. I think going forward with the series, the rest of the books will be like that, a cut back of all the extra stuff. I know some people love the exposition of the world building, or character moments, but sometimes, it’s got to be sacrificed on the altar of precision. I do plan to cut out excessive scenes that don’t serve the plot in any specific way, like a conversation over dinner—unless important—and anything too gratuitous, but those elements will still be there. 

What’s after volume IV? Another draft of Red Creek’s sequel and Warmaster. I’ve got the next five years mapped out, so I’m going to have my hands full. Hopefully by the time 2027 or 2028 rolls around, I will have more mapped out and ready to start. Again, stay tuned for the re-covers of the series, it shouldn’t be too long now. 

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Updates and Cover Art

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

Well, this post is going to feel like a bombshell, at least to me. Let’s start with the smaller news and go from there. As noted in a previous post, the first draft to The Demon’s Fate sequel is finished. Right now, I’m eyeing a 2026 release. I’ll know more as I go through the revisions. 

The second update is for Red Creek, the first in a series of novellas centered around Maro Prakk. It’s on its final draft, and there’s an editor slot scheduled for October of this year. I’m excited to bring you this character. In related news, two sequels to Red Creek have been written, and are in various stages of completion. The next one is expected in 2025.

The last and biggest update is for volume III in my fantasy series: The Jackal of Shades. I’m working with a cover artist—I’ll link his website below—and I plan to re-cover the first two novels to bring them in line with the theme for the series. I haven’t started on the first or second volumes as the third is set for publication this year, and it must take precedence. We were very meticulous with the details of the cover. As the title of the book suggests, it’ll sport the villain of the story, the Jackal himself. 

For the artist, it’s sheer luck I found him, and I didn’t discover him on my own. A friend of mine, who I lamented to about finding a decent cover artist, found him and passed along the information. It was in the nick of time, too, as I almost placed a hesitant order with someone else. I’d like to give a shout out of this illustrator, Ivan, and his website. Swing by his site, check him out, and if you know any other indie authors who are struggling to find their artisan, he might be a good fit for them, too. You can find him here. For those who want to screen shot to give it to someone, his website is https://www.bookcoversart.com

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.

Warmaster 1.9

…And I’m back! This will be short, so let’s dive right in.

Well, it’s official. Warmaster, the sequel to The Demon’s Fate, has a complete, first draft. It took a bit longer than anticipated, but a few things came up in my personal life that I had to take care of. That said, I did give myself the deadline of by my birthday, and I beat it. In the meantime, I’m going to let it sit for a little while and turn my attention to other stories coming out this year. 

First, Red Creek. I’m almost done with the fourth draft, another two chapters or so, then I will be immediately heading into the fifth draft and reaching out to my editor to figure out a good time to put the finished product on his table. 

And, also, Volume III of my fantasy series is due out this year, but it needs a cover. I’ll be in the hunt for a new artist, so hopefully, I’ll find one that’s up to the challenge.

 

If you enjoyed this content and want to read my works, check out my books on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.