Eric Thomson's Blog, page 3

Change is Good

I had 40% of Imperial Dawn written when I encountered a blockage two weeks ago, a serious one that prevented me from continuing with the book as it was going. After a lot of reflection, I decided it would be best if I turned my attention to the next one on the list, the ninth and final Siobhan Dunmoore adventure, while I let my subconscious figure out Imperial Dawn. I may have to start over from the beginning because it simply wasn’t headed in the right direction.

I’ve now written 15% of the so-far untitled ninth Dunmoore story and it’s going well because I’ve known for years how it ends. But it probably won’t be out until early February of next year at the earliest. Sorry.

In the meantime, I get to stare out the window at the gray skies, falling leaves and increasingly cold weather as autumn gets a grip on my part of the Great White North.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Cayman Islands Diving

Earlier this month, we spent a week on Little Cayman Island, arguably one of the best scuba diving spots in the western hemisphere. I put together a short video of footage I took with my GoPro underwater. I hope you’ll enjoy watching it.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Time Flows

As the Alan Parsons Project song says, “time keeps flowing like a river” and it’s the latter part of August already. Where has the summer gone? Sure, there’s still a month left by the calendar, but the weather is getting distinctly autumnal some days around here. Last night, as I was settling down to read on the back deck, I had to put on a light sweater, which is generally unheard of in August.

Progress on Imperial Dawn has been slow but steady. I’m about one-third done. At this rate, we’re looking for a late fall publication date. But there are a lot of moving parts in this installment of Ashes of Empire and the complexity keeps me from speeding up the writing. I still think it’ll be the last one in the series, yet I might be wrong. It all depends on how Imperial Dawn progresses. In other news, the audiobook version of Black Sword (Decker’s War Book 5) is being published as I write this and work has started on the audiobook version of the sixth Decker’s War novel, No Remorse. And I’m thinking about a new series set perhaps two hundred years or so after Ashes of Empire, about a roguish agent who gets into all sorts of adventures as he pursues the enemies of the state across worlds that are still recovering from the fall of the First Empire.

And that’s all the news I have on this fine Saturday. Stay safe and healthy fellow humans.

July is the Merriest Month

I just realized it’s been a month since I last posted something. I guess the onset of summer has also triggered a certain amount of laziness. First, the news. When the Guns Roar (Siobhan Dunmoore #6) and A Dark and Dirty War (Siobhan Dunmoore #7) are both out in audiobook. The latter isn’t out on Audible or Amazon yet as of writing this, but it’s only a matter of days. You can find them via the following links:

https://books2read.com/whengunsroar?format=audiobook

https://books2read.com/darkdirtywar?format=audiobook

Our narrator is currently finishing On Stormy Seas (Siobhan Dunmoore #8) so look for it later this month or early next month.

As far as writing the next great novel goes, it’s been slow. I’m struggling a bit with Imperial Dawn, but nothing to worry about. Summer is keeping me from working on it, especially since July is my favorite month. It’s been nice and warm so far, but not too hot. We’ve received a regular amount of rain, so the garden is flourishing and I’m enjoying sitting outside with a book most days, taking advantage of the fact that I can do so easily until late in the evening. And no, I’m not reading science fiction. These days, it’s The Carlisle and Holbrooke Naval Adventures which are set during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) two-hundred and forty years in the past rather than seventeen-hundred years in the future. If you enjoy age of sail novels, give the series a try. I highly recommend it.

And that’s it!

Stay safe and healthy fellow humans.

It’s Out!

The latest Constabulary Casefile, A Peril So Dire, is out. Get it here:

https://books2read.com/aperilsodire

If your favorite retailer doesn’t have it yet, check again later. Some take longer than others to publish.

And now back to writing Ashes of Empire: Imperial Dawn.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

More Audiobook News!

Without Mercy (Siobhan Dunmoore Book 5) is now out in audio format. As of writing this, it’s available pretty much everywhere except Amazon and Audible, which usually take 2-3 times as long to publish audiobooks as the rest of the retailers. Get it here:

https://books2read.com/withoutmercy?format=audiobook

If you get your audiobooks via Amazon or Audible, check regularly. It’ll eventually show up there as well.

In other news, my editor has been busily working on A Peril So Dire, the fourth Constabulary Casefiles adventure. And we’ve officially entered summer in our part of the Great White North.  We were off diving the St. Lawrence River last Thursday, did a short nature hike today and will do a longer hike in the Gatineau Park tomorrow.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Another One Done

I finished writing A Peril So Dire (Constabulary Casefiles #4) last night — yes, it now has a title — and have already begun the revision process. At this rate, it should be out in mid to late June. And then it’s on to the final installment in the Ashes of Empire series, Imperial Dawn.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Audiobook News

First the audiobook version of Howling Stars (Decker’s War Book 4) has been out for a bit, but it’s not yet on Amazon or Audible. They usually take a lot longer than other retailers.

https://books2read.com/HowlingStars?format=audiobook

Second the audiobook version of Victory’s Bright Dawn (Siobhan Dunmoore Book 4) is being published as I write this. Our amazing narrator, Stephen Floyd, completed it in record time, and he’ll start on Without Mercy (Siobhan Dunmoore Book 5) soon. It’ll take a week or three before Victory’s Bright Dawn makes it to all retailers, so be sure to check regularly.

https://books2read.com/VictorysBrightDawn?format=audiobook

In the meantime, Spring is truly here in our part of the Great White North, with temperatures well above freezing and the snow mostly gone. I’m still working away on the fourth Constabulary Casefiles (which still doesn’t have a title) and I’m about 70% done.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Dunmoore #4 in audiobook is a go!

I’m pleased to announce that we’ve signed a contract to have Victory’s Bright Dawn (Siobhan Dunmoore Book 4) produced in audio, narrated by Stephen Floyd. It’s the first of the Dunmoores we’re producing ourselves — Dunmoore 1-3 were produced by Tantor Media — and you can rest assured that the remainder of the Dunmoore books will come out in audio as well as we go forward. When will it appear? In roughly three months from now, so mid-June.

Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Spring is Almost Sprung

The weather in our part of the Great White North is looking up these days. The sun is higher in the sky and feels so good on one’s face, the snow is slowly melting and daytime temperatures are now almost consistently hovering a degree or two above freezing. All in all, it looks like winter’s back is almost broken. But this being Canada, we can still get a snowstorm or two before it truly ends. Still, the trend is towards warmer days and that’s what counts.

In other news, I’m fast approaching the halfway mark on the fourth Constabulary Casefiles adventure, which sees Caelin Morrow go up against her most perilous adversary to date. It still doesn’t have  a title, strangely enough, let alone a cover design, yet those will come to me eventually.

And that’s about it. Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.