T.J. Swift's Blog
May 25, 2025
Why I Had to Write Jace's Prequel: The Story Behind Helix Protocol
It started with a Goodreads review that hit me right between the eyes. Heather from PA wrote:
"Jace simply walked into a bar and picked up Lila and the two hooked up. I would have appreciated a bit more."
Fair. Totally fair.
When I wrote Midnight Burn, I knew the opening was a risk—Jace meets Lila, sparks fly, things move fast. But I was focused on the story after they met. What I didn’t realize was that I skipped over the most important part: why Jace was even capable of letting someone in.
This is a guy who’s been alone for years. Tactical. Guarded. Zero margin for emotional error.
So why does he suddenly drop his walls?
Turns out, that answer wasn’t in Book 1.
It was in the 47 hours leading up to it.
Helix Protocol tells the story of Jace’s final solo op—taking down a pharma giant with blood on its balance sheet. The mission goes flawlessly. Bad guys fall. Truth gets out.
And then Jace sits alone in his car, watching the news, and realizes something:
Winning doesn’t mean anything if there’s no one to share it with.
That’s the moment everything changes. That’s the moment he decides to stop being alone.
Helix Protocol doesn’t rewrite what happens in Midnight Burn. It just answers the question Heather asked:
Why was Jace ready to let someone like Lila in?
I’m releasing the novella for free next month as an ebook—because this story belongs to everyone who’s been following Jace’s journey and wanted to see where it really started.
And Heather from PA?
This one’s for you.
"Jace simply walked into a bar and picked up Lila and the two hooked up. I would have appreciated a bit more."
Fair. Totally fair.
When I wrote Midnight Burn, I knew the opening was a risk—Jace meets Lila, sparks fly, things move fast. But I was focused on the story after they met. What I didn’t realize was that I skipped over the most important part: why Jace was even capable of letting someone in.
This is a guy who’s been alone for years. Tactical. Guarded. Zero margin for emotional error.
So why does he suddenly drop his walls?
Turns out, that answer wasn’t in Book 1.
It was in the 47 hours leading up to it.
Helix Protocol tells the story of Jace’s final solo op—taking down a pharma giant with blood on its balance sheet. The mission goes flawlessly. Bad guys fall. Truth gets out.
And then Jace sits alone in his car, watching the news, and realizes something:
Winning doesn’t mean anything if there’s no one to share it with.
That’s the moment everything changes. That’s the moment he decides to stop being alone.
Helix Protocol doesn’t rewrite what happens in Midnight Burn. It just answers the question Heather asked:
Why was Jace ready to let someone like Lila in?
I’m releasing the novella for free next month as an ebook—because this story belongs to everyone who’s been following Jace’s journey and wanted to see where it really started.
And Heather from PA?
This one’s for you.
May 15, 2025
Why Don’t Readers Leave Reviews? (Asking for a Friend… Okay, It’s Me)
I’ve been thinking about something lately. Or maybe agonizing is a better word.
Why don’t more readers leave reviews?
Midnight Burn has been out in the wild for a bit now. I’ve sold dozens of copies. I’ve seen the numbers. I know someone out there is reading it. And yet—I haven’t heard much. A whisper here, a private message there. But mostly? Silence.
So I’ll ask what every indie author is dying to know:
What drew you to Midnight Burn?
Was it the near-cyberpunk vibes? The neon-lit noir streets and the ghost-code AI hiding in the dark? Maybe the slow-burn romance between a broken man with a past and a woman who doesn’t trust easily? Or maybe it was the action—the car chases, the tense standoffs, the dirty rooms where secrets die?
More importantly:
What did you like?
What didn’t land for you?
I wrote this story with everything in me. The imagery, the tension, the way the rain hits the Barracuda’s hood in the alley scene—those aren’t just words. That’s the movie in my head. And I write because I want to share that with you. I want it to come alive in your imagination too.
But here’s the hard truth:
Writing is loud. Publishing is loud.
And silence from readers?
It echoes.
So if you read the book—if you even read part of it—please consider leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be long. Just a few lines to let me know what connected. Or what didn’t. That feedback? It’s fuel. It’s a flashlight in the dark.
Let me into your head the way I tried to let you into mine.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for riding shotgun with Jace and Lila.
—TJ
Why don’t more readers leave reviews?
Midnight Burn has been out in the wild for a bit now. I’ve sold dozens of copies. I’ve seen the numbers. I know someone out there is reading it. And yet—I haven’t heard much. A whisper here, a private message there. But mostly? Silence.
So I’ll ask what every indie author is dying to know:
What drew you to Midnight Burn?
Was it the near-cyberpunk vibes? The neon-lit noir streets and the ghost-code AI hiding in the dark? Maybe the slow-burn romance between a broken man with a past and a woman who doesn’t trust easily? Or maybe it was the action—the car chases, the tense standoffs, the dirty rooms where secrets die?
More importantly:
What did you like?
What didn’t land for you?
I wrote this story with everything in me. The imagery, the tension, the way the rain hits the Barracuda’s hood in the alley scene—those aren’t just words. That’s the movie in my head. And I write because I want to share that with you. I want it to come alive in your imagination too.
But here’s the hard truth:
Writing is loud. Publishing is loud.
And silence from readers?
It echoes.
So if you read the book—if you even read part of it—please consider leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be long. Just a few lines to let me know what connected. Or what didn’t. That feedback? It’s fuel. It’s a flashlight in the dark.
Let me into your head the way I tried to let you into mine.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for riding shotgun with Jace and Lila.
—TJ
May 13, 2025
Writing Signal Lost While Watching Midnight Burn Catch Fire
here’s something surreal about writing the next chapter of a story while readers are just discovering the first. Midnight Burn has officially launched, and I’ve been watching from the shadows. Seeing new people buying my book, Kindle readers flying through pages. Fielding your theories. Smiling at every comment about the Barracuda, Sage, or that first spark between Jace and Lila.
Meanwhile, the work doesn’t stop.
Book Two, Signal Lost, is well underway. The stakes are higher. The lines are blurrier. And the truth is buried deeper than ever. Without spoiling too much, this installment digs into the ghosts beneath the surface—grief, betrayal, and the kind of trust that can either save you or get you killed. It’s darker. More intimate. And it answers some of the burning questions left behind in Book One.
(Yes, we’ll learn more about Spectra. And yes, Sage is still very much evolving. Just don’t ask if that’s a good thing.)
There’s a unique tension in working on a sequel while your debut is still fresh in readers' hands. I’m walking a line between honoring what you connected with and daring to push deeper. Every chapter I write is a continuation and a risk. But that’s the thrill of this series.
The world of Spectra Code was never meant to be safe.
So thank you for coming along for the ride. For every download, every review, every whispered “what the hell happens next?”—you’re fueling the fire behind the scenes.
Signal Lost is coming. Stay sharp.
-T.J. Swift
Meanwhile, the work doesn’t stop.
Book Two, Signal Lost, is well underway. The stakes are higher. The lines are blurrier. And the truth is buried deeper than ever. Without spoiling too much, this installment digs into the ghosts beneath the surface—grief, betrayal, and the kind of trust that can either save you or get you killed. It’s darker. More intimate. And it answers some of the burning questions left behind in Book One.
(Yes, we’ll learn more about Spectra. And yes, Sage is still very much evolving. Just don’t ask if that’s a good thing.)
There’s a unique tension in working on a sequel while your debut is still fresh in readers' hands. I’m walking a line between honoring what you connected with and daring to push deeper. Every chapter I write is a continuation and a risk. But that’s the thrill of this series.
The world of Spectra Code was never meant to be safe.
So thank you for coming along for the ride. For every download, every review, every whispered “what the hell happens next?”—you’re fueling the fire behind the scenes.
Signal Lost is coming. Stay sharp.
-T.J. Swift
May 9, 2025
From Ashes to Afterburn: Releasing Midnight Run
There’s a graveyard of stories on my hard drive—half-burned beginnings, false starts, and unfinished thoughts that never made it past chapter three. Each one whispered for a while, then went quiet. But Midnight Run? This one screamed.
For years, I circled the idea. I had flashes—characters, dialogue, a stolen moment under neon light. But nothing stuck. Nothing held fire. Until this.
Jace Mercer arrived like a thunderclap. Lila Voss like a spark to gasoline. Their story wasn’t polite. It didn’t ask permission. It pulled me under and wouldn’t let go until I finished it. And even then, it didn't feel finished. It felt lit.
What began as a late-night experiment became an obsession—an off-grid fixer and a courier with nothing left to lose, both caught in the fallout of secrets too big to stay buried. And somewhere between the chrome of the Barracuda and the ghost in the wires named Sage, I found the rhythm I’d been chasing.
This wasn’t just a story. It was a confession. A chase. A reckoning.
It took longer than I expected. I got in my own way more times than I care to admit. But once it ignited—once I really saw who these characters were—I couldn't stop. Not until it was done. Not until every ounce of grit, heat, and heartbreak was on the page.
So here it is.
Midnight Run is out in the world. A cyber-noir thriller of shadows and sparks. Of trust, betrayal, and what it means to love something dangerous.
Thanks for being here. For reading. For lighting the match with me.
—T.J. Swift
For years, I circled the idea. I had flashes—characters, dialogue, a stolen moment under neon light. But nothing stuck. Nothing held fire. Until this.
Jace Mercer arrived like a thunderclap. Lila Voss like a spark to gasoline. Their story wasn’t polite. It didn’t ask permission. It pulled me under and wouldn’t let go until I finished it. And even then, it didn't feel finished. It felt lit.
What began as a late-night experiment became an obsession—an off-grid fixer and a courier with nothing left to lose, both caught in the fallout of secrets too big to stay buried. And somewhere between the chrome of the Barracuda and the ghost in the wires named Sage, I found the rhythm I’d been chasing.
This wasn’t just a story. It was a confession. A chase. A reckoning.
It took longer than I expected. I got in my own way more times than I care to admit. But once it ignited—once I really saw who these characters were—I couldn't stop. Not until it was done. Not until every ounce of grit, heat, and heartbreak was on the page.
So here it is.
Midnight Run is out in the world. A cyber-noir thriller of shadows and sparks. Of trust, betrayal, and what it means to love something dangerous.
Thanks for being here. For reading. For lighting the match with me.
—T.J. Swift
