Deadly Games Update and News on Upcoming Projects

Hi, everyone (and Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S.).

Today I'd like to take a moment to thank you guys for your support on Deadly Games, the third Emperor's Edge book. It's the first book I've "launched" from the road, and I was a little stressed, trying to get everything together that last week, especially since I was staying in a hostel and didn't have anywhere to go for privacy. We won't go into the slow internet…

Fortunately, everything seems to have come together satisfactorily. The response, so far, has been great, and I'm glad so many of you enjoyed the book (some of you even read it the day it came out, wow!).

I appreciate the reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and I've been touched by how many people have written or messaged me on Twitter to say they're enjoying the series. And also to ask when the next one is coming out (slave drivers, hah!).

Thank you, too, if you've mentioned my books to friends on Twitter or Facebook, or in email, or even face-to-face (I've heard people still talk that way sometimes). Authors can do their best to market and be "out there," but, in the end, you guys have all the power when it comes to taking an author from a nobody to someone who gets to write for a living (and continue putting out books for years, even decades, to come).

For those who are curious about numbers, Deadly Games sold 500-odd copies in the first week and a half, which is enough to cover the costs of cover art design, editing, and formatting (those costs added up to about $1,300 total — yes, there are some costs associated with being an indie author, but, as you can see, you make enough per book that you don't have to be a bestseller to break even, and everything after that buys the hot dogs and Ramen noodles to keep you going while you write the next adventure. ).

And for the next book…

As I mentioned, some folks have already asked about Book 4. I've been working on the next Flash Gold story this month, but I finished the rough draft to that last night and put pen to paper (yes, a real pen and a real sheet of paper) to start working on the first scene in EE4 (no title yet). I'll be busy writing the rough draft over the next three months or so.

As for the next POV character (a popular question), I believe it's going to be Akstyr. I did have Maldynado in mind, but I left Akstyr in a bit of a bind (he was plotting against you-know-who, after all). Will he let that certain scheme die now that Basilard's no longer on board? Or will he start plotting something of his own? We shall see.

Next stories out?

Look for Flash Gold 3 in January or February (it's over 35,000 words, so it'll take me longer to edit than the previous novellas), and then I have an EE short story that I wrote a few weeks ago, so that'll probably pop up around the same time. It'll be free or 99 cents, or maybe both. Free on my site and 99 cents in the stores, perhaps? We'll see how much I have to spend on cover art.

I won't set a date yet for EE4, since I'm just getting started, but I am trying to publish those novels about six months apart, so that's the goal!

Again, thanks for reading, everyone.

Related Posts:

Deadly Games, The Emperor's Edge Book 3, Is out!
Excerpt from Deadly Games (Emperor's Edge 3)
Answering Questions on The Emperor's Edge Series