Book Two Title Tease
Can you guess the book’s title? This week brought some exciting emails my way. Which means that soon — very soon!— I’ll be able to share the title of Book Two in my Hades series. Follow me on Instagram (@achobbsauthor) to catch the news first.
The first book, SCYTHE AND PEN, is out now! A vampire prince strikes a deal with a notorious gangster to stop a monster stalking their city. The unlikely allies uncover a plot that threatens to pitch not just their sinister city, but the entire world into war.
Bringing these books to shelves was a labor of love that has lasted years. In our Post-COVID world, publishers and agents were simply uninterested in a gritty dark fantasy packed full of political intrigue and vicious underlords. But I refused to give up on these characters and have loved working with Counterpoise Press, a small traditional publishing house spearheaded by bestselling indie author Hannah Parker.
The moral of the story? Keep persuing your dreams. Sometimes the stubborn refusal to give up results in unexpected open doors.
This week, I also comissioned a map of the Capital, the setting of my gritty vampire thriller. The talented Annika Crum designed this beautiful Art Deco map of the government seat of the United League of Nations.
I loved working with Annika. Not only were her prices affordable, but she was incredibly kind, agreeable, and accomodating. I highly recommend her for any trad or indie authors in the market for a map.
Can you guess which real city served as the inspiration for the Capital?In other news…
Local friends, come see me at Barnes and Noble (Woodruff Rd, Greenville SC) on June 28th! I will be there from 11am to 2pm, signing and selling copies of my debut dark fantasy thriller SCYTHE AND PEN.
I LOVE meeting local readers and writers. So if you see me there, please do not hesitate to say hello. If you already own a copy of my book, bring it by to get it signed!
This will likely be my last local book event of the summer, although I do have plans for regional events this fall.
Let’s Wrap This Up: What are you currently writing?
I am still working on my pirate WIP tentatively titled THE DREAD. It is so close — I’m talking a few thousand words — to being complete draft. Once I finish drafting, I will print the manuscript and dive into major edits. I know I have some plot holes and pacing issues to fix, but in all honesty… I think THE DREAD is my best story to date. Is that conceited to say? I hope not. Honestly,
What are you currently reading?
If you follow me on Instagram and TikTok (which you should! I’m fun and funny, so they claim!) … you know I’ve become mildly obsessed with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Yes, the blue guy from Star Wars. I don’t know. All I can say is that in two weeks I’ve blown through six books, bought a Funko pop, and bought a tshirt. I don’t know. This is a no judgment zone. But I will tell you, Timothy Zahn, the prolific author who invented the iconic character, has me rooting for the Empire.
Author Spotlight:My author friend Moriah Chavis announced a surprise novella! With two young adult novels and a genderbent Beauty and the Beast retelling under her belt, Chavis decided to dip her toes into self-publishing with a novella about mermaids.
I’ve read two of Moriah’s stories and am super excited for this novella, releasing Augsut 11, 2025.
How fun and romantic does this blurb sound?
The mermaid queen is dying, and Kiera’s in line for the crown.
When Kiera left her life in Marmor, the underground mermaid queendom located in the Bermuda Triangle, she traded her tail for legs. Now, engaged to the man of her dreams, the sea calls with news that threatens to the turn the tide.
Kiera doesn’t want to give up the life she’s created for herself, but her mother’s illness draws her back to the sea of grief and the world she left behind. She’s forced to decide which is stronger: her inheritance in the sea or her new life on land.
Preorder SEA OF SORROW, which releases August 11, 2025.That’s all, folks. Stay tuned for more bookish news soon!
