Twelve Years
Twelve years ago tonight, a little book called The Long Way Down came out and changed my life forever. Not overnight, nothing that dramatic…but I got there. It’s my anniversary and today I celebrated by getting up and going to work like every other day. Hey, it’s an important date for me, not necessarily an exciting one. I just finished a chapter so I figured this would be a great time to take a few minutes and go over the state of all the projects I’ve got cooking.
First up, Castaways! I’ve just been advised by my friends at Podium that the audiobook versions of Castaways and Firebreak have been added to the Audible Plus program, which is sort of like Kindle Unlimited for audio instead of e-books. So if you’re in the program, you’ve got ‘em! Susannah Jones is preparing to record book three, Rats, and that shouldn’t be too much longer. There are two books left in the series, and I’ll be getting to them later this year for a big finish. I have been asked to tell you that Riva will be back in book four because she is perfect and everyone loves her. No, she’s not standing behind me right now. No, she doesn’t have a knife. I am typing this of my own free will and am not under any duress whatsoever. blink. blink. But before that…
“Where’s Faust?” I keep getting asked. I kept you waiting, I know, and I’m sorry for that. A bunch of deadlines hit my desk and something had to get pushed back because I haven’t figured out how to add more hours to the day. Yet. The good news is, the wait is almost over. I’m deep in the final act and, if my estimates and the deadline hold, I should be finished with the new Faust adventure, Triple World Score, by the end of next week. Now, of course, that’s just the start of the process. It still has to go through my editor and cover designer, both of whom have pretty hefty workloads and good work takes a while, so don’t expect this thing to shadow-drop over the weekend. But it is coming, and it is (hopefully) fun.
And of course, I have to talk a little about Catch and Kill, the first novel in the new Neon Meridian series, coming your way from Aethon Books. It drops on May 19 and Susannah’s already recorded the audiobook version, so expect it in all formats on release day (I know, I never get those timed right, so this is a treat.) We don’t have a release date for book two yet, but I can tell you that it’s completely written and edited, so if you like book one you won’t be waiting too long for the sequel (or for book three, which I’ll be jumping back into just as soon as I finish the new Faust.) I’m incredibly excited for you to meet Emily Yeats and her crew of found-family misfits, and they’re eager to rob you. Don’t worry, they’re professionals.
On that note, I’ll be celebrating the launch by hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the r/fantasy subreddit on May 21. I’ll post a reminder as we get closer to the date, but essentially you can — as per the label — ask me anything. If you ask for spoilers for upcoming books, I reserve the right to lie entertainingly.
What else can I say, but thank you? It’s been a hell of a ride so far. The world is different than it was twelve years ago. Harder, in places. More dangerous. And writing…woof. This business has always been a breeding ground for scammers and leeches chasing a get-rich-quick high, but it’s never been worse thanks to AI getting involved in the mix. (Ask your favorite writer how many chatGPT-written scam emails they get DAILY now. I’m averaging five.) But, ya know what? Zero complaints, at the end of the day. This is the most challenging job I’ve ever had, the hardest I’ve ever loved, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. It’s going to be a busy, busy year and I’m going to keep that pace for as long as I can, and keep entertaining you until I die at the keyboard.
(And I mean, I’m not OLD-old. Long as I eat right and exercise, odds are that I’ll get another twenty years or more out of this meat-sack I ride around in. That’s a lot of books. Thanks for another year, everybody: here’s to an even better one to come.)
