Big Fat News Update!

Miss me?

I've largely been absent from social media for the last six months, by design.  Why?  Partially to cultivate a reputation for being mysterious and enigmatic (what writer doesn't enjoy that?) and partially because I've been busy.  Real busy.  Though I've technically "taken a year off", that largely involves publishing, not productivity.  Indeed, though I haven't released anything new in about a year, I've actually been putting in more time on Spellmonger-related stuff.  Pray attend:

First, my big announcement: I have reached an agreement-in-principal with Battlefield Press to license the Spellmonger Series for development as a FRP property.  This will likely encompass at least three (3) sourcebooks with accompanying campaigns covering various facets of gameplay on Callidore.  In addition, Battlefield Press has also agreed to publish the Atlas of the Five Duchies.   Battlefield is perhaps best known for adapting Eric Flynt's crosstime 1632 series for game play, but Jonathan Thompson has authored and published a number of other popular FRP materials, and I'm excited to be working with him and his team to turn Spellmonger into a well-conceived and extremely playable game universe.  While we don't have release dates yet, news will be forthcoming about that sort of thing as it evolves.  This has been a pet project of mine since the beginning, and I want to especially thank Sir Aaron of Schwartz for his hard work and support in the effort.

Speaking of Sir Aaron, if you haven't investigated his semi-official fan site over at Discord, I encourage you to do so.  While still in the nascent stages, Aaron has done incredible work in the set-up and administration of the site.  That is where I will likely be posting additional news, tidbits of lore, and even stories, and I'll occasionally pop by to see what has been posted.  I've uploaded several maps over there, too, so it you're looking for that sort of thing (as well as fan art -- I LOVE fan-art!) and speculative discussion about what the future holds for the Spellmonger universe.  Stop by and add your own thoughts and such.

More news:

While my abbreviated con schedule this summer only saw me at a few regional conventions, they were, nevertheless, quite productive.  As much as I would like to see a FRP adaptation of the Spellmonger Series, for a number of reasons I also want to see its development into graphic form.  To this end I've retained the services of a few artists to help develop the visual conception of the series.  Like, what do gurvani look like, and how are the different from Tolkienesque goblins?  Similar thing for Alka Alon, Tal Alon, Karshak, etc.

We won't even get into the Sea Folk and the Formless.  Baby steps . . .

I've also begun talks with an Undisclosed Comic Book Company to do a six-issue adaptation of the Spellmonger novel.  Details will remain mysterious and murky for now (we take our meetings in remote graveyards at midnight) but I'm very hopeful we can get something committed to paper and in production, hopefully for a 2020 release.

("But Terry!  We can't wait that long for new stuff!  We want new stuff NOW!")

Well, of course you do.  And why shouldn't you?

First, for the audiophiles among you, it appears that Podium will be releasing Enchanter sometime in January, and likely have Court Wizard out around March.  John Lee, after spitting out so many of my abysmally long works, took a short vacation (Briga knows he needed it), but production is back on.  Sales continue to be brisk.  Podium continues to be a stellar publisher, turning out impeccably high-quality work.  Tell your friends.

(For those of you unaware, Enchanter marks the first of a three-book section of the series, and it goes dark.  Court Wizard is told from Pentandra's perspective, more or less concurrently with Enchanter, and Shadowmage is told from Rondal and Tyndal's perspective, also more or less concurrently).

Want more new stuff?  Of course you do.

I just got back Sky Rider from the editor this week, and will begin the final re-write tomorrow.  I'm planning to have it up by December 1st, only eight months later than I planned.  It will conclude the Dara trilogy of YA novels (her next one will be more adult) and the next Cadet novel will have a male protagonist.  More than that, I shall not say at this time.  But look for the Kindle version of Sky Rider on or about December 1.

And now, for the question everyone wants to know . . . when will the next series book be out?

Actually, sooner than I expected.

Thaumaturge is more than half-written, and seems to be flowing freely, now that I've figured out what it is.  For some of you it will be disappointing: not a lot of action, not nearly as much as Necromancer.  Sorry, it's just not that kind of book.  It can't be.

Thaumaturge has to set up the arc for the next ten books, and as a result is going to have a hellish amount of exposition and world-building.  Think Magelord 2.0, in terms of story, so if you liked that book you'll like this one.  Book 12 will be far more action-packed, I promise.  But I have to lay the ground-work for several novels in this one, so bear with me if you're a action fan.  If you're a world-building fan, this will be a feast.

Main characters will include Mavone and Sandoval, a lot of Min, Alya, Astyral, Gareth, Carmella, Nattia, a little bit of Ithalia, and cameos from many other familiar characters.  We will see some new faces, too: in particular, Min's new lawyer, Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser, who plays a prominent role.

We'll also see the rise of three ugly Nemovorti in the northlands whose job it is to kill or capture Min at any cost.  Dradrien smiths forging magical weapons.  Road-building, market economics and lawmaking as devout religious expressions.  An exploration of Gilmoran marriage customs.  And the attempted thaumaturgical deconstruction of the snowstone spell. All in a frontier town on the edge of a war zone.

Yeah, there's more to it than that.  Promise.

Finally, I'm planning on reading excerpts of Sky Rider at Gallery 71 on November 24th as part of Hillsborough, NC's celebration of literacy and books.  More details as they become available.

More soon.  But that should give you something to chew on.