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August 2022 No flowery garden crap this month. I’m on a deadline. It’s been raining a lot anyway, which means my garden is overgrown with weeds after most of the harvest came in, so screw it. I’ve canned squash, pickles, beets, pickles, tomato sauce, pickles, and harvested a gallon of blackberries. But I’m on deadline for Marshal Arcane. I have even secured an off-site writing studio in an undisclosed location to work literally every day of August to hit my deadline. No phones, no lights, no motorcars, not a single luxury except my laptop and basic supplies. Phone will be OFF. Internet will be OFF except for twice a day. I bring this up because I recently saw an interview between George R.R. Martin and Stephen King, and the subject of writing speed came up. It is of interest. GRRM asked SK how he wrote so much and then revealed that if he wrote three chapters in six months he considered it a productive period. Which explains quite a lot about how long it is taking to do Winds of Winter. Then SK explained how he writes about 4 hours a day (8 pages or so, which is about 4000 words, give or take), but he does it several times a week. He puts out a lot of books that way. Just so you know what a value you’re getting with Spellmonger, I frequently write 4000 words before breakfast, literally. A good day is 15,000 words, and if I push it, I can do 20k. The rest of my life falls apart, but when you’re on deadline, you’re on deadline. As of this writing, I’m on track to hit my deadline (YEA!) but only if I excise one unwieldy plot line and shove it into the next book. This has a few consequences: first, this book won’t be the 60-chapter monstrosity I originally planned, which means it will be a somewhat shorter book (BOO!). Still robust and well within my typical Spellmonger series, but shorter than I had originally planned. Secondly, this allows me to make this book more cohesive and focus on the main themes instead of diverting into another plotline two thirds of the way through and confusing the narrative. That’s an important consideration. Writing series fiction is a craft, as much as an art, and part of that craft is not writing a series like a long continuation of one story but ensuring that every installment is its own complete story within itself. Sure, you can visit particular plotlines that are stretching the length, but you want your reader to generally feel satisfied with what they’ve read even if you end on a cliffhanger. Which I do. Because that’s part of the craft of writing serial fiction, too. When you’ve plotted out 30 books plus extras, you need to keep things interesting, keep your readers engaged, and ensure a good reading experience—not just churn words out on a page. So I’m happy with this editorial choice, even if it means that I have to re-arrange future releases to encompass this plot/character arc now. That’s fine. The book is as long as the book needs to be to tell the story and shouldn’t be longer than it needs to be to tell the story. But you want release dates, not musings about the craft of writing. Here’s a few: I finished the final edits for Spellmonger Book 14.5: The Mad Mage of Sevendor just hours ahead of my deadline to submit it to Podium for pre-production. Release date for the audiobookand Kindle edition is 9/27/22. Preorder is here. John Lee will be doing the narration, of course. I eagerly anticipate listening to his masterful talent taking on Minalan’s chronicle of madness.

That said, there are a few things you need to know about the book. Firstly, remember that this is a NOVELLA (loosely defined as a work between 50k and 90k words). It is not a full novel, but it’s longer than a short story. Some of you might balk at blowing a whole Audible credit on it, and I understand that; in these difficult economic times you might want to be more cautious with your entertainment dollar. That’s your call, and I respect that. Secondly, this is a very different type of book—an experiment, of sorts. It’s told as an actual journal, which changes both the tone and the perspective of Minalan’s regular voice. It covers a lot of territory (without, I hope, spoiling too much of Marshal Arcane, with which it overlaps) and introduces a LOT of lore, as Minalan’s ancient memories influence his writing. This is going to bore the hell out of some of you, and for that, I apologize. This is going to excite the hell out of some of you, and for that, I am gratified.

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Shadowheist will be released in both audiobook and Kindle on 10/25/22! This is the second book of the Gatina trilogy (Spellmonger: Legacies and Secrets), which I co-wrote with my long-time editor Emily Burch Harris (SMOOCH! Luvya, Babe!), who did incredible work in pre-production process. We’re already preparing to start the third book, Shadowblade, for release sometime next year. I’m very excited about Shadowheist. The reactions from my beta readers have been extremely positive. At 130k words, it’s not as long as a normal Spellmonger novel, but it’s pretty hefty for a YA novel. And it was a lot of fun to write.

SPELLMONGER MERCHANDISE! You wanted merch, we’re getting you merch. Thanks to the delightful folks at Podium Audio, I now have a MERCH STORE! We’ve got a few starter items available (modeled below) including t-shirts, coffee mugs, pint glasses, and the Hawkmaiden’s of Sevendor map. There will be much, much, more, but we wanted to get y’all something since the demand has been so strong. Just remember that these newfangled smartphones add 20 lbs. to photos. I read that on the internet.

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Last, but by no means least, I am proud to announce that the Spellmonger TTFRP sourcebook is now in full beta release from Battlefield Press! This Kickstarter was amazing, and I think those of you who funded this effort will be pleased. I am very impressed with the job that Jonathan at Battlefield and his team have done. While there are still a few minor elements to be added to the work before it is in its final form, the majority of the book is complete enough to play. I am eagerly looking forward to releasing the final product. As for those “final elements,” you can blame me for that. My writing schedule has been so brutal that I’ve barely had time to devote to promotion or side projects from the main series in the last six months, so Jonathan has largely been awaiting my input. I plan to make it up to you for waiting by putting in a little additional content after Marshal Arcane is done. Because that’s what wizards do. Composition of Marshal Arcane is in full progress (see above). Now that I’ve decided against doing too much, I’m feeling pretty happy with this book, its themes, its perspectives, and the writing. I’m doing 10–12 hours a day on it and only checking email twice a day. I only answer phone calls from family. Being out of the house writing is actually nice because I can’t look around and be distracted about all the stuff I really need to be doing at home instead of writing (always an issue), and I can’t be bothered by news, unexpected problems, or other distractions. So let me get back to it. I’m on deadline. - Terry P.S.: Due to the constraints of deadlines it is with great regret that I must inform everyone that I WILL NOT be in attendance at DragonCon in Atlanta on Sept 1st. I am deeply sorry about this, but if I am to get Book 15 finished and turned in on time I will not be able to make it. I apologize to anyone who made plans to go just to see me. I am still planning on attending Baltimore ComicCon later this year, but that will be safely after my deadlines. This sucks, as I love DragonCon and meeting my fans, but it is, alas, a professional necessity. I am so sorry.

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