Hi Everyone! Checking in with a quick series update for anyone interested.
Like I mentioned in a previous author’s note, I took a break from writing new books in this series to focus on editing the existing ones, getting them ready for publication, etc.
Here’s the progress with those:
Book 1: Web of Secrets is done with copy-edits and proofreading, and I have the semi-final draft posted on RR right now. Honestly, there weren’t many changes to Book 1 in terms of story content. Most of it was small world-building tweaks to help the continuity later in the series. Still, the revised version is available on RR, and I plan to release this on Amazon just as soon as the designer finishes the cover!
Book 2: Web of Dreams: I just finished writing the next draft of this. Unlike Book 1, this has a lot of story changes, and I wanted to establish those changes before I wrote any new content in the series. The big changes are:
* I reworked the opening chapters to give the main characters more agency and cut down on the infodumping. For example, Akari and Relia recover from the shipwreck by themselves and don’t meet up with Elend until the next chapter.
* I replaced the character Hector with Arturo. Arturo wasn’t originally introduced until Book 3 of the series, so this gives him a lot more page time, back story, etc.
* In addition to Akari’s flashbacks, I added two new flashbacks for Kalden. These were hinted at before, but never actually shown. At the time, I thought it would be too many flashbacks, but several people asked for more, and the idea fit well with my plans for Kalden’s Book 5 arc.
* I added a new flashback for Akari where her mother teaches her the basics of time mana. This was a scene I briefly considered writing for Book 5, but it made more sense to put it here because she’s learning the very basics, and Book 5 Akari should already know this stuff.
* Added an epilogue from Arturo's POV that shows him and Zukan leaving Creta for Koreldon University. I thought this scene wrapped up the Creta conflict better than the original ending, while also establishing some more backstory and motivations for Arturo and Zukan.
Here’s a link to a Google Doc with the entire Book 2 manuscript:
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qaCXqnC1qZjPML5wche15bNPbInevOOLiSIa20O7ZVo/edit?usp=sharing
And you can search “new scene” to find all the new scenes mentioned above. Comments are enabled, so feel free to let me know what you think!
Book 5: Web of Chaos: I’ve finished outlining this book, and I should have the first chapters ready sometime in December 2024!
As always, thanks for reading!