Summer Progress Report
Apologies for dropping the regular monthly reports. The summer was tricky for me, as you'll read below, and I wanted to have a chunk of progress to show when I next updated you. Then it kept getting pushed off. As a result, this report is going to be a bit of a bumper edition, so let's dive in!
Why the lack of updates?
Selling our flat (apartment) has proven awful in a terrible market, and continues to eat time with prepping for viewings… which sadly go nowhere (despite having now lowered the price by 6 figures, ugh!).
A week out in June for Isle of Wonders, a week out in July to visit family, then an unexpected 12 days out for a surgery I had last minute due to cancellation. The recovery proved far more intense than I was expecting. Adding that up is a whole month, so 1/3 of the summer lost (in a writing sense). Add on top getting sick after MCM in May, and after coming back from Croatia in June. Pile on top baby shenanigans where his sleep has been significantly worse than earlier in the year aaaaand I don’t get full days of work, more like half-days (if I'm lucky).
Bearing in mind that I run a whole business for self-publishing these books and hopefully you understand why my writing time is so truncated. All writers vary in their needs, but I find that I need a block of hours to get meaningful work done. Enough time to warm up, get into a flow state, then enjoy a huge burst of productivity toward the end of the session. If I only have an hour, I can do ‘something’ but it’s like being stuck in 2nd gear.
I divulge all of this because I think it’s good that you understand what’s been going on, and hopefully you can understand why I’ve been at snail’s pace. 2026 seems to be a hard year. All I can do is soldier on at whatever pace I can while, as ever, asking for your patience.
But, with all that said, I did write, even if it wasn’t as much as you or I would like.
And in August I had the chance to write something I’m especially pleased with. More on that below.
As for future reports, I won't promise a return to a monthly cadence as I know there will be times I can't keep it. I'll provide meaningful updates when I can, that seems doable!
Defiant & Reckoning Endless Editions Available now!!!
This caught me off guard, but in the best way! Broken Binding effectively shadow dropped the Endless Editions of Defiant & Reckoning on September 9th, way quicker than I expected. I think even quicker than they expected haha. I found out it would happen the night before they released, so there was no way I could have warned you.
Endless Editions have the power of being there no matter what. If you're able to jump on them, awesome. If you need to wait a bit, that'll work too.
But my my don't they look great?! I'm so happy with the design style we started in Ascendant. The constellation pattern really ties the series together, and those silhouettes on the sprayed edges give it that combined set look as well.
Defiant & Reckoning also contain 10 new b/w illustrations by Sutthiwat Dechakamphu!
You can grab Defiant & Reckoning to complete your 4 piece set at the link below.
If you haven't started collecting yet, there is a 4 pack option to get all the editions in one fell swoop!
A ginormous thank you to each and every one of you for support of these editions so far. It's helped enable a VERY exciting new development which I hope to announce this month or next... so keep your eyes peeled 👀
P.S. - TBB and I are aware that there will be some of you out there who ordered the Ascendant Endless Edition but didn't get around to Unbound, and so neither the 2 or 4 pack option is ideal for you. When projects like this launch, TBB like to keep the number of product page options low to avoid confusion and make things on the shipping side easier to handle. I've raised the issue and it's been acknowledged. In the future, I'm assuming there will be single book options again so you can pick up what you need. Equally, if you shoot them an email explaining your situation, they may be able to help you out and add an Unbound copy onto the 2 pack of Defiant & Reckoning. Apologies for the inconvenience this might be causing, but we'll iron it out.
The Pig - The First Look At What comes after Songs of Chaos
At the end of July, I was excited to receive confirmation from DragonSteel that I’ll be a panellist again this year! For conventions like this, Grim Oak Press often compiles anthologies of attending authors, and so The Pig will feature in the DragonSteel Nexus 2026 Grimoire.
I have an idea for the series I’d like to explore after Songs of Chaos is wrapped up, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to dip my toes into it. It will follow a mysterious character called The Planestrider. While he features in this, the POV of this story is that of a talking pig! I’ve been really happy with the feedback I received on the story, and I had SUCH a good time writing it. I’ve been working on SoC for almost 8 years, so it was refreshing to break away and write in a different style for a stint.
And on a personal/professional point of immense joy, I’ve discovered that Christopher Paolini will be contributing a story to the Grimoire, meaning my name will be published alongside his. Queue fainting and seeing stars. It’s a major bucket list moment for me as an author, and I think it will remain surreal until I’m finally holding the book in December. I can’t wait for that and to read the other fantastic contributions.
Copies of the Grimoire can be pre-ordered now. If you’re attending DSNX you can pick up your copy in person from Grim Oak Press, or have it shipped to you. If you're not attending, you can still order a copy and get it delivered!
There will be an ebook version that will become available during Dragonsteel Nexus 2026. More details on that soon.
Anniversary Editions Update
No one is more aware than I that this glorious set went on sale in May and we're still waiting. TBB have been branching out to new printers, and they've been working with an Italian company for this set. This has meant needing to get new templates (on every single element) and given its high specifications, it required many more checks and adjustments than usual. Plus all of Italy seems to go on holiday in August - literally no one at the printers was in haha. The delay actually helped us in the end, as we HAD to change the map to a FOLD OUT version which is an upgrade on what we had planned. So that'll be sweet!
I’m planning to hand sign these in person when they arrive at TBB later this year, and will keep you all fully in the loop as I get concrete information.
This print run has now been confirmed as a limited 1,000 sets and will be numbered. Fewer than 100 sets remain. You can still pre-order a set at the link below before they run out!
Upcoming Appearances
I have a busy end of September and October lined up, with 3 UK appearances! Feels like a mini tour. Then we cap the year off with another trip back to the US – a few days in Seattle before heading to Salt Lake City for Brandon Sanderson’s DragonSteel Nexus convention.
If you’ll be at any of these events, don’t hesitate to say hi if you see me. If you bring books for me to sign but can’t make an official signing slot, don’t worry. If you can find me, I’ll happily sign books for you.
Nox Plushie!
I AM SO EXCITED to share with you all the concept art for Nox the plushie!
It was tricky to give her a 'thing' in the way that Ash has his removable blindfold and Aberanth had his glasses and mushroom. YouTooz suggested we could make her eyes glow in the dark which we thought was VERY cool. The only downside is that all the glow in the dark thread will appear slightly Ghostbusters green... which isn't exactly lore accurate but what the heck.
YouTooz are working toward having Nox ready for sale in time for Day of the Dragon in October. If that changes, I'll let you know when the schedule has shifted. Supply chains are not easy right now...
10k IG follower giveaway – Bound and The Broken ARCs
Now I’m sure this will excite many out there. I’m hosting a giveaway to celebrate reaching 10,000 followers on Instagram, and the prizes are ARCs of Of Blood and Fire and The Fall by Ryan Cahill.
I bet that most of you also enjoy Ryan’s dragon rider books, and these coveted ARCs are hard to come by… so if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning BOTH books, go to my IG post and follow the entry instructions.
Best of luck!
Isle of Wonders - June 2026
Back in June, I visited the STUNNING island of Cres, Croatia, as a guest of honour at their Isle of Wonders Festival. It’s easily the coolest and most unique festival I’ve ever been to. You can tell the organisers are FANS, making something that fans would like.
The whole town is decorated with amazing artworks, while cosplayers and musicians fill the streets with even more life. The opening ceremony took over the entire square, leading up to the old tower where they hung the festival flag all to the backdrop of blasting Lord of the Rings music. You don’t experience that every day!
I also had the pleasure of meeting other creatives I never would at a book convention – so many incredible artists, GMs, developers, and actors (too many photos to possibly put up!) – and all of this in one of the most beautiful locations I’ve visited.
Many conventions take place at gray, non-descript hotels, but Isle of Wonders is as far from that as it can be. It might as well be a fantasy world of its own… Very hopeful I can make a return in the future!
Ascendant ebook is 99p in the UK all month!
All very self-explanatory, but should anyone reading this from the UK not have Ascendant yet, well, what are you waiting for? Go grab it for 99p while you can. If you’re UK based it’s a perfect time to recommend a friend or family take a chance on the series.
Shout out to Shadow of Legends by J.D.L Rosell
Given you’re all dragon rider fans, I thought you’d love to hear of an upcoming story from fellow indie author J.D.L Rosell. And given the audiobook is narrated by our very own PETER KENNY, I say it’ll be worth checking out.
Gods fall. Dragons rise. To save his home from the forces pitted against it, a scorned half-elf prince must embrace his dormant power and become the world’s first dragon rider…
Shadow of Legends is due to release on September 26th, so not long to go now! There are special pre-order bonuses from the author’s own webstore and also a Kickstarter campaign for a special edition already running.
Link below for pre-order sites and info.
What I’ve Been Reading
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
I dived into Heroes as a form of ‘research’ for the famous scenes where POVs of soldiers switch as men die. Abercrombie's writing style and voice are always a pleasure to get immersed in and learn from. The pervasive black humor means things never feel too bleak to read, even if events and outcomes often are. As for the story, by now I know what to expect, and The Heroes met those expectations… even if I held out a 1% hope that Craw might be able to give up fighting, but, alas, of course, he couldn’t 🙁
Craw became a surprise favorite POV. A decent bloke, trying to maintain what passes for integrity in the brutal North. Beck’s story acted as a counterbalance to Craw’s ending. Is Beck the one POV in any First Law book who manages to change by the end? It was nice to see!
In fact, every POV worked for me in this one. I admit in other First Law books there’s always one or two POVs that eventually go over my head (for reasons unknown). I’ll become hyper fixated on some e.g. Leo, Orso and Sevine in Age of Madness, but gloss tover others in my memory. In The Heroes, each one landed, and I was always happy to pick their threads back up.
An overall very good time. I’ll give it 6 severed heads out of 8 blood soaked axes 😝
(these ratings are random, please put down your pitchforks)
Legend of UH by Aaron N. Hall
This was a great change of pace after the darkness of the Heroes. The Legend of UH is light, humorous, but still packs a good emotional punch where it matters and left me pleasantly surprised by the directions of certain character relationships.
I even provided this blurb: "The Legend of UH is warm and snuggly, filled with laughs and believable friendships. The perfect palate cleanser between doorstopper tomes."
Overworld by Will Wight
Lucky me, I was able to get myself an ARC of Will Wight’s upcoming LitRPG, Overworld. Given how inspiring Cradle has been to Songs of Chaos, and how much I admire Will as a writer (and person!), this was a real honor to receive.
It’s about a butler, Eldric Altmoore, who dies and is transported to another world by higher powers to try and save it. This world appears to operate on game style mechanics, with resets, gear, and a core of four classes that ‘rangers’ specialize in. Reading about a stiff lipped butler killing animated puppets with a candlestick wasn’t on my 2026 bingo card but I’m glad it turned up!
Needless to say, I devoured this book. Will has a way of writing that is so more’ish. I am HUNGRY for the sequel.
For those still unsure about LitRPG, the modern variety, as demonstrated by Overworld here, really has nothing in the way of numbers or stats to worry about. That side of things is extremely light. Overworld would be a perfect one to try out.
It releases on 23rd March 2027 in all formats.
Songs of Chaos #5 Report
After wrapping up the early Talia chapters at the end of May, I switched to Holt’s POV to continue the story yet I hit some snags with the introduction of new ancient creatures. I got bundled in knots about their magic/powers and had to rewrite the scene many times. Even now, I’m only 80% happy with it but I’ll only get the brain waves by moving on and writing more of them.
With two Holt chapters written, I decided to move over to the second of, what I’ve dubbed, the ‘Little People’ sequences, although this one is more inspired by Abercrombie’s Heroes than Age of Madness. I’ve called this one ‘Those Who Fight’.
Flashing through 6 soldier POVs in a terrible battle against dragons while trying to give each one life, and weave a coherent thread through it all, proved challenging (well, duh, right?). Coupled with the broken writing schedule, I’ve mentioned at the start of this post, it just took a long time. Especially as it ended up being a whopping 9,000 words long! I’ve trimmed it to closer to 8k words now and will leave it there.
In the future when I’m circling back for the major edits and revisions, I’m a lot less precious about things I wrote a long time ago, and I’ll be ruthless in working it to the bone. In the end, it is a large scale sequence which lots of death and destruction and will demand a chunkier word count than the average chapter.
After finishing ‘Those Who Fight’ the plan was to write the aftermath chapter from Dowid and Neveh before heading back to Holt and the gang. My unexpected surgery derailed that, but I’m happy to report that this chapter has now also been written.
And so, after a very wacky summer, the attention of Songs of Chaos #5 returns to Holt and the gang and will remain with them until one day (in the distant future) it’ll be time for the third ‘Little People’ sequence, but that one is still vague right now.
As this year has been tough, I’m not trying to set expectations too high, not least for myself. But my soft goal is to ensure I have completed ACT 1 and made inroads into ACT 2 by year’s end. I think that will be doable and will see the year out with a solid foundation to build on next year.
Word count progress is approx. 45K which is 23% of the estimated length of the book.
