Jeff Wheeler's Blog

Did you know that around 10,000 books are published every day? How can someone trying to enter such a crowded career hope to rise above the noise?

When you want to learn the craft of writing, there really isn’t a better way than to read a lot. A lot, lot. And not just reading for enjoyment, but reading with a critical eye, trying to dissect scenes, characters, narrative arcs, and figuring out all the nuts and bolts. You can do this, by yourself, over months and years.

For me, I tried to figure out the tricks of the trade by paying attention to the authors I admired and trying to learn from them. Twenty years ago, this wasn’t that easy. The opportunity of meeting my favorite authors was limited by when/if they came within the vicinity of where I lived. Sometimes they produced a memoir (On Writing, Sometimes the Magic Works, Charlie N. Holmberg’s Book of Magic, Your First Million Words) which shared some of their secret sauce. For me, my life literally changed when Terry Brooks came to Northern California and I was able to attend an all-day workshop with him. But such opportunities can be rare and expensive.

Another thing I did to try and learn from the authors I admired was to create my own magazine, Deep Magic. Running a magazine gave me an editor’s eye, a vehicle to publish my own stories, a way to attract an audience that wanted the kind of fiction I wrote, and (very importantly) access to other authors I admired where I could interview them and learn from them. I learned a lot during those years, but it was still a lot of trial and error.

What I believe helps even more to accelerate the learning curve is to attend writing conferences. Yes, it costs money to travel there. But even more importantly, rubbing shoulders with other authors and learning from the masters of the craft really can save a lot of time. Writing conferences aren’t a guaranteed success, but they are a great way to network, meet and learn from successful authors, and provide shortcuts in methods that might take years to learn otherwise.

I wish more of these had been available when I was starting out, but here is a list of many noteworthy conferences that happen regularly.

Storycon (Location: Salt Lake City, UT) – every FebruaryLTUE (Location: Provo, UT) – every FebruaryGotham Writers (Location: New York City) – usually March & OctoberStorymakers (Location: Provo, UT) – every MayInkers Con (Location: Dallas, TX) – every JuneRealm Makers (Location: varies) – usually JulyNINC (Location: St Pete’s Beach, FL) – usually September

 

The publishing industry is changing all the time. Advice that worked ten years ago isn’t working the same today. If you are writing for the love, there is nothing wrong with that. But for those interested in making a career out of it, the more you know, the better prepared you are.

If traveling isn’t ideal, there are on-line classes available as well.

Master Class series (cost $180, billed annually)Writer’s Block (cost $30 per class, discounts available)

 

One of the advantages of Writer’s Block (which I created with some author friends of mine) is that the instructors are also available to answer questions about the class content they offer. Those who have enrolled in classes have access to the Q&A feature. By signing up for the newsletter, you also get a free class to give it a try.

Malcolm Gladwell said that the key to mastery or expertise takes 10,000 hours of practice – but not just any practice. The Beatles didn’t become the Beatles overnight but after playing over 1,200 times in clubs in Germany to hone their experience, receive feedback, and improve. They wouldn’t have become the Beatles if they’d stayed a garage band in Liverpool. Acquiring experience will always take time, but it is possible to speed up the process with expert advice.

The post Speeding Up the Learning Curve appeared first on Jeff Wheeler.

One of the questions I get asked a lot by up-and-coming authors is about marketing. Even authors with traditional publishers need to spend some energy on marketing and branding themselves. Indie authors have to do it all. And guess what? Things that worked years ago (like giving away freebie copies) don’t work as well today. And what is working well today isn’t necessarily going to work well in the future. The publishing industry is morphing and changing all the time. Being adaptable is important.

So what I like to tell authors is there are two “hills” in marketing. One hill is the kind of activity that’s like pushing a boulder from the top of a hill down–gravity does most of the work for you. The other kind of hill is more like pushing a boulder up a hill. It takes more energy and determination but it gets results over time. I’m not saying one is better than the other. But we all need to prioritize our time and energy.

The Downward Hill

Why not start with these first? They’re my favorite because I’m all about economy of effort. Here are the top things you should have in place:

Newsletter. Every author should build up a newsletter list. Top priority. It takes very little to set one up and it bridges the gap between the author and the fan where you get most of the control of when you want to contact them. I’ve used Mailchimp but now I prefer Flodesk. With Mailchimp, the cost goes up as the number of subscribers increase. With Flodesk, it’s a low flat rate and you can get a discount off your first year if you sign up with an affiliate link from someone who already has an account. Feel free to use mine. One of the most powerful aspects of newsletter platforms is automations. I attended a talk by author Holly Darling at Inkers Con and immediately began to implement welcome sequences as part of my newsletter. Click here for an article on what this means. Why would a reader want to give you their e-mail address? They might be a superfan but it’s usually best when you give them something in return for it. Like a short story or bonus chapter or something they can’t really get anywhere else. This approach is called a lead magnet, and when I started doing it, my newsletter list almost doubled in a year. And it can be part of an automation you set up so that they get the freebie after signing up for your newsletter. This is a great way to announce new books, sales on current titles, and new things you’re part of (like an anthology or special promotion).Social Media. This is another great way to leverage yourself to lots of people with little effort. I recommend focusing on a few platforms instead of trying to master them all. Create a handle that is easy to find you and I definitely recommend having a separate profile as an author than you have for your private life. Things that get recorded on social media get recorded forever, so be careful what you post (I don’t really post about my kids on my author profiles, although many authors do). I started with Facebook and created an author profile as well as one for my street team (more on this later). Many authors I know went to X/Twitter but that account doesn’t yield anything positive for me now, so I never update it. Instagram has been super useful – there are a ton of authors and readers there and you can find the many creative ways they’ve been sharing their books (the one’s they’ve written as well as book bloggers sharing what they’ve read). Find your niche and follow along!Street Teams. These are fans that are motivated to follow and share your books on-line. Every author starts with zero. But when you find people who want to spread the word about your writing, treat them like gold. My street team get advance reader copies (ARCs) of my books. They hear the latest news before anyone else. Some have even become my beta readers, although I caution about having people earn trust before doing this. There are horror stories out there about authors sharing early copies which then get shared on-line. It happened to Stephenie Meyer. When there are sales for my books, my street team are the first people who help boost the signal through social media. Show them a some love. They are awesome.Website. This is another way to leverage your presence on-line and to provide a means of contacting you or learning more about what you’ve written. I started mine as a blog site back in the day before creating my own URL. They’re relatively inexpensive to set up in the beginning (my friends recommend Wix) but unless you want to spend a ton of time learning about coding, you might want to hire a web developer to help you get started. Once you have your first book ready to launch, you should probably have a website built. And, of course, it creates a way to join your newsletter. People from all over the world can come and visit while you’re asleep. Make sure you keep updating it though. Readers aren’t impressed if the content is out of date.

The Upward Hill

Some hills are harder to climb than others, but by the nature of it, going uphill is more challenging. It can be challenging because of the effort it takes or also because of the cost.

Promotions. A big way to get the word out about your book is leveraging other newsletter lists that exist. Check out David Gaughran‘s list of possible outlets and you’ll see what I mean about there being a lot of hills, each one wanting some of your money to do it. The ones that I have seen which are the most effective (and no promises here) are Bookbub, Goodreads, and Kindle Daily Deals. And guess what – you’re not guaranteed to get any of these, so you have to keep submitting for them over and over again. It’s kind of like climbing a hill. And pushing a rock up while you’re at it. But if you do manage to get selected for one, it can help bring new readers. If you’re an indie author, you can apply for a Kindle Daily Deal through the KDP program and it’s free if they select you.Book Bloggers. Finding your audience is so much easier when you discover where they already are. Every genre and subgenre has its superfans and individuals who love to rave about their favorite books. It can take work and patience to find them, but it’s worth the effort. Don’t start off by introducing yourself and your book. If you connect with their content and comment favorably, it’ll help instead of just asking directly for help. Many will expect a complimentary copy of your book but it’s worth it. Never pressure anyone who is doing this for the love. More established people can be pickier about authors they’re willing to try. But it never hurts to ask. Respectfully.Amazon Ads. Let’s be real here – Amazon is the largest bookstore in the world and you’ve be unwise to ignore that fact. If you participate in their advertising program, you can create ads that utilize keywords on their website to find possible customers. It’s pretty complicated though and you could end up spinning your wheels and wasting money without some coaching. I highly recommend Bryan Cohen’s 5-Day Author Ad Profit challenge. You need Facebook in order to participate and the challenge runs periodically, so you might need to wait until the next one begins to learn about it. But seriously, it’s worth learning about algorithms, keywords, and to know whether your cover art stinks or not.Social Media ads. There was a time when your social media posts were seen by your friends and fans. Now, social media companies are ad agencies and they want you to pay for your posts to be seen. It’s not super expensive. For around $25-$50, you can boost a post about a new release and it will be seen by more followers as well as potential readers. For some data on which social medial platforms are the biggest (and thus have the largest reach) see the Pew Research study.Google Ads. Have you ever done a search for a product or place on the internet and then suddenly start seeing ads for it on other places? Did they read my mind about wanting that Star Wars Lego set? No. We leave digital footprints every time we visit a website and there are tools out there that know how to sniff out the trail. Using Google Ads is just one of these ways.Kindle Fire & Tablet Ads. This is a little different than the regular Amazon Ads account above. It’s used by major publishers and the top selling indie authors because it is so powerful but it’s not cheap. Presently it requires a $50,000 commitment buy in up front and it costs $10,000 per ad, per run. Do the math, it adds up fast. I know authors who have borrowed money to pay for these services which are highly targeted and can be very profitable (even with all the up front costs). This just isn’t very practical for authors just starting out but it is a powerful tool.Kickstarter. This is worth an entire article on its own. I believe crowdfunding is the next wave of innovation in the publishing industry. But do your homework before launching one. Join the Facebook group Kickstarters for Authors and just lurk and learn. We can all thank Brandon Sanderson showing us what’s possible.

Since I’m with Amazon Publishing, I get most of the Upward Hill items just for being one of their authors (and some other perks I can’t talk about). As I said at the beginning, there are other hills to be discovered and what has worked in the past may not work in the future. The industry is changing. But the good news is that readers still love reading and the absolute bestest thing you can do as an author is always try to become a better one. Word of mouth still is the #1 way of selling a book. It’s free, it’s legit, and it rolls and rolls and keeps on rolling. But it’s not marketing. You can’t pay for it. You can, however, keep investing in your skills.

For more on the current state of the publishing industry, check out my class on Writer’s Block: Understanding Amazon.

 

The post Publishing tips – The Two Hills of Marketing appeared first on Jeff Wheeler.

Ten years ago, 47North published The Legends of Muirwood as a trilogy. It was such a whirlwind back then, doing three books simultaneously. Kate Rudd was chosen as the narrator and none of us had any idea how successful that launch would be.

About a year ago, I started talking to Adam Sidwell at Future House Publishing about doing a Kickstarter to commemorate the series. They had the experience doing them before and a team to help with fulfillment. We even got a little peek into Brandon Sanderson’s operation. Impressive!

So today, I begin a new chapter. Not a book but of a partnership to bring something my fans have been asking for. Hard cover editions. If this Kickstarter is successful, we hope to bring many more versions to you, along with other things you’d love (imagine, for example, bookends designed like Pasqua’s kitchen?). Or Leerings. Or things we haven’t thought of yet.

This special edition will only be available on Kickstarter, beginning today and until it closes November 13. I really don’t want any fan to miss out on the opportunity to learn about it and decide whether they want to support it or not. I’d appreciate any help getting the word out.

Thanks so much for all your support over the years!

The post Legends of Muirwood Kickstarter appeared first on Jeff Wheeler.

This is one of those “surprise!” cover reveals. It’s not like Brandon Sanderon’s where he’d written a bunch of books during the pandemic, but it is something that was previously unplanned on my end. First of all, the news – I’m writing a new Kingfountain book! This has been quite a whirlwind project for me, but here are the juicy details.

I’m friends with author/publisher Tanya Anne Crosby who founded Oliver Heber Books. We’ve known each other for many years through our mutual support of BingeBooks and AuthorsAI. She’s super smart and super savvy and not only is a bestselling author in her own right, but she’s helping other authors find their audiences too. We were chatting on Facebook recently about some industry news, when out of the blue she offered to partner with me and buy the Ankarette stories I’d self-published (The Poisoner’s Enemy, The Maid’s War, and The Poisoner’s Revenge) and try to use her contacts and marketing prowess to sell more copies than I was doing alone. What would really help though was if I wrote another Ankarette story and we re-brand the series so that they all kind of looked like they belonged together. I’ve been super impressed with everything she’s done so far, so I decided to sign on with OHB and offered to write a new Ankarette novel, The Widow’s Fate. In short order, Tanya re-branded everything and boom, the new book is up and available for pre-order now!

Here is the cover art!

 

If you also want to see other pretty things, here are the re-branded covers for the other books in The Poisoner of Kingfountain series:

We’ve decided to order these chronologically (based on when they happen in the series) so it’s less confusing what order to read them in. To get inspiration for the new book, I went back to my Richard III research on Ankarette. There’s a true story in history about a missing heiress and two brothers fighting to control her future. The more I dug into the tale, the more the ideas began to sizzle. I went back and re-listened to The Poisoner’s Enemy which also gave me some great ideas as well. I’ve been so impressed with how fast Tanya and OHB work, and I’m excigted to partner with them on this story…and possibly some more in the future as well. Ankarette has been a fan-favorite for a long time and I have some more ideas that could also materialize if this one does well.

The Widow’s Fate launches October 17. And yes, Kate Rudd will be narrating it as well.

Stay tuned for some other news coming out! If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, you’ll want to!

 

 

Ten years ago this week, 47North released The Legends of Muirwood as a trilogy all on the same day. That’s not a typical thing for a publishing company to do. It wasn’t a typical thing for me to do either when I self-published the trilogy all at once myself. I could not have foreseen then how many people would come to love this world, nor did I imagine I’d still be publishing in it this year. I’m grateful for the partnership with 47North these many years and for the worlds we’ve been able to bring you.

To celebrate this special anniversary, I’ve written a novella set in the era of Legends. It’s the story of Elle Demont. As I wrote it, I realized it could easily grow bigger than a single novella, but I’m happy with how it turned out and I hope you will be as well. It’s called In the Twilight Kingdom: a Legends of Muirwood Tale.

It was also ten years ago that I listened to Kate narrate Muirwood for the first time, thus beginning an epic partnership that has spanned dozens of books. Kate is an awesome person and has been a wonderful partner for these many years. So, I also asked if she’d narrate this novella as well. She agreed.

To commemorate this moment, I am making the e-book and audio version *free* to all my fans until the end of March. After that, I will be putting both versions to buy on Amazon where you’ll be able to purchase it (or it will also be free with Kindle Unlimited). In order to get your copy, all you need to do is sign up for my newsletter here and the instructions and links will be e-mailed to you. I obviously don’t know every fan or reader of my books, so please help me spread the word about the freebie before time runs out.

I hope you enjoy stepping back into this world again and hearing some familiar voices.

Happy Anniversary Lia!

-Jeff

 

Pre-order page: https://amzn.to/3XBujyg

 

I’ve been keeping this news pretty close to the vest for a while now, but it’s official now and I’m excited to finally spill the beans about my new series. Last year, I had a terrible nightmare while on vacation. Quite action packed (which my wife likes to tease me about), but very personal because the dream was about my own family being in danger and it was up to me to keep them safe.

As I often do with my dreams or ideas, I wrote down the details in an e-mail and stored it under ‘Book Ideas’ and just left it alone. Weeks went by. Months went by. The dream wouldn’t leave me alone. So I ended up talking to my editor about the idea that it had given birth to — writing a series of novels outside the fantasy genre. This book, this series, would be a thriller like The Da Vinci Code or National Treasure. I talked to my editor as well as another editor at Thomas & Mercer. They both loved the idea and encouraged me to venture outside my comfort zone.

I spent months reading other thriller authors to explore the tropes of the genre and to make sure what I wanted to write would fit and stay within my brand. I also dived deep into history that I’d never read much about in college or after–Mesoamerican history. What I thought I knew, I came to realize, was much less accurate than the reality and what modern archaeologists have discovered in the last ten years. There was so much to explore, in fact, that I literally took a trip down to the Yucatan peninsula with my family and spent time in the area. We also did some humanitarian work at orphanages, shelters, and other places and met some amazing people. The touristy stuff was fun too.

So with that preamble, here’s the cover art for the first book of my new series: Doomsday Match

Here is a little bit more about it.

SPOILER ALERT – read further at your own risk:

A vacationing family becomes pawns in an ancient ritual designed to bring about a Mayan apocalypse in a riveting thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler.

A Mayan prophecy has waited for five centuries to be fulfilled. That time has come. Sacrifices will be made. Let the games begin.

When Jonathan Roth and his family are invited by their neighbors, the Beasleys, to join them at a luxury retreat in Cozumel, who can refuse? It’s the perfect winter getaway. Relaxing on the beach, gourmet food, sightseeing, and free accommodations. But if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Villa Sara de Calakmul, owned by mysterious tycoon Jacob Calakmul, is more isolated compound than private resort. Armed guards patrol the jungle perimeters. Pictures of previous guests—long disappeared—adorn the walls. And there are whispers of something coming called “the game.” Even in the sweltering heat, the Roths feel a chill—and the fear that they haven’t been invited to Villa Sara. They’ve been lured. But for what purpose? And to what end?

From the ruins, a death cult is reborn. A prophecy to bring down Western civilization is being realized. As a legendary blood sport is engaged, the Roths themselves may need to call upon ancient powers if they’re to survive, escape, and save the world from annihilation.

The name of the series (The Dresden Codex) isn’t a riff on Jim Butcher’s novels. In my research, I learned that very few original Maya records exist. They were almost all destroyed by the conquistadors and those put in charge. A few survived and were shipped back to Europe. One of them is on display at a library in Dresden, Germany. As with most of my books, I take what is historical and invent new outcomes. The places you’ll visit may feel like a fantasy novel. But they’re real.

Hope you enjoy this new adventure. The Dresden Codex series will be a trilogy. I’ve already written the sequel and started work on the third book.

Get ready for something different!

(ruins at Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico…there are thousands more still undiscovered)

 

It’s been a few months since I wrote a blog post. It’s been a busy summer so far and lots going on. Our family took a trip to the East Coast to do some historical sight-seeing (Federal Hall in New York, Weehawken in Jersey, Philadelphia, Gettsyburg, DC). We had a great time and one of the strangest things that happened was being recognized by a fan in New York City and taking a selfie with him. We drove all the places we went (except a few times we took Ubers or traveled in tour buses) and let me tell you, driving in Manhattan was outside my comfort zone.

So that’s the topic of my blog today. Not driving–being outside our comfort zones.

I’ll tell you, it’s not an enjoyable experience. That clenching in the chest. Added stress. Worry about what’s going to happen. I have a strong DNA chain of anxiety that runs through my family and see it in my kids as well. When I was a 4th grader, the school district shut down the elementary school near my house and we combined with another elementary school a lot farther away. That required learning a new school, leaving earlier to get there, new teachers and fellow students, and the change was really hard on me. At the beginning of that school year, my anxiety would flare so much that during the walk to school I’d turn around and run home crying. But we all have to face our fears sometimes, and I learned to adapt to the challenge and ended up loving my new school.

When I got my publishing contract with 47North, I experienced a different kind of anxiety. It was my dream come true, but I didn’t want to blow it.  My normal routines of life had to alter because I needed to support my family with my day-job as well as meet the deadlines. I was outside my comfort zone again. But thankfully, I learned a lot and was able to leave the job at Intel (which, I’ll admit, I still sometimes have nightmares about working there and having a project due or a presentation to give and not remembering anything about what I’m supposed to be doing) in order to write full-time. Since then, I’ve written over thirty books and learned a thing or two about the industry and the craft.

But then, a little over a year ago, I had a dream. Sometimes my dreams can be a little like Mission Impossible films–very action packed and scary. We’d been on a vacation to Florida with the family and the dream had totally haunted me. When I woke up, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Sometimes my books have been inspired by dreams (the plot of The King’s Traitor, for example, came from a dream). The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could become the plot to a book. Not an epic fantasy, like I was used to writing, but to a modern-day thriller.

My stomach began to churn. It would be fun to learn to write in another genre. But it was a risk too. What if my fans didn’t like it? What if it bombed? Or, as my editors pointed out, what if new doors to readers were opened because of it? I made the decision to give it a try. For several months, I immersed myself in many thrillers written by the masters. I didn’t want to copy anyone else’s style, but I wanted to make sure I knew the expectations readers had. It was also important that it still felt like a Jeff Wheeler book in terms of themes and beloved characters. It seemed a natural pivot, since my books are pretty intense anyway, right?

I signed a three-book deal with A-Pub and started writing the first novel last year. I only knew the plot for the first book. I imagined that I could figure out books 2 and 3 later. This was highly unusual for me, because I don’t write that way normally. I’m a plotter, not a pantser, for the most part. But I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I couldn’t envision out the future without seeing how the first one landed. Thankfully, as I neared the end, the plot of book 2 began to form in my mind.

I’ve just finished writing ‘The End’ of book 2. And now I have to figure out book 3 and where things will go. I’m out of my comfort zone yet again. But I’m hoping that trip to the East Coast will work its magic on the story and that the ideas I got during the trip will be able to come alive in this new series, which I hope to announce very soon in a separate blog post. The cover art is underway. Editing on book 1 is happening. And now that I’ve finished the rough draft of book 2, it’s time to read it through and see how I can turn the screws and make it even more intense for my new set of characters.

The only way we grow is by getting out of our comfort zones once in a while. But no one said it was easy!

-Jeff in Washington DC (July 2022) – pssst…it’s a clue

 

I can’t believe that it’s time to share the cover for book 3 of my new Muirwood series. It’s been a whirlwind putting together this trilogy and so very neat that the cover is now *live* and ready for the third and final book. It’s also available for pre-order as well. Feast your eyes on this:

What is that castle yonder? I won’t tell you. I will only say that it’s somewhere you’ve never been before. But you’ve wanted to. This story has been so much fun to write, I can’t wait until you get a chance to read it. You can pre-order it here.

I announced last time that 47North has been updating the covers of the previous Muirwood trilogies (Legends and Covenant) and they are live now too. I’ve ordered some copies for myself because I want *all* the versions. Who doesn’t, right? They’ve available on Amazon now. If you’d like a signed copy of these new versions, I will provide a discount (my “friends and family” discount) for orders of 3 books or more and throw in free shipping too (for US customers). If you’d like to know more, send an e-mail to wojwbooks ‘at’ gmail dot com.

For those interested in meeting in person, I will be making a few author appearances this year. I’ll be teaching a class and signing books at Storymakers in Provo, UT on May 13-14. I will also be the keynote speaker and teaching several classes at the Southwest Washington Writers Conference in Centralia, WA in September. There will be a book signing as well: (http://southwestwashingtonwriters.com/)

May 1st is the official pub day of The Druid. Hope you’re excited for it!

Yes, it’s time for another cover reveal! Book 2 of the Dawning of Muirwood is coming in September and the cover art is now up on Amazon, so I wanted to share it with you. You can pre-order this here: https://amzn.to/3upoY1F

However, there is also some cool news I’ve been waiting a long time to share. Ten years ago, I self-published The Legends of Muirwood trilogy which was then picked up by 47North, a fledging new imprint from Amazon Publishing. They re-did the covers, hired Kate Rudd to narrate the series (talk about a good pick!) and re-launched them under their brand.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Muirwood, 47North updated the cover art for all the Muirwood books to reflect the new look and feel of the Dawning trilogy. These new covers will be available to order soon, but I wanted to share the new scheme with you guys! I hope that the new series will bring new fans to wander Muirwood Abbey for the first time.

If you’d asked my teenage self what I dreamed of for in the future when I hit my 50’s, I probably would have said either owning a DeLorean (Back to the Future) or a Lotus (For Your Eyes Only). Or being a full-time author. At least one of the three came true!

Ten years ago, my world changed when I gave away free copies of The Wretched of Muirwood on Kindle for just a few days and then fans (many of you) discovered my books for the first time. A few months later I was offered a six-book deal with Amazon Publishing and the rest is…history. I’ve written many more books since then and been able to have experiences that would have blown the mind of my teenage self (like being on a panel at Comic Con with my hero, Terry Brooks, on my b-day!)

My writer’s journey has been a rollercoaster with ups and down. Recent ups has included Knight’s Ransom being named a Wall Street Journal bestseller. My publisher also sent my family to all-you-can eat Sushi to celebrate reaching over 5 million readers. A recent down — my TV deal for Kingfountain isn’t going to happen. It’s a long story, but let’s just say that the Film and TV rights are now back in my hands. And I’m grateful, to be honest, because things were feeling off for a while.

Successes and disappointments are part of this business and I’m grateful, every day, just to be along for the ride. It has been awesome to see reader reactions to Fate’s Ransom this last week. Ending a series is so important to me, especially how it lands with readers, so I’ve been waiting with anticipation. Not all my books have landed spot on, but I do my best and work hard with my editors to make them satisfying.

I’m also super excited for the launch of my newest Muirwood series, The Dawning of Muirwood, which comes out in May 2022. It’s been so nostalgic to be back writing again in the world of Leerings, Aldermastons, and the Medium. I will be doing a Facebook Live this week (watch my FB page) and giving away a few advanced copies of book 1, The Druid to a few lucky winners.

Last by not least, I also wanted to announce that my line-up for 2023 will be a little different. Actually, a lot different. Many of my books have been inspired by realistic and intense dreams. Well, I had one last June that I just couldn’t get out of my mind. I spoke to my editor about it and wondered how she felt if I wrote a series that *wasn’t* epic fantasy (I still have many ideas for more fantasy novels–have no fear!), but I wanted to try a new genre, to see if I could challenge myself to write something completely new. Thankfully, she was totally excited about the idea and I’ve signed a contract with A-Pub. I’m not going to reveal anything else right now (except a picture below which will be an enormously vague clue), but I have started writing it and wow…it’s been so fun!

Welcome 2022 and hopefully it will be a step in the right direction. I will be teaching again at the Storymakers conference in Provo, Utah in May. Hope to see some fans there this year!

-Jeff

P.S. I have two relatives hospitalized with Covid (my wife’s uncle is on a ventilator right now and her aunt is in the ICU–additional prayers would be helpful!)