Important Author Update - I'm alive and still writing!

 Hello to all you wonderful people,

I apologize for having taken such a long break between the last time I updated this blog.  You found my website most likely through my book The World Ender and I am honestly humbled that amazing people like you are interested in reading more about a certain Cherokee inventor.

The reason for the gap is there were two events that took me offline for a while, and I apologize for that.  The first thing that happened... is personal. Life happens. The second thing that happened... well I'll tell you in a sec. 

But have no fear... I've continued writing.  

In my last email (if you signed up to receive one), I shared with you a snippet of a background story that was just going to be a fun little aside while I diligently worked on Book 2 (previously called: Project Blackbox, now called simply The Blackbox).

I guess you could say - Good news - that introductory snippet has continued to grow and morph into something more. I am going to continue to shape that story into a full successor to The World Ender.

And then it happened (that second thing). Over the last few months, I confirmed something I already knew... My process of writing is very messy. I really wanted to have some toss-away story that would be effortless to give you in the time that it took me to write it. Something like a 'stream-of-consciousness' story that would span the 10 year time jump in the last chapter of the book.

As I began plotting out the story, the characters, motives, arcs and the angle to the story have shifted like sand dunes in the Sahara. I've written the first chapter, and have the story angle and some of the themes feeling pretty solid.  But if I shared all the chaos floating around in my head with you... well... you'd question my sanity and question how I managed to write the first story.  If you talk to my wife, she'd tell you that she lost count of how many revisions it took - how many variations she read until I found the heart of the story.  I don't want to subject you all to that torture.

So the only promise I can actually make to you and expect to follow through on is - I am currently writing the next installment of Greycloud's adventures. When I have a portion of the story locked down and edited, I will share it with you. I am planning on having it written by November if all goes to plan.

Until then, I'm afraid of sharing details with you that I'm excited about - only to have things go sideways as I work to find the heart of the story.

But I can give you a spoiler that I'm sure isn't going to change - 

The World Ender was listed as Book 1 in the Punk City series. That is still the case.

The Blackbox was listed as Book 2 in the Punk City series. That is still the case.

But now, The World Ender is also Book 1 in its own trilogy series as well.

Is that weird?  When you read the Punk City series, I believe you'll see that you have all the relevant pieces of that arc, without any gaps.  But when you read the extra books in The World Ender series, you'll get deeper insight into the characters and feel the full weight of Greycloud's struggle to rescue his daughter from the dome.

If you have read this email closely and read the book, then you might have caught something of a hint as to what the next two books in The World Ender series are going to be about.

Book 2 - will cover the 10 year gap in the last 2 chapters of book 1. It begins around the time that Greycloud and Charles had survived their battle with General Manikas, and ends with Greycloud drowning as he activated the Red Cube.

Book 3 - will cover the 10 years after Greycloud has nanites integrated with every cell of his body. 

Then prepare yourself for a change in tone - The Blackbox will not have that same apocalyptic quality of the World Ender series and will take us inside the dome for a far more futuristic - CyberPunk-ish vibe!

At the moment, I can't tell if the Blackbox will break out into its own trilogy, but I honestly hadn't planned on a trilogy for The World Ender, so you never know!