Road Trip

I thought I might post a picture from my road trip, taken from a rest area in Pennsylvania. I'm on my way to pick up my eldest daughter from school. The cross-country road trip has become a twice annual tradition of sorts, with my eldest daughter attending university in Washington state, and with our home being in Connecticut. In another month I'll be picking up my middle daughter from her university in South Carolina (she's taking "extended May" classes this year). Needless to say, I've been very much looking forward to having them home for the summer.

As some are already aware, my daughters have been my beta readers throughout my publishing journey, providing critical feedback for my writing, and also creating the covers for each of the books. There have been many times when I've crafted a particular passage of the novels with them in mind: looking forward to hearing their response when they later read it. They have been a crucial part of this process, and part of my motivation for publishing these stories as well.

Second Draft for Book 2 of the Wolves of Stormfall

I completed editing the second draft for Book 2 in the Wolves of Stormfall. I really needed to get that story in a better place, fill out some of the gaps in the tale, before embarking on my final edit for Book 4 of the original Stormfall Chronicles series.

Small victories, after all.

Review of Book 3 in Bookshine and Readbows

Excited to see Steph Warren's review of Book 3 from the Stormfall Chronicles appear on her website. To quote from her review,

J.W. Golan has built an epic fantasy world in this series, and each instalment ramps up the tension and raises the stakes, making this story epic not only in genre but also in length, complexity and content.

Thanks again Steph. So glad you enjoyed it.

https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2023/03/06/catch-up-quickies-40/

Letter to Callisto

It looks like Callisto has received her first fan mail from online.

I've enjoyed sharing her story with everyone.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QL999X5

The World of Stormfall

It's been a while since I've posted an update, so I thought I might provide a little insight into the future of the World of Stormfall.

As those who follow my blog might know, I completed the 6th draft for Book 4 from the Stormfall Chronicles this past December. Since then, I have been working on a couple of early, rough drafts which continue Callisto's story in the Wolves of Stormfall series, before I complete the final edit for Book 4. To help piece how this all fits together, I've composed with the attached timeline and guide.

The Stormfall Chronicles is an epic fantasy, following a range of characters and storylines. Central to that story are the experiences of Lynette and Baxter, but there are many more in both the human and fae world who play a role in these events. Book 4 will bring this original story arc to its conclusion. It is now in its final round of edits, and will be ready to release in the coming weeks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZCZ139M

The Wolves of Stormfall, on the other hand, follows the story of the werewolf Callisto, who appears in Books 3 and 4 of the Stormfall Chronicles. The first book in this spin-off series was released on Kindle Vella last year, and will be released as an eBook and paperback on Amazon shortly after Book 4 from the Stormfall Chronicles goes live. I also recently completed the first, very rough draft to Book 2 of this spin-off series, as well as the first draft to a short novella that serves as a prequel to Callisto's story. Book 3 of this series is also part-way through its first draft. I'm expecting Books 2 and 3 from the Wolves of Stormfall to be released first on Kindle Vella. I haven't decided what I want to do with its Prequel.

Sixth Draft for Book 4 Complete

The sixth draft for Book 4 of the Stormfall Chronicles is finally done. The text now stands at 122,000 words long, up from 118,000 at the end of the fifth draft.

It took longer than expected, with my two oldest daughters in college now. They're back for winter break this next week.

I'd like to give the text one more proof-read before cutting it loose for publication. Almost there.

Author Interview on Hella Vella

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Azrielle Lawless of Hella Vella this past weekend.

https://youtu.be/4H1bgvqg0RA

Hella Vella has both a Facebook Group and a YouTube channel that highlights Kindle Vella authors and their Vella stories.

Many thanks once more to Azrielle for the opportunity to reach out to Vella readers.