👶👶 Arrival of the twins and an upcoming book launch

October Author Update

Hi everyone,

I’m back with another author update. A lot has happened in October, the most exciting being the arrival of the twins!

This is what I’ll be covering in this newsletter:

1. Life/baby update

2. Writing update

3. What I’ve been reading

4. Link roundup

1. Life update

First off, I have some very exciting news: my twin girls, Vivian and Cecilia, were born a little over three weeks ago!

They came a little early and had to spend some time in the hospital, but they’re doing really well and are home with us now. Going into the delivery room can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially with an early birth and especially with twins, and my wife and I are extremely thankful that everything turned out so well and that they are strong and healthy.

They also waited until after I had already finished writing and editing Rage of the Raven Queen, which was very kind of them!

2. Writing Update

As you might imagine, between taking care of our toddler and being at the hospital with the twins, I haven’t had a ton of writing time. But, thankfully, all of the work on Rage of the Raven Queen was done already, aside from a few formatting details that I have been able to find time for.

This means that the publication date of November 12 is still very much a go!

You can preorder a copy of the ebook now or wait until launch day to order a paperback (Amazon doesn’t allow preorders on paperbacks for some inscrutable reason).

There’s also plenty of time to catch up on Book One if you haven’t yet! Even if you’re not a fast reader, it’s a very quick read and takes a sitting or two to get through.

For any of my local readers, I’ll be at Indigo Kitchener on Saturday, November 22 from 12:00-5:00 pm. Come drop by if you want to pick up a copy of either of my books or if you just want to chat!

3. What I’ve been reading

The last couple of months have been pretty slow for reading. I’ve been finding myself in a bit of a rut with fantasy and in need of some new material.

Recently Finished

• I recently finished The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne (the sequel to Shadow of the Gods). While I loved Gwynne’s Faithful and the Fallen series, I am finding Bloodsworn Saga more of a challenge to get through. Most of the POV characters have very similar motivation (revenge) and story arcs which made the book less compelling for me.

• I was reading Oathbringer but DNF'd about the 30% mark. I've enjoyed many of Sanderson's books in the past, but I've lost interest in this series the longer it goes on and the more fantastic elements are overexplained and disenchanted (e.g. Dalinar’s visions). I may come back to Stormlight Archive some day, but I am not feeling it this time around.

• I did read the first two books of Will Wight’s Cradle series, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve never read any progression fantasy before, so it’s a nice change of pace for me. I'll definitely keep going with the series.

• Near the end of the month, I made a much-needed reading diversion into non-fantasy for a true palette cleanser. I have a lot of books on my shelf that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, and decided to browse some of the classic novels I’ve accumulated over the years. I ended up reading Ernest Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s classic Hemmingway—short, sparse, bleak, but also incredibly insightful.

• I finished two author-focused books: Be a Writing Machine by M. L. Ronn and The Artisan Author by Johnny B. Truant. These books, and their respective philosophies, couldn’t be more different. After the dust of the book launch settles, I’m thinking of writing a whole post about my own thoughts on this writer as artist vs machine dichotomy. Until then, I’ll just say that I strongly resonated with Truant’s approach to being an author, and equally strongly did not resonate with Ronn’s.

Currently Reading:

• Dracula by Bram Stoker — another classic I’ve had sitting on the shelf. Time to finally read it!

• Irish Mythology: The Children of Danu by Daniel Allison — this is a retelling of the Irish mythological cycle in a more accessible format than the original tales (some of which I read a few years back). I’m currently listening to the audiobook version, which is very helpful for learning Gaelic pronunciation, and captures some of the oral poetic qualities that went into the formation of these myths.

• A Storm of Swords by G.R.R Martin. I finally started this series earlier in the year. Continuing now with book three.

4. Link Roundup

Maps, lore, and excerpts from Rage of the Raven Queen

• 🐦‍⬛Rage of the Raven Queen – Launch Date and Cover Reveal! 📖

• 🗺️Map Reveal: Explore the expansive world of Rage of the Raven Queen

• Sneak peek at Rage of the Raven Queen: Chapter One

Five of the best medieval monster stories

• Volume I: The Giant of Mont St. Michel

• Volume II: Bisclavret the werewolf

• Volume III: The Green Knight

• Volume IV: The Draugr

• Note: I am still planning to complete Volume V about the monster Grendel from Beowulf, but having twins and launching a book have prevented me from working on it!

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As always, thank you for reading.

Andrew