Book promo, writing update, and twins!
July author update
Andrew LiVecchi is a humanities professor and author of epic fantasy inspired by a lifelong obsession with ancient and medieval history, mythology, and classic literature. His novella, Son of the Thunder Goddess, is available for purchase at Amazon.
Hi everyone,
It’s been a while since I’ve done an author update, and I wanted to fill you in on what’s been happening and what’s coming next.
This is what I’ll be covering in this newsletter:
Kindle countdown deal
Writing update (and a very exciting life update)
What I’ve been reading
Link roundup
1. Kindle Countdown Deal: Pick up Son of the Thunder Goddess for only $0.99
First off, I am excited to announce that I am running a Kindle Countdown Deal for one week from Friday, August 1 at 11:00 AM EST to Friday, August 8 at 11:00 AM EST.
During these seven days, Son of the Thunder Goddess will be on sale for only $0.99.
If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, now’s the perfect chance to get it at a bargain. This novella is short and action-packed, the perfect summer fantasy read.
Still not convinced? Have a look at what reviewers are saying:
David Walters (aka LordTBR) of major fantasy review site, FanFiAddict:
Millie Abecassis, author of Daughters of the Blue Moon and Bright City, Shattered:
Kaylee, Goodreads reviewer:
2. Writing Update: Rage of the Raven Queen
I’ve been making progress on Rage of the Raven Queen, Book 2 of The Lays of Athewain.
I have already completed the first several rounds of drafting and revising, and, currently, the manuscript is with my beta readers. At 65,000 words, this book is going to be over three times as long as Son of the Thunder Goddess!
Because it’s a longer book, I’ve been able to flesh out a lot of the worldbuilding and themes that were set up or hinted at in the first book. There’s a second POV character, we see a lot more of the gods (especially Gaillag, the Bodtha, and the Maker), and there’s been more room for character development in general. You’re also going to see a lot more of Briana’s backstory. Even with all this added detail, I think I’ve managed to maintain the first book’s page-turning and action-packed elements.
The progress bars below, which you can find on my website, show how far along the book is:
My goal is to hear back from my beta readers and implement their feedback by the end of August. Then, in September, I’ll ship the manuscript off to my brilliant copyeditor, Robin Fuller (who also edited the first book). And at the same time, I am working again with Lukas Irzl on the cover design. He did a fantastic job with the first one, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for this book.
Originally, I had hoped to be ready to publish Rage of the Raven Queen in November, 2025, but now it’s looking like a publication date of Winter 2026 (January or February) is much more feasible.
There are two major reasons for this.
First, the book turned out longer than I originally guessed — it’s a short novel rather than a novella — and I found I struggled to get a lot of the book’s more challenging themes right on the first attempt. Or second, or third…
It’s a hard decision to postpone publication, and there’s definitely a part of me that wants to rush this novel out into the world. But I am committed to putting out a book only when I’m sure that it is the best I can make it. And the added time will help to make this novel better and stronger.
The second reason leads me to a very exciting life update, and that is that my wife and I are expecting twins! The due date is November 1, but twins are usually early. We are extremely excited about this, and I imagine I won’t have much in the way of free time in October or November. Rather than trying to launch a book at the same time as raising two newborns and a toddler, I’m choosing the path of reason and allowing Rage of the Rave Queen a later launch date.
3. What I’ve been reading:
I usually have a number of books on the go and like to mix things up between print, ebook, and audio as well as fiction, non-fiction, and classics.
Recently finished:
Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
I was going to listen to Oathbringer but this novella is supposed to fill in gaps between Books 2 and 3 of The Stormlight Archive. I had fun with this one, the limited POV, and the faster pace, even if it’s not Sanderson’s best. I’ll start Oathbringer next.
When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
Penman wrote one my favourite novels of all time, The Sunne in Splendour, about Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. This novel covers the civil wars between Maude and King Stephen after the death of Henry I. While it doesn’t come close to the perfection of Sunne, it is still an excellent historical fiction novel.
Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday
Part of Holiday’s Stoic Virtues series. I find I appreciate everything Holiday writes, especially the way he draws from great thinkers of the past, weaving their ideas into modern life. This book is sometimes lacking in focus, but contains many inspiring snippets.
Currently reading:
The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
I’ve listened to Ferriss’s podcast on and off for a while and finally decided to read his book. There’s a lot here that’s really only relevant to a specific kind of entrepreneur, but I’m still finding value in it so far (about 60% of the way through).
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
Classic fantasy from the late 80’s. It’s a slow burn compared to most modern fantasy, but it’s beautifully written and immersive. It’s forcing me to slow down and appreciate Williams’s attention to detail. I’m a little over halfway done and excited to see where it goes.
Top reads of 2025 so far:
The Gallic War by Julius Caesar
Classic of Roman military history. I’d read excerpts before but never the whole thing from start to finish. It feels silly to give a rating to a text this classic, so I’ll just say that Caesar was a brilliant writer (and propagandist) and his Gallic War is quite accessible.
Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
Great coming-of-age fantasy adventure story. It’s dark without fully entering into Grimdark territory and does an excellent job of drawing on medieval history.
Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay
GGK is one of my all-time favourite writers (fantasy or otherwise) and I usually read one of his books every year. Lord of Emperors is the sequel to Sailing to Sarantium. Together these books are a masterpiece of fantasy, with beautiful prose, rich worldbuilding based on early Byzantium, and painfully human characters.
Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
Surprisingly, I’ve actually never read these books before, though I did watch most of the TV series. The books are fantastic and much better than the show, in my opinion. I’m planning to read the third book this year as well.
4. Link Roundup
The Mead Hall
In case you missed it, here are the most recent articles from The Mead Hall:
Five books that will help you understand Medieval Britain
By far my most popular Substack article
I also started a new series, “Five of the best medieval monster stories.” The first two volumes have already been published:
Media appearances:
I recently went on Nicholas W. Fuller’s YouTube channel to chat about writing, fantasy, history, parenting, and more. You can find the link here.
That’s all for this author update. Thanks for reading to the end. Reply or leave me a comment with what books you’re currently reading or recently finished and what your top books are so far for 2025.
Thank you,
Andrew LiVecchi
If you enjoy my posts, please consider checking out my epic fantasy novella, Son of the Thunder Goddess. It builds on a lifelong love of mythology and literature and engages with a lot of the themes I wrestle with in my Substack articles.