Holy shit! An update!

I know, right?

I want to be clear that while I have been awful - just dreadful - with updates over the last year plus, I have been working on the book! I’m not pulling a George R.R. Martin over here.

So, a couple important things have happened over the past year to share with you all.

First, I have been putting the book through peer review. I have incredibly good and close friends that I trust with something so personal to me. Also important to note about my close inner circle:

1. They are huge fantasy nerds too

2. They are incredibly well-read readers in the genre

3. They’re all wicked smart

I’ve received phenomenal, honest, and actionable input that I have been implementing into the book.

Among the feedback I received was the desire to better flesh out the characters. They’re not wrong. While those family histories are in my head and relevant to how the characters behave, I am now bringing that color a bit more to the forefront so you as the reader can appreciate how these characters have been molded. Families can be great, they can be messy, and they can certainly be a little of Column A and a little of Column B. Their influence cannot be understated. I’m really proud of how those influences have been woven into the individual and over-arching tales.

The characters' interpersonal relationships are also receiving more meat on their respective bones. Again, as the omnipotent author, I already know how these individuals will shape one another and help them grow. I’ve spent more time bringing those elements forward, but with a careful hand on the stick to make sure we are showing and not telling.

Another big change? Bringing more diversity to the cast. As you may or may not recall, the characters and story I am telling are heavily influenced by the characters I’ve played, my favorite characters my friends have played, and the stories we made together.

Facts being facts. I didn’t grow up around a lot of diversity. But then you age and go off to school and enter the workforce, and you thankfully get introduced to so many interesting people, cultures, belief systems and more. What’s more, my wife is half Lebanese and therefore my kids are part Middle Eastern too, so my own life has thankfully been enhanced by being introduced to new customs and culture.

As long as I am breaking down these characters and building them back up with more background, I’ve also introduced more diversity.to the cast. I think this is important for the readers and also it reflects a more interesting world for these characters to live and interact within.

If I’m being honest wth myself, while the seed of these characters and their stories are rooted in nostalgia from times spent roleplaying as a teenager, the reality is their histories, and their stories have vastly evolved. They bear little to no resemblance to their original influences. I’m incredibly proud of how the cast looks and feels now. It has made writing for them so much more interesting for me as the author, it has brought more lore and variability to the world of Xenia, and it has absolutely enriched both the individual characters’ stories and the tale I’m telling overall.

The last big change, after pouring through input from friends and taking a hard look at the book, is that I’ve decided to kill some of my darlings. By that, and without going into spoilers, I mean I have decided to eliminate a significant event and a major character from the book.

Stepping back and taking an agnostic look at this story, it is objectively better without that storyline. And it’s not like that storyline cannot be included in a future book set in this universe.

The ultimate result is that what was originally thought of as a trilogy will not be a duology. I know that’s a paradigm shift for fantasy fiction, but I sleep just fine at night knowing it’s the right call.

So, where does that put us? Well, I am working as diligently as I can to get Book 1 done and ready for publication. My goal is to put Book 1 out by Christmas.

There. I put that shit in print now, so I guess I gotta stick with it.

Thanks for reading and for the support I have gotten from all of you who follow the blog and subscribe to it! As the name of the blog states, I just write for you because you are saying, “just write for me.” I cannot express the energy and encouragement that gives me.

Let’s talk again soon!