Writing Update - Jan 3rd, 2025

Howdy all…

As a rule of thumb with these—I’ll be posting my videos where I do writing and reading updates on all these posts which I also upload to YouTube every Friday at Noon EST.

I will segment my writing updates into current drafting phases and refer to whatever projects I have in the works to be as transparent as possible. I’m excited for you all to be engaged with the world of Mercy—so here. we. go.

Primary Novel Update:

Book one — Mercy: Tears of the Fallen — the cover has been released!

Current word count: 202,385 words

I spent the last 16 days going through the first round of edits to cut it down from 235,000 words.

Dave Butler (My editor) wants to see AT LEAST a 60k word cut, adding around 10k total words. Netting a loss of 50k. There’s still roughly about 10-15k I can lose on the next round of edits, and I’m looking forward to seeing the end result.

Book Two — Mercy: (Title to be announced) — is sitting idly by with the first draft complete. I’ll likely be picking this one back up for second and third round self-edits by February.

Current Word Count: 187,015

(Really looking forward to diving back into this one)

Short Stories:

Before Reckoning (Anthology Title)

First input into the anthology will be released for you here on Patreon (for free, ya dang Vileborn) and it is a Before Reckoning story mostly told through Alevist’s eyes (a character from the main series).

You will get to experience the Blood Rebellion and the siege at Sen Tok! I have copy edits for it completed today (Friday, January 3rd). I’ll be implementing them and then sending off for a couple quick proofreads to make sure everything is ready for you guys come next Monday-Wednesday.

Novellas:

I have two in the works.

Snow Mane

The Dawn Son

Both are sitting around 3,000 words and both will (likely) be written in first person narrative form.

Snow Mane dives into a Before Reckoning (or during Reckoning) story in the eyes of one of my favorite characters from the main series…at least in book one. 😈

Here you will experience a coming of age journey of which the main character is challenged during one of his world’s hardest times. The intent is for this one to fit either before or after Book One… haven’t quite decided.

The Dawn Son will chronologically take place in an Epoch well before… WELL, WELL before the main events of the big first series.

I’m going to keep the door closed on whose eyes you’ll be seeing it through… but the intent is for this one to be read after Book Two… for reasons I will also not disclose.

Artwork:

I have a piece currently being worked on by MaxBeechCreative on Instagram! It’s the opening scene and I’m so excited to see what comes out of this.

In terms of a cover for book two, I’m penciled in with the same artist for Book one’s (Stuart Bache—who’s done Jacquelyn Haegen’s work and Ryan Cahill’s as well). I should be starting that process come July, so a book two cover will be ready to rock come August/September of this year!! I will later announce a date for book two once I dive back into re-work the first draft.

So for now, book one will be entering its second round of editing by next week’s writing update, or if not, that following Monday. Be ready for the short story—I cannot wait to hear the feedback of the first ever introduction to Mercy.

Stay dangerous,

Chance