Happy New Year and welcome to 2019.  I hope that this year proves a prosperous one for everyone.

The third book of Lifting the Veil has been released and should be available in all online stores.

The nuclear winter has ended. Survivors cautiously begin to peek out of their underground shelters, each having endured their separate trials. They emerge into a foreign land wiped bare from the ferocious storms and glaciers. The landscape is barren with barely any sign of life. How will they fare in the new land with supplies running low?

Many find signs directing them to a land prepared, but the journey over inhospitable terrain is daunting. Most of the survivors, in groups great and small, find themselves pulled either to the west or to the northwest. Searching for supplies, Frank and Marie encounter something dark, eventually meeting up with a mysterious stranger.

In the protected valley, life begins anew. Two groups have fragmented the peaceful valley, each certain they are right in their beliefs. The barrier still stands, holding off the harsh weather, but for how long?

Keegan, believing himself the new messiah, gathers his people to him and begins his march to the east. Unknown to any of the forming groups, something dark has begun gathering at the gates, thundering forth into an unprepared land.

The fourth and final book in the series, Lifting the Veil: Risen, has also been completed and is currently with the editor.  I expect that one back in about a month or so.  I’ll be starting on the audiobook for Emergence here shortly and that one should be available in about 5 weeks.  I don’t really have much more to report as I’m just getting back into writing following the holidays.  My first foray will be on the 5th book of A Shrouded World with Mark Tufo and also to begin another Red Team adventure.

I wish you a very happy new year!

John

Well, I finished the final read through and hit the button.  The third chapter in Lifting the Veil is now available for pre-order with a delivery date set for January 2, 2019.  The fourth and final book in the series has been completed in rough draft form and is currently at the editor.  I expect to have that one back in about 6 weeks, putting an approximate publication sometime in March.

This series has pretty much consumed the better part of this year, along with finishing A Shrouded World: Valhalla.  I’ve started on book 6 of A Shrouded World, but honestly haven’t written much in that one.  Once the new year rolls around, I’ll put a few more words in that one.  I also began reading through Red Team: Strigoi in order to get back into the flow of that series.  Aside from A Shrouded World, I’ll most likely be dedicating 2019 on Red Team.  Lynn, Greg, McCafferty, Gonzalez, Henderson, Denton, and of course Jack, have been idle for far too long.  The Organization is ready to take on another challenge.

Thanks again for all of your support and I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season.

John

Well, my fingers are sore as I’ve been grinding away at the keyboard day in and day out.  Lifting the Veil: Emergence, the third book in the series is currently at the editor and I just flew past the 2/3 mark with Lifting the Veil: Risen.  That one is the fourth and final book in the series.  The writing is currently flowing as I have the rest of the book figured out and now it’s just a matter of putting those ideas into words. I’m hoping to finish the draft of Risen in the next week and a half or two.  Then, it will go into the first round of editing, probably getting it back before Emergence returns from the editor.  So, with regards to any kind of timeline, I’m hoping to have Emergence ready to publish in the middle of December with Risen being ready toward the end of the year or very early in 2019.

The cover for Emergence has been completed with the exception of the back blurb and it’s a winner.  I’ll be doing a cover reveal on Facebook when I receive the book back from the editor and before it goes into a third round of editing.  So, expect that in about 2-3 weeks.  Finishing the Lifting the Veil series will probably round out the rest of the year, with me possibly starting on the next Red Team book sometime in December.  I also spoke with Mark Tufo and we are tossing ideas about the 5th book in A Shrouded World.  So, expect that to be in the works pretty soon.  We’re hoping to have something out in the first or second quarter of 2019.

That’s really about it.  If I don’t happen to speak with you before, I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and holiday season.  And. as always, thank you so much for all of your support!

John

It’s difficult to believe that 2018 is nearing its end, but here I sit with the end of the year staring me in the face. It’s been a busy year sitting here at the keyboard. Since taking a little bit of a break writing, I’ve nearly worn out the seat of one pair of pants while pecking away at the keyboard. I noticed my “new” keyboard now had letters nearly rubbed off.  Apparently, I use the letters “a” and “n” the most.  Good thing I happen to know where they’re at.

At any rate, I’ve mostly been involved with the series, Lifting the Veil, with the goal of completing it by the end of the year.  It looks like I’ll be able to complete that goal.  What initially began as a two-book series quickly blossomed into four.  I recently received the third book, which is now titled Lifting the Veil: Emergence, from the first editing phase. So, this next week will be spent going through those.  Ugh.  Have I ever mentioned that I hate editing? No, well, I do.  I think I’d rather shove push pins under my fingernails. But, without it, the stories wouldn’t be what they are.  So, yay for this week.

The cover for Lifting the Veil: Emergence has been completed, with the exception of small details. Oh man is it a great one.  Dean Samed has entered new endeavors, so I had to seek out another cover artist.  Based on his recommendation, I selected J Caleb of J Caleb Design.  I can’t wait to show off the cover he designed.  Once I finish this first round and send the manuscript off for the second round, it will take about a month to finish that process. When it’s about a week from getting it back, I’ll do a cover reveal.

While waiting for the edits, I managed to get about one-third of the way through the rough draft of the fourth book, Lifting the Veil: Risen.  And as Emergence is in the next editing process, I’ll continue along with that.  So, hopefully Risen won’t be long following.  I have to say that it’s been an interesting series to write, as the forehead marks on my desk will attest to.  At times, it has been the most frustrating book to pen, and at others, the most fun.  I will both miss it and Snoopy dance with joy when the series is completed.

Once this series has reached its conclusion, I’ll start back on Red Team.  I’ll have to read through it to get my mind in synch with the team, but I have so many notes and ideas that need put into coherent sentences.  I’ve long thought about heading back to A New World, but I have a couple of new ideas about that one that are in a battle with one another.  So, I’ll let those thoughts battle with each other for a while longer.  Once one settles in, I’ll go back to wrap up the threads in that story.

As a last note, Lifting the Veil: Winter has been released as an audio book.  Mark Gagliardi has done another wonderful job and I’m so pleased that I found him so long ago as a narrator.

As always, I really appreciate the support you’ve given me over the years.  It really humbles me to think about where this has gone since I put the first word down on A New World.  So, thank you!

John

I thought it perhaps time for an update. Lifting the Veil: Emergence, the third book in the series, is now in the first stage of editing. This process will take about 5 weeks or so to complete and then I’ll be hitting the publish button. This one was a fun book to write and flowed fairly easily. I pretty much knew that a fourth book would be required early on as I was only a few days into the people emerging and nearly half way through the intended size of the book. The fourth book will be a little more difficult as I attempt to pull all of the pieces together. But, I foresee a bit more action-oriented scenes. I hope you’ve enjoyed the tale so far and Emergence carries that on.

The audiobook of Lifting the Veil: Winter was competed yesterday and is in Audible’s QC process. That means it should be available in about a week. That’s really about it.  I hope you have a wonderful upcoming weekend and thank you for the reviews and all of the support you’ve given.

John

The second book of the Lifting the Veil series is now live on Amazon.  It will become available on the other eBook sites within the next week or so; each site has differing timelines for publication.  The print version should also be ready.  For those who enjoy audio books, I will be starting that process here very shortly.  It takes about a month for the entire narration process to be completed, so I ask your patience in getting this done.

I am also about a third of the way through the draft of the next book in the series.  So far, the book has flowed smoothly, but I know it won’t be that way further in as I have to finesse all of the points to a convergence.  One aspect that is bothering me is that, while I’m a third complete with regards to the normal size of my books, I’m only two days into the emergence from the shelters and there is so much story to cover.  I’m not going to say this early on that the series will be extended, but that remains a possibility.

Here is the link to the US Amazon location:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRDJ4GG

Thank you for all of your support through they years.  It is truly appreciated.  I feel so humbled to be in this position of telling stories.  When I first sat down at the keyboard, I had no idea it would blossom into what it has become.  So, thank you all!

John

 

It’s summer and with the sun out here in the Northwest, it’s been time to get out before the gray sets back in. I’ve been doing some here and there at the keyboard, but my time has mostly been spent with yard improvements. Retaining walls have been built, land leveled, raised beds constructed, and dirt moved…a lot of dirt. I’m pretty sure that the Earth has changed its rotational spin with the amount of dirt brought in. If you’ve felt that wobble, I apologize. But, that work is nearly completed and it’s time to get back to putting Ramen back on the table.

A Shrouded World: Valhalla, the fourth book in the series, is at the publisher and should be available soon. “Should” is the key word to focus on here. That series is released in all versions at once, so it takes time to compile everything and have the narration for the audio books completed.

I have nearly finished the editing for the second book in the Lifting the Veil series, Lifting the Veil: Winter. This books will take you into the lives of the survivors as they wait out the years until they can again emerge from their shelters. I will say right off that it doesn’t have a ton of action or heart-pounding moments. It’s time to set that bar low. This is the pause before things get really interesting. You can see the storm clouds rising on the horizon and feel the ozone start to build. But first, we have to get to that point and make sure all of the duckies are in a row. The cover is almost complete and I will share that when I get it into my greedy mitts. I anticipate a release before the end of the month, perhaps sooner.

Once I have Winter released, I’ll continue with the scant parts I’ve written on the concluding book. That one is going to be interesting to write, but I’m looking forward to it. I have a ton of ideas and we’ll see which ones make it into the story. Following the finish of this series, it will be time to dive back into Jack and the rest of Red Team.

I have a thought sitting in the recesses of my brain to develop an action/adventure series of books involving Red Team, different from the current series. This one won’t involve monsters, but instead as a special ops unit taking on various assignments. I’m not sure about this one as yet, but there’s a tickling of ideas emerging.

So, that’s about it for now. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

John

Well, the editing with the fourth book of A Shrouded World has finally been completed and with the publisher.  I don’t have a specific date for when it will be released as all versions with that series are released together, so the narration has to be completed.  But, it’s finished and should be ready sometime this summer.

The first stage of editing the second book of Lifting the Veil has also been completed and was sent for the second round of editing this weekend.  This book was difficult to write because it’s less about action and more about putting pieces in the right places.  The conditions had to be correctly set in order to move into the third book.  I’m used to having action break up the monotony of the phases in between, so moving from one survival camp to the next without blood-splashing actions scenes was tedious to write.  I learned that I’m much better with action scenes than I am with any other aspects…or that I enjoy writing them better.  But, the tedious scenes are necessary for the story to evolve.

Now, with the completion of the second book’s draft, I can move on to the concluding third book.  There is a lot happening in my mind with regards to the final book that just needs translation into words on paper.  The forces of light and dark will work to bring the bring the souls to their side and eventually collide with a  decisive battle.  I’m looking forward to diving into the book and will do so shortly.

Thank you all for your support!  If you wouldn’t mind taking a moment to leave a review for all of the books, I would greatly appreciate it.  I hope you had a great weekend and that your week treats you well.

John

It’s been a while since I’ve updated matters, so accept my apologies.  I’d like to say that I’ve been chained to the keyboard, but the fact of the matter is, I haven’t.  I injured my hand and that’s been keeping me from endlessly pounding out words.  I have recently been able to start back up and am progressing with the second book of Lifting the Veil.  So, I haven’t been totally slacking and here’s where we’re at with books.

The fourth book of A Shrouded World, titled A Shrouded World: Valhalla, is at the editor as we speak.  That should be back in Mark’s and my hands in about three weeks.  We’ll have to go through the usual post-edit process and then submit it.  I have no idea when that will be actually published as it will have to be narrated first.  The plan is to release all versions at once, so be patient, it’s getting closer.

The narration of Lifting the Veil: Fallen has been completed and is in Audible’s QA process.  In the past, that’s taken about a week or so before it’s on the market.  Along those lines, I’ve begun writing on the final stages of the second book of Lifting the Veil and am but a short sprint from finishing that one.  I’ll hopefully have the rough draft completed in the first part of May, then that will begin the editing process.  As it does that, I’ll start working on the third and final novel in that series.  Yes, I know that there’s been a clamor for more Red Team and I’ll work on that series following the completion of LTV.

I will say that Lifting the Veil has been a different process.  Normally, I pretty much free flow the writing, but that can’t be the case with this series.  Everything has to be carefully fit and that’s a chore with my limited brain cells.  I do want to thank everyone for all of your support.  I’m still floored on a daily basis by all of you, so thank you!  You don’t know how much I truly appreciate it.

John

So, I took a little time off during the holidays and it’s taken me a little to get started back up.  However, I did start back up on a limited basis a little while ago.  Part of the reason is that I came to a point in the second book of Lifting the Veil where I had to make a choice that would be the ultimate direction of the series.  When I first envisioned the story, it was to be a two-book set.  I was going to do something a little different and have a higher level look at events, with Michael as my main character.  That began to change part way through the second book as I could go one of two ways – to continue as planned, or extend the story to include more of a view with the characters introduced during the first book.  I felt, as this was to be a completely different story than I’m used to writing, that to shortcut anything would be to short-change the story and thus the readers.  But, to change directions in mid-story is not the easiest thing to do, so I had to carefully ponder how such an extended story might look and could it be done with what I wrote in the first book.  This series is difficult enough to write, although fun, as each piece has to fit in so tightly.  So, my daily word count hasn’t been what it should be.  But, I am now looking at three books in this story, which means that Red Team may have to be put off for another book.  However, I have felt those characters calling to me and had a complete scene of Red Team envisioned during one of my many sleepless nights.  So, not to fear, Jack and the others will return and I may have to fit them in between book two and three of Lifting the Veil. We’ll see.

Now, with that said, I reached the halfway mark through book two of Lifting the Veil, which I’ll now have to rename.  I’m thinking Lifting the Veil: Arrival.  The cover has been completed, but I’ll have to change the title.  I can’t wait to reveal this cover.  Dean has once again done his magic and put up with my nitpicking.

On another note, the audio book of Red Team: Strigoi should be coming out here in a couple of days.  I’ll begin the audio production of Lifting the Veil: Fallen in the next week or so.  I’ve slowly been catching up with the audio books and Fallen is the only one remaining.  ASW 4 is still with Mark, but should be ready to begin the editing process here soon.

I want to thank you for all of your support and hope you have an awesome upcoming weekend!

John