With the shaping tests behind them, Akari and Kalden moved on to the written portion of their admissions. This test differed for each grade level, but any student could walk into the Admissions Office and request a harder version.
For a fee, of course. Koreldon University loved its fe...
2025-01-24 12:57:04 +0000 UTC View PostAkari began her Missile portion on Round Twenty-Five. Clearly, the Artegium had much higher standards for its incoming second-years. Especially when those second-years had reached the Artisan realm.
She breezed through the first twelve rounds, destroying the dream mana opponents like paper ...
2025-01-18 19:00:25 +0000 UTC View PostWeb of Secrets is up on Amazon, and I have an official release date of January 19, 2025!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7XSBKH2
In the meantime, you can get a free copy through BookFunnel by clicking this link:...
2025-01-17 12:48:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone,
Here's the final version of the WoS cover!
I'm aiming to launch the ebook on Amazon very soon, so I might be busy with launch-related tasks this week, but I should be able to focus more on writing Book 5 when things calm down again.
As always, thanks for your suppor...
2025-01-10 13:44:39 +0000 UTC View PostRelia grabbed a pair of brass handles and pushed open the doors of her father’s study. This wasn’t the Cabinet Room he used for his official meetings. This was a smaller room in the East Wing of the residence, the place where he did most of his real work. Bookshelves lined three walls, and th...
2025-01-05 19:53:51 +0000 UTC View Post“I understand not wanting to go back,” Akari’s mother said later that night. “You’ve always been independent.”
“Right.” Akari paced around the forest in the dreamscape. “Some people can’t focus without school, but I never had that problem.”
If anything, sch...
2024-12-31 19:30:24 +0000 UTC View PostKalden led the team across Cliff Street toward their base of operations. It was an old brick building on the North Side, halfway between the Trenches and Koreldon University. Close enough to the action downtown, but not so close that they’d get ambushed on a grocery run.
He climbed a shor...
2024-12-29 15:26:24 +0000 UTC View PostRelia sat in the ballroom a few hours later, watching the festivities go on around her. Sapphire cloth draped the tables, and the fabric shimmered in the light of the crystal chandeliers above. The sounds of piano and violin echoed all around her, mingled with the waves that crashed agains...
2024-12-26 12:23:02 +0000 UTC View PostRelia stood on the front steps of the Palace Prime, watching the black car glide toward the curb. Its smooth black surface caught the sharp lines of the palace, but the windows revealed nothing.
“Another one?” Relia asked under her breath. “How many cars do my parents own?”
...
2024-12-22 20:39:31 +0000 UTC View Post
I haven't passed on my feedback to the designer yet, so feel free to let me know what you think!
2024-12-21 01:24:52 +0000 UTC View PostPRESENT DAY
Water splashed beneath Akari’s boots as she charged the massive gloomfang. Standing over ten feet tall, the creature had the body of an ape and the face of a cave bat. Slick black carapace clung to its spindly frame, and its arms hung well past its knees as it waded through th...
2024-12-18 13:29:12 +0000 UTC View PostFOUR YEARS AGO
Relia passed beneath an old stone archway and followed her master toward the temple. Curtains of green vines hung on either side of their path, and a few seemed to sway in the evening breeze.
Except there was no breeze down here in the valley, just humid jungle ai...
2024-12-07 15:28:54 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Book 5 is starting now!
FIFTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO
Elend’s feet moved without his permission, carrying his body toward the full-length mirror. A twelve-year-old boy stared back at him in the shiny glass surface, running his hands over the blue fabric of his pajamas....
2024-12-03 13:10:26 +0000 UTC View PostHi Everyone! Checking in with another update.
The Book 2 rewrite is 80% done, including all the new scenes I set out to write. Here’s a quick rundown of those (feel free to skip straight to the Google Doc and search "new scene" if you'd rather read them with zero spoilers):
...
2024-11-19 13:15:14 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone, just checking in with a quick update on the Mana Arts Saga.
Book 1: Web of Secrets is done with copy-edits, and the proofreader has the manuscript right now for the final round of revisions. I’m still aiming to release this on Amazon sometime in December...
2024-10-23 18:01:46 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone,
I originally started QV to take a break from my other series, Web of Secrets. I’d meant to finish a whole book during that time, but it might be better if I pull back early and focus on WoS again.
I enjoyed working on this series, and it felt good to have a break...
2024-09-22 18:47:25 +0000 UTC View PostZack pulled up the screen from earlier that day, letting it fill his mind’s eye.
New Possible Skills:
Tactical Planning Level 1, Teamwork Level 1
You have reached the maximum of four Combat skills. Which skill would you like to keep?
Tactica...
2024-09-17 12:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Mind pulling around back?” Zack asked when they reached the Valley View.
“Sure.” Camille had been about to enter the front parking lot, but she kept driving down Pinecrest Street. “How come?”
“I have a rope upstairs,” he said after a short pause.”I was g...
2024-09-12 12:27:20 +0000 UTC View Post“Did you earn any skills?” Zack asked Camille as they drove back into town. The sun was low on the horizon, and its golden beams shone through the trees, casting long shadows over the road.
“Yeah.” Camille lifted a nervous hand from the steering wheel, running it through her chestnu...
2024-09-07 12:14:03 +0000 UTC View PostZack dropped the chest and pulled his blade from its scabbard. He spun around in the same moment, facing the swarm of mutant blue starwings. He’d only counted seven of the birds before. Now, he faced well over a dozen, and they all looked hungry.
“Get back,” he told Daudilus. “Again...
2024-09-02 18:08:34 +0000 UTC View PostZack stepped toward the new doorway, stopping when he reached the precipice. The other side looked like an underground canyon, with strange trees sprouting up from the stone floor, and a web of green vines covering the walls. Light shone from some distant crystals, casting the whole scene in twil...
2024-08-29 12:36:49 +0000 UTC View PostZack crawled down a familiar hole toward the gnomish tunnel. Or the dungeon, as he’d taken to calling it these days. He knew life wasn’t a game, but it certainly felt like one with Gia around.
Their discovery looked mostly untouched. The boulders and wooden boards had still blocked the ...
2024-08-21 00:15:25 +0000 UTC View PostCamille stepped into Vance’s Hunting Goods later that evening. Zack had wanted to go straight back to the tunnels, but she’d talked him out of that crazy plan. If she was going to be an adventurer, then she planned to be a proper one.
Gia must have agreed, judging by her first que...
2024-08-15 19:54:00 +0000 UTC View PostZack whistled to himself as he walked through the doors of Master Kord’s dojo. Camille had taken the third mana core, and they’d made plans to go back to the tunnels that week. A successful day, all things considered.
“I still think you owe me some charisma points,” Zack told Gia in...
2024-08-15 11:40:09 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 8: The Temple of Knowledge
Camille pushed her cart from the librarian’s desk toward the stacks. The wheels rumbled on the dark flagstones, and her route took her past tall oaken bookshelves and frosted glass windows.
The library was the oldest building in Starwing Town, and ...
2024-08-08 11:55:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe screen faded from Zack’s vision, and Daudilus rushed out from the nearby forest. The husky leapt up, putting his two front paws on Zack’s shoulders.
“Hey!” Zack reached out a hand to steady himself, then he scratched his friend behind the ears. “Good to see you, too.”
...
2024-08-03 14:23:25 +0000 UTC View PostNo sooner had Zack spoken than another window appeared in his mind’s eye:
New Habit Quest: Tidy Up.
A gnome Commando always controls himself and his surroundings. Make your bed and clean your room every day. Don’t break the streak!
Days Completed: 0/2...
2024-07-30 11:37:03 +0000 UTC View Post[Hello,] said a feminine voice. [I am your Gamified Intelligence Assistant. Or GIA, for short.]
“Woah.” Zack glanced around the room, expecting to see the source of the strange voice. He met Camille’s eyes instead. “Did you hear that?”
“Um . . .” She glanced nervou...
2024-07-26 12:06:48 +0000 UTC View PostCamille pulled her truck into the Valley View the next morning. The eastern sky glowed with pale light as the sun promised to show its face, and the warm hues reflected off the inn’s rustic sign. Crystal lanterns hung from wooden posts around the parking lot, designed to look like old-fashioned...
2024-07-25 12:01:12 +0000 UTC View PostZack stepped inside the Valley View Inn, and Daudilus trotted in beside him. The common room had high vaulted ceilings with a wooden staircase on one side. A massive glass window dominated the wall opposite the door, offering a clear view of the snow-capped mountains beyond. Leather armchairs and...
2024-07-20 11:32:33 +0000 UTC View Post