Just a quick announcement that the first cover reveal will be September 19th!
Stop by or check your email sometime after 10:00 am MDT to be the first to see Zhu Que's Auspicious Hummingbird, the cover for A Dragon for Darius, Part One.
Additionally, the cover artist, Emily Jackson from Artwork by Emily is hard at work on the second cover, Xuanwu, the Black Turtle of the North.
Remember, the reveal is exclusive to followers of the project. If you haven't followed yet, now's your chance!
What's not exclusive is our Sticker Poll. We will be creating stickers of the Auspicious Hummingbirds and are curious, what's the ideal size for a vinyl sticker? To vote, you will need to be logged into a backerkit account.
Almost forgot I had to do one of these. I'll keep this one short and brief. Probably.
The Bright Spot Hardcover Cover reveal
Now if you are a bright spot super fan, you might be asking silly questions like "I thought you already did a hardcover" and "How come its taken this long" And the answer I have for you is "don' worry abbadit" The first hardcover edition had many issues. The biggest one was ISBN conflicts. When publishing the bright spot I tried using an ISBN for the amazon edition of the paperback version. I decided to not use amazon kdp and stuck with IngramSpark. The ISBN I used at amazon, never really went away. So when I published the hardcover with the same isbn that I tried using, Amazon found that very confusing so I had to take it down. Otherbook sellers like B&N and even Walmart had no issue with the hardcover version. I could get more technical but I don't really want to because I don't understand it fully myself. I also didn't like the cover I made for it. It had the iconic red space cover for a dust jacket and the inside binding was fully black with a sliver of red as a sillhouette of the planet. It looked fantastic on the computer, but in print, you could hardly even see it. So back to the drawing board. I really wanted to create an experience that incentivises readers to pick up both editions. I think the paperback space versions look amazing, so I needed a cover for the hardback to look equally great with a minimalist approach. So I present to you...... The Bright Spot Hardcover and Blight Eater Hardcover!!
Keep your ooing and aahing to a minimum please. These are still work in progress, so if theres something you notice that I should change or update, let me know!
Now these designs are for the dust jackets. I have the potential to make the inside covers different or special. So I could either keep this design, on the inside, or put the paperback design, or something entirely different. Maybe I'll make that a stretch goal... Thoughts?
Writing update
I kinda took a break for the last week so I could brainstorm a bit on how I'm going to edit the second half of Blight Eater. There are a lot of rules I need to create and keep consistent. There are also a lot of rules I've previously established that I'll need to break using newer rules. Its gonna be fun. I know I need to hurry it up, but I also have to do my best to make sure you don't hate it. Outlining has sort-of begun with the second half. Once I decide how badly I want to hurt my characters, I'll have a pretty good idea on what to do.
POLL
New poll btw. Not that anyone cares. No one even participates
As we're into October and nearing the start of the campaign, I've been editing the books that are already published so I can get them to you asap!
I'm also starting to reverse outline and revise Crimson Nights so I can start drafting it asap and get it to y'all at the earliest!
I'm currently editing There's Always a Morning at the same time as Rise of the Resistance, and hoping to finish them both off soon!
While The Elite and the Rogues' fulfilment is my priority at present, that doesn't mean I'm ignoring the upcoming project!
Have a snippet from Crimson Nights as a teaser!
Snippet from Crimson Nights!
Sean shrugged, but his eyes moved away from Killian’s. An answer all by itself. Killian felt cold. Sean was here on official capacity.
“Are you here to kill me?” Killian hadn’t broken any rules, but still, he didn’t know of any other vampires in the vicinity.
Sean’s eyes met his, and they were expressionless. “No. I’m not here to kill you.” He paused. “At least, I hope I am not.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Sean cocked his head to a side. “You know I can’t talk about my work.”
Killian knew. He had worked for the council once and had been bound to the same secrecy. Just because he left didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of how things worked.
“Okay,” he admitted grudgingly. “What can you tell me?”
“When was the last time you fed?” Sean’s question was innocuous.
“This morning.” Killian frowned. “I’ve a stash of synthetic blood in my fridge. Why? Is that a crime now?”
Sean shook his head. “No… You haven’t taken a bite out of the humans here for a change, have you?”
Killian glared at Sean. “I thought you knew me better than that, husband.”
Sean sighed. “Killian, please.”
Killian removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “No, I haven’t been snacking on any humans, and I haven’t in the past century and half. What the fuck is this about, Sean?”
Sean smiled at him. “As I said, I can’t tell you. How about we catch up? Over a bottle of that blood that you stock?”
Killian rolled his eyes. He could say no, but he didn’t want to. Even as his brain was screaming at him that it was none of his business, he couldn’t resist wanting to know more. Or of spending time with Sean.
“Fine,” he relented. “Just come over in the evening, around seven?”
Hello folks! Here is our fifth author interview for the Space Wizard Year 5, Part 2 Launch Party! Our October 29 start of the The Book Bazaar 2026 is fast approaching, with nearly 40 publishing projects ready to go. Stay tuned for the next interview!
Robin C.M. Duncan is a long-time Space Wizard author, and we had a chat about his new book, The Venus Vendetta, releasing in April/May 2027. If you haven't read the first three books, this is a great way to pick them up, and the latest volume will serve as a new jumping off point for the series. (Also, Robin is Scottish, so he's great to just listen to!)
To see the video, you'll need to click through to the launch party below to see it. If you're not following the project yet, there will be a button below that says "Follow this Project" Click that, and you can sign up to see all the Launch Party content! (Plus, we have another cover first reveal!)
What's our new poll this time? Which of these new technologies (featured in the books) do you want to see first?
What are you waiting for? See the next video for Space Wizard Science Fantasy Year 5, Part 2!
Click Below (where it says "Reply to this Update" or "Follow this Project") | | | | v v
Wow! I can’t believe we are less than two weeks away from launch. I’ve been pretty busy designing stickers and bookmarks for this wonderful project. I didn’t take into consideration how difficult it would be to create art when the lead’s appearance is left out 😆.
Anyways, we’ve already hit 52 followers and I can’t be more excited. THANK YOU ALL. I appreciate your support so much!
On a side note, yall make sure to check out the other projects in The Book Bazaar. Y’all… Y’ALL there are so many wonderful authors launching on the 29th! Check them out 🫶
Last night I was able to finish the bulk of the formatting on Becoming Neptune's Cat. I have a dedication to add as well as will need to add all your lovely names for those who back at those tiers. I feel like I should say more, but am pretty exhausted as it's been a very busy several weeks and doesn't look like it's slowing anytime soon.
I don't know about you, but I'm getting very excited about TBB launching later this month. Stay tuned. I hope to have some pretties to show off soon.
Only the best things ever come from writing in cabins in the woods, right?
Drake has gone off the rails. I feel like it was a necessary turn for his character and for Darius' but they are making me anxious. I am technically behind on my writing deadlines but I am a patient crafter who edits as I work so my editing passes should be fairly painless. I still feel that we are on a steady clip and will make our deadlines provided this project funds.
Have you told your friends about our hummingbird covers? Do you know people who like to read SolarPunk stories about dragons saving a post-climate apocalypse world? I know I do!
I've gone through several iterations of the second book cover. I expect it shortly and am hopeful that we can show it off around launch!
Settle a Fox Family argument: are characters like The Lorax and The Grinch from Dr. Suess books monsters or are they just made up characters who happen to be furry and sometimes scary? (If you say, what's the difference?, you probably think they are monsters)
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