Category: NEWS

Azaya is coming to the Central Expanse on August 16, 2026

Discovery Writing 18 days. 43 chapters. 245 pages. 62,445 words. Start to finish, no AI. Azaya and the Central Expanse is done, and the second book in the Azaya series. It comes in as number five in the entire Charles Mandrake arc, and for those that enjoy the books, I will be working on one more at least, for Azaya sometime in the future. I've created a couple posts here about the writing process, but with this book, I really discovered just how much of a discovery writer I am. The best attempt at a plot was "Azaya and Rinna need something to do in the central expanse," and remember it all started with that scene in the shallows where they caught crayfish, looked for pebbles, and shared jerky and coffee. I have learned to just trust the story as it unfolds. This might seem hard to believe if you…

East Bay, Maine. The Site and the Build Behind It.

Building a Fictional Town Site that Feels Real The East Bay Maine site started out when I decided that I was going to write Charles Mandrake, Book Zero, "East Bay." The original thought was that I was going to write the origin story for the Trio, Charles, Anna, and Todd, but the project took an unexpected direction on its own. The Premise Behind the Website The first thing I instinctively knew came from the experience I have in marketing and development. This site had to feel like it was a town's website, and I did about six hours of research on small town websites. I found that most of them are either run by the city government and completely put-you-to-sleep boring, or they're run by an organization that has no idea what user experience is, or what people actually find interesting. Creating The Site Vision Before I did anything, I…

Update 1: Azaya and The Streets of Skelderheim

Azaya and the Streets of Skelderheim is done, and it was surprisingly easy to write. Once I got started, the story seemed to create itself, and one chapter just flowed into the next.- View the Streets of Skelderheim siteAzaya has a long arc that begins at the end of Charles Mandrake and the Keeper of the Flame (Book 2). From Harrik's ship as it pulls away, Anna watches the fighting on the docks and sees a young girl dart out from the crowd into an open space. Although the girl is unnamed, Book 3, Return to Skelderheim, starts from that moment on the docks, and continues Azaya's arc as a supporting character that becomes a protagonist in her own way.Now in what is book four of the Skelderheim series, but broken off as "Azaya's Skelderheim, Book 1: Azaya and the Streets of Skelderheim", Azaya takes the lead protagonist role. Those…