What I want to draw attention to is the first cover, which is the far left one. I absolutely loved the colors, and I told Ivan that. I said, “Hey, keep this in your back pocket for the ne…

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In this article, we’re taking a pause for the cause and discussing the next setback in the world of creating audiobooks. Let’s see the blood of it.

Establishing the Facts:
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know I’ve had more than my fair share of setbacks while recording the audiobooks. And in true grimdark fashion, the problems are a much deeper rot than I imagined.

Before we get into it, if you haven’t already, it’s time for you to grab your copy of Decimation Protocol. The sequel to The Demon’s Fate is almost upon us. It’s available for presale on all major retailers including Amazon.

A stolen ship, an unauthorized mission, and a galaxy to tear apart.

Decimation Protocol

PreSonus Audiobox 2:
The first roadblock came with a faulty piece of equipment and the drawn-out fight to get PreSonus to replace the defective device. After about a month, I finally got the replacement. Guess what? Wrong device. Not only that, but it was worth half of the cost I initially paid. I got the usual hubbub about the device I had was no longer manufactured, so it was a use it or lose it.

So, I used it, and I started recording Red Creek. Being a novice with the software Logic Pro X, mistakes were made, and I had to re-record a few chapters, either because I accidentally deleted something by not joining a track after recording, or the quality wasn’t up to my perceived standard. But no worries. We were on track, and I started knocking chapters out.

Fleshing out character voices was a little slow going, but I settled on something I liked, which eventually had a soft mutation into Maro’s voice now. It’s not all that uncommon to hear a narrator change during the events of a recording, but it’s subtle.

I digress…

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Radio Frequency Interference:
Then, that dreaded moment where I heard radio frequency in the recording, that high-pitched Morse Code while I’m splicing tracks together to make the whole chapter. You know the one I’m talking about. Well, I went back in and re-recorded those lines. No harm, no foul, but I had to figure out where it was coming from and fast, or it’d be a much bigger problem. Here’s a sample of it now…

If you can’t hear it, then that means it’s either too low on the volume scale, or your headphones may auto-block that frequency. However, if anyone’s listening with great headphones, or loudly in a car, they’d hear it.

When I record, I don’t use headphones. It throws me off, so I don’t actually hear anything until I get done and listen. This is why I was missing the RF while it occurred and had to do pick ups.

So, I continued troubleshooting and recording, and each subsequent chapter got worse and worse. Like the tech-dog I am, I unplugged everything, powered it down, and slowly worked up to adding everything back. I checked the Minami Gold mic cable. It’s good. The microphone. Not the problem. My computer? Nope. The lights in my recording booth? I wish.

It’s the freakin’ PreSonus Audio Interface…again!

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At this point, I’m done. I will never buy another PreSonus product for as long as I live. And you know what? I know a few other authors who are looking to record their own books, and they’re asking me what I bought for my setup. You know what I’m warning them not to buy?

So, what did I do? I got on Sweetwater’s website and started perusing. Long story short, I ordered another audio interface—third time’s the charm, right?—and it’s due to arrive soon. I need to get it plugged in and set up, check the levels, then I’ll be off to the races.

What does that mean for you, dear reader? A delay in my first audiobook. I’m re-recording all the chapters I had done. Four are complete, and I stopped working on the fifth one just because it was so bad, but there’s a glimmer of light for you.

Since I’m re-recording those chapters, I will release these 4 chapters for free to you. I will start next Monday, May 18th, and a chapter will follow each Monday until all four are released. When you see these posts hit your app or inbox, share it. ReStack it. Put it in front of someone who listens. Everyone’s got a friend who loves audiobooks. Tell them to have a listen and comment. Word of mouth is the most powerful tool at our disposal.

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What I want from you:
This is the perfect moment for you to help craft something special: direct feedback to me, the author, as I’m recording. I have to re-record these chapters, so if you hear something you like, or don’t like, or if you have a suggestion about these rough drafts, let me know pronto! Post a comment. I will try to engage with as many as I can.

These recordings aren’t bad, but an astute listener will pick up on the RF within. As someone who expects things done right or not at all. I can’t abide a faulty product. I have a standard, and I meet it or not at all. Not a purist, not a perfectionist, but maybe an exactist. Anyway, a faulty product would kill future endeavors, which I want to do with all Maro Prakk novellas, The Dark Portal, and possibly more.

I’ve had some feedback already from paying Members and the Ko-don tier, and it’s an equal split of people liking Avardi or Horace. I enjoyed voicing everyone’s characters, but I’m partial to Maro, but maybe that’s because I see a lot of me in him.

Recap:
Expect a chapter at 5pm CST on the following Mondays…

May 18th—Chapter One: One Fine Fellow
May 25th—Chapter Two: Charming Lad
June 1st—Chapter Three: No God of Mine
June 8th—Chapter Four: One Cheap Bastard

Session timed out; we’ve spared what we could for intercepted transmissions. That’s all I have for this round—short, sharp, and sweet. I shall return…

For a deeper dive, become a Member. For full lore breakdown, join the ranks of the Ko-dons.

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This one, however, is lif…

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In about a week, I’ll release it to the Members, and later this month, I’ll show the subscribers.

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There’s a group of outlaws running wild in the Solen Union simply known as the Klatch. Members aren’t regulars, with the exception of a few, and they’re free to come and go as they please based upon the job. It’s hard to keep track of the individuals, but most sources say, the Barron is the leader.

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It’s the perfect spot to give you some insight into my workload, and what it looks like on any given week. Contract’s been paid, and the blade’s unsheathed. Let’s stay on target.

As an indie author who doesn’t have a publishing house or an agent, you’ve got to find time to write while working. Sacrifices must be made, and I guard my time. So, let’s take a gander at my writing life throughout the week.

Speaking of sacrifice, which goes well with my next story, this is a perfect time to remind you of my military sci-fi fantasy coming out June 25th! The sequel to The Demon’s Fate is almost here. Preorder now!

A stolen ship, an unauthorized mission, and a galaxy to tear apart.

Decimation Protocol

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I’m getting to a point where it’s time to switch gears, and this looks like the perfect spot to give you some insight into my workload, and what it looks like on any given week. The brimstones are calling for no mercy, just blood, and we’ve got to feed them.

I’m in love with the idea of a writer who made it big or lucky, who sits at home either fully dressed or in a robe, the coffee’s always hot, hair disheveled, sitting down to write the next passage of the continuing saga’s magnum opus. He’s got an editor on speed dial who talks him through the latest rounds, and his agent gives him encouragement to write the next chapter and ignore the pressure.

And they say fantasy is a dying genre… Speaking of, this is a perfect time to remind you of my military sci-fi fantasy coming out June 25th! Preorder now!

A stolen ship, an unauthorized mission, and a galaxy to tear apart.

Decimation Protocol

As an indie author who cares about the craft, the story, and the audience, this make-believe is far from reality. A lot of people have to find time to write a paragraph or a chapter. Sacrifices must be made, and you’ve got to figure out what you can go without. For me, it’s streaming services. I might buy one month, watch a show, then cancel. There’s little coming out of Hollywood that’s worth paying a subscription for.

The point is: I’m guarding my time. It’s the most precious, valuable, finite resource we have, and we can’t squander it. So, how do I get my writing done throughout the week? How much time do I spend doing my passion versus life? Let’s find out…

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There’s movement out on the front, and the heartbeat’s getting stronger. The hard part’s just getting started. We’re past the point of mercy, so let’s see the blood of it.

Town Herald:
Milestone: My Substack started less than a year ago—first post on June 24^th, 2025—and we’ve grown our little community into something bigger. There are over 100 posts, and plenty more to come. Take the time to dig back through the treasure. You’ll never know what you might find.

Live Events: I’ve started doing them, and I’ve got to say, I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. Members and Founders jump in with their questions, keeping the conversation going, and I enjoy the back and forth. I think it’ll become a regular thing. But I might need to invest in a decent video camera. So far, we’ve been doing Fridays for paid members.

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On Wednesday, 4/15/26, that was the first free Subscriber event, and I plan to do more. If you missed it, go back and catch that episode. It’s titled Ralloc Archives, and it’s about the AI debate!

With that said, I would like to nail down a time and two days out of the week that works best for the vast majority. So, here’s your opportunity to contribute and help shape this world we’re building. As a reminder, the time is Central Time Zone.

Audiobooks: I’m still recording. It’s going slower than initially planned, but I’ve had to redo some chapters wholesale. Also, it’s rough on the vocal cords. That said, there’s actual progress for you to listen to. For all subscribers, Red Creek’s Chapter 1, One Fine Fellow, is available to listen to. It was posted on 3/13/26, and you can find it below!

I listen to my audiobooks in the 2.5–3.0 range, but I’ve got to say, this one at 2.0 is the sweet spot. Any faster, and it’d be unintelligible. That might mean I narrate my audiobooks faster than the norm. Give it a listen and let me know what you think! Comment and share with everyone you know. It’s an unrestricted post.

Decimation Protocol: I’ve gone through all the chapters again. Now, it’s just formatting for a paperback. Since I’m writing this a few days ahead of schedule, it might already be out by the time this posts.

Edit: Decimation Protocol is now out on presale of June 25th! You can catch it on all major retailers, even if they’re not listed below. Snag your copy today!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

SmashWords

Battle Formations:
Vol. III: The reformatting is going well. My pace has slowed a little due to splitting my attention, but it’s keeping me from burning out. Again, keeping with the theme of no heavy edits, the needle has only shifted a little. I have smoothed a few patches of rough prose, exchanged a few esoteric words, but other than that, there are very few fingerprints on the work. I will say that my once-expansive vocabulary has fallen off over the years. Some words I used were vaguely familiar, but I’ve forgotten their meanings. If I’ve forgotten, the average reader has probably never heard of them.

Vol. III: Start Date: 3/5/26
Prologue: 1/1
Chapters: 45/60
Epilogues: 0/1
Starting Word Count: 200,602
Current Word Count: 201,386
Morale: Climbing.

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Vol. VIII: I initially started writing the final volume of the series on 7/22/25, and I stopped about a month later on 8/19/25. I have now gone back to writing Vol. VIII, and I want to get the first draft done ASAP, and if not the complete first draft, then 90%. There’s a shift coming in my writing world, and it’ll be detailed in early June. Watch for the drop! Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Draft One:
Resurrected Date: 3/27/26
Prologue: 1—Finished
Chapters: 21
Epilogue: 1—Finished
Word Count (Story + Notes): 99,627

For Founders and Members, you can follow along with the incremental updates in the post: Ink & Ash.

The story’s been told, but the journey’s far from over. That’s all I have for this round—short, sharp, and sweet. I shall return…

For deeper dives, become a Member. For full lore breakdowns, join the ranks of the Ko-dons.

It’s been a while since we saddled up with Maro, Atar’s most jaded bounty hunter. Contract’s been paid, and the blade’s unsheathed.

Maro’s journey is a long one, and we’re still in his infancy on the way to that fabled land of manhood. It’s not so much a destination, but a quiet announcement of arrival, a slow revelation that comes with hard decisions. Well…several in this novella.

Justice spurred him in Red Creek to save a little girl. Taking out the entire Lanton gang was an added bonus. Teaming up with a fellow bounty hunter in Bloodbane almost cost him his life. Both incidents shaped him. Sometimes those lessons soak in the hard way.

This time around, we’re hitting the old heist genre with a fish-out-of-water twist. We’re taking Maro out of his element of the trails, dead bodies, gunpowder, and stale britches, and plopping him down with the hoi poloi. Should go over about as good as storing fertilizer in the larder.

We’ve got the Wanted Poster, so let’s see what the rub is…

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It’s been a while since we saddled up with Maro, Atar’s most jaded bounty hunter. The brimstones are calling for no mercy, just blood, and we’ve got to feed them.

Maro’s journey is a long one, and we’re still in his infancy on the way to that fabled land of manhood. It’s not so much a destination, but a quiet announcement of arrival, a slow revelation that comes with hard decisions. Well…several in this novella.

Justice spurred him to action to save a little girl from a fate worse than death in Red Creek. Taking out the entire Lanton gang was an added bonus, and it helped kickstart his legend. Hope and eagerness made him team up with a fellow bounty hunter in Bloodbane, and it almost cost him his life. Both of these incidents shaped him into the man he’s becoming. Lessons were learned along the journey, and sometimes, they soaked in the hard way.

As stated in earlier posts, with each of these novellas, I’m trying to hit a different subgenre within my grimdark, weirdwest fantasy series. The first one was just a straight-up revenge tale. The second was an intense, comedy-horror, and I think it worked well. This time around, we’re hitting the old heist genre with a fish-out-of-water twist. But how can Maro stack up against people who come with a plan? He’s a man of grit, kinetic energy, and determination, but what happens when he can’t predict the next move? And what if it’s an inside job, and one that might be a little too close to him? Maybe a valuable lesson is: don’t trust anybody.

We’re taking Maro out of his element of the trails, dead bodies, gunpowder, and stale britches, and plopping him down with the hoi poloi. Rubbing elbows with the gilded class goes about as well as storing fertilizer in the larder: it stinks to high heaven, and everyone’s searching for an escape.

We’ve got the Wanted Poster, so let’s see what’s the rub…

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The following render is confirmed by the House of Lust and Candor.

At the tender young age of ten, Maribel lost everything she knew. Her parents were killed in a fire, a blaze set by the Solen Union soldiers. The rumor was that rebels or rebel sympathizers were within the house, and they were ordered to torch it. Whether true or not, remains unknown, but many assert that the order came from one Captain Hovath. He has denied the allegations.

Sent on a caravan to Red Creek to be reunited with her aunt and uncle, she was captured when the Lanton gang ambushed them. There were no survivors. From there, she was taken to Double Rock Ranch; there was a buyer for her, but what fate awaited her is unclear.

A young bounty hunter and recently-resigned soldier, Maro Prakk, rescued young Maribel from the Lanton gang. Due to his years of service and survival skills, he single handedly dispatched all members, culminating in a shootout at the ranch house.

Maro took young Maribel to Red Creek, only to find that her aunt and uncle perished some time earlier. Though she wanted to stay with him, Maro took her to her religious home, The House of Lust and Candor, where he gave her over to the minster there. Some time later, she was moved to Rimkor, a large city near the center of the Solen Union.

It must be noted that there’s a discrepancy in her initial records. The bounty hunter said her name was Maribel, but when we drafted a letter to the clergy in Rimkor, she said her true name was Amice. As she awaited pickup from the Rimkor office, she would only answer to her true name and not Maribel.

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Noted by the Red Creek clergy of The House of Lust and Candor.

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Resurrected Date: 3/27/26
Draft One:
Prologue: 1—Finished
Chapters: 36
Epilogue: 1—Finished
Original Word Count: 54,100
Current Word Count (Story): 123,306

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Update 30 | 5/18/26: Sometimes you find out that your family member is a p…

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