Outpost Report | June Monthly Roundup

Dark Legacy Series, Maro, and Warmaster Series Book Launch.

LORE ARCHIVE | ALTERNATE THREAD
LOCATION: GREAT LIBRARY OF RALLOC
Warlock Judas Lakayre to Sam Talbot
“Just because it can be done easier doesn’t mean it should be.”

It’s been a busy month. We’ve had revisions, a book launch, and others set up to go on sale in a few days. The hard part’s just getting started. We’re past the point of mercy, so let’s stay on target.

Town Herald:
Sorry for the duplicate post for some of you, but I set the audience wrong, and it didn’t go out to everyone yesterday.

Decimation Protocol:
The book is finally here! The sequel has landed after eight years of waiting. It’s out and available now on all major platforms. I can’t promise you half-collapsed stars in this story, but you’ll see the fallout from what happened to Andrea Hessner and the crew of The Demon. Grab your copy and take the plunge. If you love it, leave a review and let other folks know it’s worth the time. Share it with your friends and family. Word of mouth is the strongest lever we can pull to gain traction.

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

Back to the Editor:
Maro’s story has sat through two different editors, Jon and K.T., and the third one went to my newest partnership with KTA Editorial. That said, Maro 1 & 2 are making the editor excursion again. I’m sending them to K.T., and she’s going to make sure they’re spruced up and pass the sniff test. With my funneling attention leaning on Maro in the near future, they’ve gotta be in top-notch order.

Smashwords Discount:
From July 1^st to July 31^st, I’m participating in the Summer/Winter sale over on Smashwords. All my ebooks will be 50% off, so now’s a great time to snatch them up, especially if you love their platform over others. Any ebook already priced at $0.99 will be free, so that’ll be Red Creek. I’m hoping this will help new readers discover my work.

The Atramentous Archive:
In case you missed it, we had a damn good chat on examples of good stories versus bad ones. Most of these Live Events are for Members and Founders, but every once in a while, they’re open to all subscribers. If you see it ping your inbox, tune in and join us! In the future, I’m looking to host other authors, creators, or editors, so if you know any, send them my way.

Battle Formations:
Vol. VIII: 1^st Draft:
It’s finished, finally. Well, to be fair, it’s about 98.5% done. There are four chapters I still need to write, but the torch has burned to the nub, and the major points are finished. Think of it in terms of Return of the Jedi. The emperor is dead, Vader’s suit has burned, the rebels have won, but I haven’t written the Ewok song and dance yet. That’s all that remains.

As a first draft, this is actually the second-shortest book in the series. With Volumes I & III coming in right at 200K words, this sits lower. Volume V will be the shortest book of the series, and at the end of the third draft, it’s 92K words. While that might feel like a bummer for some of you, just remember, the shorter the book, the quicker the turnaround for the next installment.

Volume VIII is around 175K words on the first draft. I’m sure after more rounds, it’ll fill out some. There was a lot of skimming while writing, nailing down the big movements, but it’s the details that give the story shape: drafts 2–4.

Prologue: 1/1
Chapters: 52/56
Epilogue: 1/1
Word Count: 175,327
Mood: Bittersweet

For Ko-dons and Members, you can check out all the updates in the Ink & Ash post.

Maro 4: Draft 3.
In a previous post, I mentioned that I knocked out draft 2 of the story and said I would go into draft 3 when I was halfway through the 5^th draft of Vol. IV. Well, I decided to go ahead and jump in now and do the third draft. I need to. Afterward, I’m going to be busy scrambling with the Dark Legacy Series and getting them pushed into their new revision rounds. Let’s look at the numbers…

Start Date: 6/8/26
Finish Date: 6/17/26

Prologue: 0/0
Chapters: 10/10
Epilogues: 1/1

Word Count:
1^st Draft: 22,487
2^nd Draft: 24,018
3rd Draft: 27,721
Mood: Looking Up.

Maro needed some color in the world. The story was there, faint outlines of what people looked like, but it was threadbare. Draft 3 is all about filling out the details of the senses. If something smells like shit, Maro’s gonna let you know. Also, all the other characters needed clothes, so I added in those details.

The first arc of the Maro novellas is drawing to a close, and after the fourth and fifth books are released, they’ll go on hiatus for a little bit so I can shift gears and focus on the Dark Legacy Series. Have no fear, his escapades in Atar will return. So far, I’m envisioning three sets of five books apiece.

Then, it’s on to Maro’s first full-length book, which was written in 2020 during the lockdowns. I’ll give you a hint of a spoiler. The title of his first book has already been seen on the page, laced in the first book of Maro’s journey: Red Creek. Go back and read. Can you spot it? Comment down below with your guesses.

Vol. IV: Draft 5.
Okay, let’s talk about this behemoth. Its specter has long haunted me. For a quick recap, the first draft was finished in 2014, topping out at 402K words—K.T., if you’re reading this, I hope you appreciate how much I cut out. After writing it, I set the Dark Legacy Series aside, as I had written myself into an insurmountable wall. But taking a few years away helped me come up with the ending I have now.

Each draft, I cut viciously, taking out all the crap I should’ve never inserted to begin with, trimming what I indulged in, and tightening the cloth until it fit like tailored garments. Now, the hope is taking a scalpel and trimming away the fat without sapping the marrow of the story. Let’s see what we’ve got so far…

Start Date: 6/8/26
Finish Date:
Editor Due Date: 10/1/26

Prologue: 1/1
Chapters: 6/56
Epilogues: 0/9

Starting Word Count: 265,407 (story only)
Target Word Count: 250,000
Current Word Count: 262,879
Mood: Bracing.

This book will be a test to see how well I fare on one of my larger works and how long a 5th draft will take. It’ll be used for future reference. The long-held title of ‘the longest book in the series’ has been ripped from its grasp. Book six stripped it once complete, only to be dethroned by Vol. VII. We’ll see how this one goes, but pretty soon—now that I’m finished with Maro 4 draft 3—it’ll be my only project. I may stick with the ‘chapter a day keeps the insanity at bay’ approach, or see if I pick up speed. If I get done early, and the editor is available, I’ll send it to her.

Well, we’re done carving for now, and I think enough blood’s been spilt. That’s all I have for this round—short, sharp, and sweet. I shall return…

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