Outpost Report | May Monthly Roundup
A quiet month doesn't mean a slow month
LUMICRON CAPTURE | UNKNOWN ENTITIES
“There must always be one, and if you turn into something I can’t abide, I’ll have to correct the mistake.”
We’ve had a busy month, all behind the scenes moves, but now, I can show you the fruits of those labors. The hard part’s just getting started. We’re past the point of mercy, so let’s stay on target.
Town Herald:
Decimation Protocol:
Let’s start this right. The long-awaited release is almost here. If you haven’t picked up your copy of this second installment, pre-order yours now. It’s available on all major platforms, which you can find in the link below titled: Decimation Protocol. Or, you can click Amazon to purchase it there.
A stolen ship, an unauthorized mission, and a galaxy to tear apart.
For fans of Mass Effect or Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Maro 3 Cover Reveal:
It’s finally here: the cover for the next installment of the Maro Prakk Novella Series. I really enjoyed what Ivan did, capturing a snapshot within the story while breathing terror and grit into it. Can’t wait to bring the story to you later this year! I think you’ll really enjoy it as it takes Maro off the trail and puts him in a new environment he’s clearly not suited to.
Back Jacket Blurb:
“Every man should have a cause, and they’ve got to know why they’re going to perish for it.”
A year after facing Crocottas and the conman Bloodbane, Maro and Katya board the first steam-powered ship. Maro seeks fortune in a high-stakes card tournament, but the ship erupts into a killing field. The wicked have come to play, too, revealing their hand one bloody card at a time.
Man of Fury is the third savage installment in the Maro Prakk novella series.
Maro 3 Manuscript:
I’ve just gotten the manuscript back from the editor, and I’ve yet to go through it, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be doing the corrections, formatting, and readying it for publication before launching into the Vol. IV 5th draft. I think I’ve done something unique with this installment, but don’t take my word for it. Here’s from the editor:
This was such a fun read! Even though I’d never read the previous installments, I still found myself thoroughly engrossed in the story and the world you’ve built. I absolutely loved Maro’s grit and gruff attitude. There were so many lines I called out in the margins that made me laugh out loud or got a reaction out of me.
Audiobook Woes:
In case you missed it, I’ve been plagued with issues since I first started trying to bring you audiobooks for the Maro novellas. You can find the details of that post down below.
But what I want to draw your attention to is the free chapters I’m publishing for all subscribers. I have to redo them all, so we’ll chalk these up to rough drafts, much like a story. That said, they sound damn good, all things considered. Please enjoy them as they come out. Expect them on Mondays at 5 p.m. CST. The last two are slated for June 1st & June 8th. You can catch the first two links below.
New Audiobook Set-up:
In the hunt to bring you the highest quality possible, I’ve bitten the bullet and bought a Shure SM7dB Active Dynamic Cardioid Vocal Mic. I’m sure that’s Greek to a lot of you, but it is a quality mic used throughout the industry. You’ve probably seen your favorite YouTuber using it during their streams and videos. For the tech nerds among you, you can check it out here at Sweetwater. That said, I’m still getting a hiss/ haze sound in the recordings, so I’ve got to track down where that is taking place.
I’ve also replaced the PreSonus audio interface that was plaguing me. It wasn’t properly shielded for boosting that much power—my microphone has specific requirements. The new one, Motu M2, can also be found on Sweetwater. Take a look.
Mortal Kombat 2 Review:
In case you missed the last Atramentous Archive, I talked about Mortal Kombat 1 & 2 (2021, 2026), what the movie got right, what it got wrong, and if it was a step in the right direction. You can catch the full clip here:
Battle Formations:
Vol. III:
Start Date: 3/5/26
Finish Date: 5/12/26
Prologue: 1/1
Chapters: 60/60
Epilogues: 1/1
Starting Word Count: 200,602
Current Word Count: 201,362
Mood: Relieved.
Not much needs to be said other than this one took me a while. I wanted to go at a steady pace instead of trying to tear through it and, in the process, burn myself out. In addition, I was writing Vol. VIII, and I oscillated back and forth between the projects.
I put it up on the wide distribution platforms, and it’ll go live on July 31st. That said, the updates have already been sent to Amazon, so if you want to purchase it there, you can. The latest prices for the books on Amazon reflect what they’ll be on all the other platforms.
Some monsters are born, others are created from slivers of every twisted soul.
Vol. VIII:
Prologue: 1—Finished
Chapters: 32
Epilogue: 1—Finished
Original Word Count: 54,100
Current Word Count (Story): 112,139
I’ve enjoyed digging in the trenches of this novel and finding the story. There is the fatigue part that’s starting to creep in. That’s partly due to how many projects I have going on, while the other aspect is trying to find “the whole story” rather than the elements. What I mean by that is I’m trying to write a 1st draft like a 5th one, instead of writing the bones and worrying about the muscle, flesh, and blood during revisions. I may need to pivot back to the intent of a first draft, just getting the essence down on paper.
I have noticed that as I go deeper into the story, the chapters are becoming shorter, and that’s good. That’s where I need to be. The robustness comes with the revisions. Since the story has 4 parts, each part tightens as it approaches the end, and that’s where it needs to be. It should feel like momentum, not move at the pace of a glacier.
Some prominent characters have perished along the way, some deaths satisfying and others more in the realm of WTF, but it wouldn’t be my novel without a few of those. The cast is shrinking, and all roads lead to the culmination. Who will survive? Post your guesses in the comments below.
Maro 4:
This is the second project I worked on. It’s been over a year since I wrote the first draft of Maro 4, so I definitely had fresh eyes when I came back to it. Draft two is all about tone and internal thoughts, polishing the grit of Maro back into his old splintery self while making his character more robust.
Start Date: 5/14/26
Chapters: 10/10
Epilogues: 1/1
Starting Word Count: 22,487
Ending Word Count: 24,018
Morale: Steady
Finish Date: 5/19/26
There’s no such thing as perfect writing on the first draft, so each revision adds another rich layer to the story. Draft two is always my favorite, as I get to sink into the character’s head and describe the world more vividly through their eyes, thoughts, and feelings. When I do the second draft on my larger books, I pick one character and do their chapters start to finish so the tone stays consistent. With Maro, since he’s the only POV, I tackle this in a linear fashion.
The second draft of the story isn’t a robust injection of words, but a slow build-up of that added internal texture. There was a bit of prose clean-up in this go-around, and I did change a few things. In a couple of places, I added to the story overall, which helped give the narrative weight in the right moments. You tend to miss those in the first draft, or at least I do, as it’s a word vomit.
I plan to go back and do draft 3 around the halfway point of draft 5 in Volume IV. It’ll give me a break from the Dark Legacy Series right at a crucial time when I might be feeling the burnout. Plus, it’s such a different take of the storytelling aspect, it’ll feel like a whole different world.
Well, the booming voice from the town herald has shouted out the news. Now, citizens return to their lives. That’s all I have for this round—short, sharp, and sweet. I shall return…
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