Outpost Report | October Monthly Roundup

Where wax drips on the altar of precision

LUMICRON CAPTURE | RALLOC CASTLE
JYNERUL GABRIEL ZAHN
“He killed the damn chef with a cheese grater! Who does that?”

It’s been a busy month. The candle has burned from the inside out, and the wax has formed stalactites on the sconce. I’ve had to take some time to reassess, but the Krey have already started their march, and there’s no stopping the war machine. The hard part’s just getting started. We’re past the point of mercy. Let’s see the blood of it.

Town Herald:
Reader Engagement: Fellow Krey, I want to hear from you! What do you want more of—character dives, lore drops, histories, behind-the-scenes madness? Drop some comments: questions, favorites, or requests. Let’s hear it. Also, there’s a survey you can take, and I’d greatly appreciate your feedback. You can find it here.

Special Drop: Next month, on the 20th, the usual Ko-don post will go out for free to all subscribers, giving you an idea what it’s like behind the curtain. It’s a huge, in-depth post about readers, personalities drawn to my work, and the four pillars of my storytelling. As an INTJ, this post really tickled my brain, and I can’t wait to share my findings with you. Make sure you leave comments and let me know what you think!

Post Pacing: Moving forward, I’ll be slowing the march and changing the cadence. Post times are now moving to the PM time slot (except Artifactory Logs) so you’re not hit while at work or busy. All subscribers will continue to receive the Monthly Roundup on the 30th of each month (except February), but the Mid-Month Dispatch will be decommissioned. On occasion, there may be a random drop or two.

Member posts come twice a month (and now, they hit your mailbox). They’ll be dispatched at the same time as the Ko-don’s (which will no longer hit the mailbox)—reducing email fatigue. Every once in a while, a buried treasure might surface like a random Artifactory Log, so make sure you come to the website and hunt regularly. As a welcome to the tier, all new Members receive a complimentary e-book upon joining the ranks of the Krey.

Ko-dons (Founders) will continue to receive two exclusive transmissions each month, scheduled for the 10th and 20th, gods willing, plus one signed paperback per year. Now, however, they won’t hit the inbox. So, if you see Member posts in your notifications, come to Outpost Dire. Beyond that, expect stealth drops: fragments from the depths of Ermaeyth—concept renders, author commentary, rough drafts, cut chapters, sneak peeks, and fine details like scars, eye color, and each character’s intent within the storylines.
To find these hidden relics, you’ll need to descend into the Outpost itself. These won’t be long posts like the two exclusives you receive throughout the month, but it’ll show you the depth of Ermaeyth and the Dire Universe beyond. Also, the Artifactory Logs will be quietly released, no notification, so … seek and ye shall find.
And lastly, for as long as you are a Ko-don/ Founder, you’ll be acknowledged in books on the acknowledgment page. So, if a book is coming out that year, you should be in it, and it’ll most likely be based upon your username or email, so make sure that’s something you want in print.

Upcoming Post: I’m thinking of doing another character study, introducing to you a new character that’s in Vol. IV of the DLS. So, this will be the first post introducing her to the world.

Field Capture: Sabel Tunrick. Who is she, what is her role, and how will she shape future events? Expect her on Nov. 10th!
Drop a comment below and let me know if you have any characters you want to read about from the earlier books.

Author Meets: I had a live event at the Twig Bookshop in San Antonio, TX. I posted about it on Substack Notes, X, and Instagram. I was honored to share the room with another author, Hannah Marie, and we had a great dialogue back and forth about our stories and craft. Don’t know how many of you are in the neighborhood, but if you can ever make a live event—few as there are—I’d be honored to meet you. I might even try to do one in Lubbock with my long-time friend, Rodney McWilliams.

Battleground Formations:
Decimation Protocol: One of the few times I’ve failed myself. I had set a schedule, one chapter a day, but I’ve fallen far behind on that front. Here’s the quick rundown.

Combat Log:
11 of 41 chapters: secured.
Morale: … holding.

To confront this in the future, I’m redoubling my efforts to get back to one chapter a day. I hear the Emperor is most displeased with my apparent lack of progress, and he doesn’t share my optimistic appraisal of the situation.

Each chapter costs 2–3 grueling hours of true currency—blood, time, and sacrifice at the altar of precision. By the final, pre-editor draft (the 5^th), I’m burned out, and I’m ready to shove the book into your hands, so I’ve got to really force myself to finish.

Vol. I: As I mentioned in an earlier post, September’s Monthly Roundup, I’ve “cut to the bone, keeping everything that makes the story move, the depth of the characters, but trimming the fat.” I’ve cut deeper than I initially thought. After 20 chapters, I’ve cut 20K words, and that’s too much. For context, that takes a novel of 205,000 words and makes it 185,000.

You might ask, “why is this a big deal?” Well, I’m about 25% done with the book. At that rate, I’d gut the entire world, and part of reading fantasy is the world building. It’d end up being just plot points with no substance.

As stated before, “During my early days, I overwrote by a wide margin.” So, I’m cutting all this padding, but what also happened is that I was cutting the things that gave the world shape. Half of the reason people love fantasy is the lore, world building, and history.

Now, I’m having to go back through chapters 11–20 and put things back in. I very much like how the first 10 chapters turned out, so I’ll leave them untouched; however, for the second batch, the pace crawls like the Reaper’s march, silent and inevitable.

You might ask, “Why don’t you go back to the original and start over?” I could, but restarting with the original isn’t worth it. I cut out a solid tone, dynamic pacing with new formatting, and a grit that doesn’t come cheap—even if I gutted too deep. So, I’ll take the penalty of slow-stuffing the marrow back into the bones.

Cover Reveal: As you know, I’ve been working with Ivan in Italy for all the re-covers of my books. Once again, he delivered. This one was definitely a collaborative effort, as we both felt like there was something missing until I mentioned kintsugi, a type of Japanese art of mending what’s broken with gold. That single idea changed everything and brought it to life. Let me know what you think!

One great touch I’d like to point out, and it was Ivan’s idea: the words on the scroll behind the bust are actual words from within the book itself. Hopefully, a sharp-eyed reader will catch it as they read.

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

I shall return…