October Update / The Sphinx’s Tear Published

My nineteenth story, The Sphinx’s Tear, is published.

I really had a lot of fun writing this story, bringing back Selene and Zola, introducing what I think is a memorable new character in Kalistos, and expanding the story’s world.

I created Selene originally as a throwaway character, a plot device who would be killed at the conclusion of the first act in Age of Magic. When it came time to kill her off, I just couldn’t do it, having become so attached to her.

Selene is a central character in The Sphinx’s Tear, and I think readers who enjoyed her in Age of Magic will enjoy her reprise here.

Here is the blurb…

Set after the events of Age of Magic, The Sphinx’s Tear takes the reader to Port Umbralis, where Selene, a green witch of the Veiled City, and Zola, her pirate captain husband, enjoy an idyllic life in their villa by the sea.

But far to the north, beyond the Deep Red desert and the black mountains, something terrible has emerged, hungering for conquest and the Sphinx’s Tear that hangs around Selene’s neck.

The Sphinx’s Tear is a dark continuation of the story, set in exotic locations, that pits the Green Witch and the Serpent of the Seas against demonic forces.

This is also a story of a young boy from the foothills of the Kushdai mountains who was enslaved by a demon, and of alchemy, pirates, magic, assassins, mechanical armies, witches, addiction, madness, betrayal, murder, love, war, and the Sphinx’s Tear, which does strange things to kings, queens, and mere men.

The story can be downloaded for free here.

I have also received some reader feedback on Scorpius, the prequel (of sorts) to Age of Magic and The Sphinx’s Tear, set hundreds of years before the events in those books.

The feedback from a long-term critic of my work is exactly what I was hoping for. Here’s a snippet of what the reader said…

I enjoyed myself all the way through, and more than once, I had to remind myself that I was critiquing rather than reading for leisure. I almost got a Game of Thrones vibe. And your use of description to create the setting was absolutely gorgeous!

I am going to be taking a break from writing for a while (maybe), and will spend the winter working on the audiobook version of The Sphinx’s Tear and getting Terra ready for publication in February 2027.

Thanks for reading – and reviews and feedback are always welcome.

Have fun!