Hello there, all you Fistful Faithful! Happy spring, and gesundheit. Cherry trees are blossoming in my neighborhood, my apple trees are showing leaf buds already, and I fear I may need to get my lawn mower out of storage and ready for another season of leafy-green beatdowns.

I’ve had a surprisingly active first quarter of this year. Book 3 of the Dark Choir series, THE CURSE MANDATE, published the week before Christmas, and has been very well received so far. The six-book arc of Dorian Lake’s journey into darkness moves forward, and the publisher has completed two editing passes on Book 4, THE DARK INTEREST… which will be available next January.

I also had a short story, “Fail House”, published in the Curiosity Quills anthology DARKSCAPES. As usual, the CQ anthologies are like samplers of their in-house authors. This story is a bit of a change from my usual subject matter… a near-future dystopian view of America in economic collapse.

This February, The Curse Merchant was featured on a BookBub promotion, and we saw tremendous response there… leading me to my next exciting announcement. The first two books of the Dark Choir series have been picked up by Tantor Media to create audiobooks! They will be narrated by veteran actor of stage and screen, Neil Hellegers. The audiobook of Curse Merchant will be available May 23rd, in audio CD and on Audible. This is kind of a big deal for me, since having audiobooks available was a big item on my professional bucket list!

Pursuant to all of this fervor and hubbub, I’ve put my “putting my plans on pause” plan on pause, and have begun outlining Book 5 of the Dark Choir series, THE DARK PRINCIPLE. Thus far, the outline is action-packed!

One last item, I’ll be making a public appearance on April 15th, signing books alongside my wife Courtney Sloan at the Fairfax Library Foundation Book Fair. The event is facilitated by Barnes & Noble, and all proceeds for this event benefit the Fairfax Library Foundation. This is super-important to me, as I feel that libraries are a vital part of any civilized society. They are islands of learning and knowledge made available to all. They are community centers, shining beacons in a society that appears more and more dedicated to forwarding ignorance. What’s more… libraries are often safe spaces for youth who need a place to be, particularly in troubled neighborhoods. Anything we can do to forward the mission of public libraries is time well spent!

Immediately after the Library Foundation event, we’ll be heading over to Social Eatery Bar for a mixer, so join us there and get yourself a nice fruity beverage with one of those little umbrellas while you crack open one of our books!

That’s enough excitement for now… keep your eyes open for those audiobooks, and see you in Fairfax, Virginia, on April 15th!