I can’t believe that it’s already October. Where does the time go?

Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been up to:

The rest of the year will see the final two volumes of Arc of Radiance published. “Exiled” will be released on November 1st and “Prince of Darkness” will be released on December 1st. The next books coming out will be an anthology and a two book fantasy series.

The anthology will be released in early 2019 and is unnamed as of today, but it is with other authors in the podcast/Facebook group Keystroke Medium! I’m excited and honored to be a part of this, and excited to be associated with those other fine writers.

The two book fantasy series is based on a setting I created for Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, it will read much like a campaign from classic roleplaying games, and will feature an assassin, a fighter, and a mage as the main characters. This will also come out in early 2019 and will be under the name Tears of Eternity.

The main project I am working on is a large epic fantasy series similar to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere in that it spans many different character on multiple worlds. It will feature a variety of unique magic systems and have the same overarching villain. I plan for this series to be no less than twenty books. I am very excited about this project, and will be looking for beta readers soon to provide feedback on the first book (email contact@blakearthurpeel.com if you are interested).

Expect more details and cover reveals soon!

Aside from work, I’ve been reading my way through George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire in preparation for the final season of Game of Thrones. Currently, I’m two-thirds of the way through “A Clash of King’s”. He’s an amazing writer, and these books are a pleasure to read.

I’ve also been working my way through the RPG Pillars of Eternity, a callback to old school isometric RPGs like Baldur’s Gate. I’m enjoying this as well, as the world building and storytelling is on par with my favorite books.

If only there were more hours in the day so I could read, play video games, and write in great amounts… *sigh*

Anyway, enough prattling. Time to get back to my WIP. Hope ya’ll are doing well, and let me know if you ever want to chat.

Blake

Another month, another update.

War Echoes, Arc of Radiance book 3, launched this week on Amazon to a handful of positive reviews. It’s always fun seeing a new book go live – I love getting feedback when people read my stories. It still amazes me that anyone would want to read about the worlds I’ve created in my head. It is one of the most humbling things about being a writer. Exiled, book 4 in the series, is now available for preorder. Like the other books, you can grab it for 99 cents, but come November 1st, the price will jump up to $2.99. Secure your copy by clicking this link!

With Arc of Radiance in my rear view mirror, I have begun working on several new projects. I’ve mentioned some of these on my blog, and I look forward to begin the beta reading phase. The first is a two book story arc titled Tears of Eternity, and will launch in early 2019. It is loosely based on Dungeons & Dragons, and takes place in a campaign setting I created for me and my friends. I wanted to write about a group of adventurers that included three main archetypes: the fighter, the mage, and the rogue. As stated previously, the first book will be a collection of short stories and the second will be full-length adventure.

In addition to the Tears of Eternity series, I am also working on a much larger, much more ambitious story. It is called The Living Worlds, and it is an epic fantasy series involving up to (and possibly exceeding) 20 books. I’ll be posting more about these in the future, along with cover reveals and detailed descriptions of the lore. More to follow 🙂

In other, less literary news, my wife and I have just started watching a new show on Netflix called “The Dragon Price”. It is reminiscent of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, and it is actually really good. Excellent writing and really cool animation. What can I say? I’m a sucker for anything fantasy.

Not much else to report. I’m hard at work trying to bring my stories to life. Please, if you haven’t yet, leave a review for my books. Your feedback is invaluable to making me a better writer. Plus, your kind words can buoy up my spirits when I’m having a rough day.

Until next time,

Blake

Greetings, friends!

It’s August! Can you believe it? It feels like this summer has absolutely flown by. So much has happened in the last two months that my head is spinning!

First thing’s first – Bringers of Doom has officially launched on Amazon. This is the second installment in my Arc of Radiance series, a young adult epic fantasy. So far, it’s been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, which of course makes me very happy. I love hearing about what readers think of my stories. For those of you who have reached out, thank you. Your words of encouragement keep me going whenever I get discouraged.

War Echoes, book three in the series, is now up for preorder. Grab it now on Amazon for only 99 cents! The price will increase to $2.99 after the book launches on September 15th.

Speaking of the Arc of Radiance series… I have officially finished writing the fifth and final book! This is a big milestone for me – not only because it’s my fifth full-length novel, but because it’s the first time I’ve ever wrapped up an entire series before. It feels… strange, if I’m being honest. Part of me is excited and ready to move onto the next project, but another part of me is just a little bit sad. This world that I have created, these characters… it’s almost like I’m saying goodbye. That’s one of the weird things about being an author. You grow attached to your stories in a way that’s hard to describe.

Expect book five, Prince of Darkness, to release sometime at the end of this year.

In other news…

My wife and I are still in new parent mode (which basically means it is chaos in our house 24/7). We’re still getting used to having a newborn in addition to our rambunctious two-year-old. Still, it’s not all bad. Being a parent is extremely satisfying. I only wish that I was able to have more time to write. And sleep. Yes, I miss the whole sleeping thing.

During my (brief) paternity leave from work, I was able to finish the Witcher 3, and my only reactions is, “Wow”. That game is a masterpiece of storytelling. It made me feel things. Seriously, if any of you haven’t had a chance yet, I’d highly recommend you play Witcher 2 and then Witcher 3, particularly if you enjoy RPG-style video games. You will not regret it.

With the end of the Arc of Radiance book series, I’ve also been planning my next great adventure, which includes revisiting another world of mine. Some of you have probably read my novellas Cycle of Blades and Sellsword. These stories take place in the same world, and I’m excited to announce that I will be combining these and other short stories into a fantasy anthology releasing early next year. Shortly thereafter, I plan on releasing an all-new, full-length fantasy novel involving those same characters. That’s right, Jasper Aurelio, Camdyn Taurus and others will be joining forces in a new D&D-style adventure called Tears of Eternity. I’m really excited about this new project. Be on the lookout for more information about this story in the coming months.

Other than that, I’m just working, eating, commuting and sleeping. Who knew building an author platform was so much work? 😉

Thank you all so much for your continued support. Without you readers, none of this would be possible. I’m encouraged by your kind words and emboldened by the trickle of book sales I am receiving. Hopefully one day I will be able to turn that trickle into a mighty river.

Hope everyone is doing well! As always, feel free to reach out to me at contact@blakearthurpeel.com. Until then, happy reading!

-Blake

Hello my friends, and happy July!

The last month has been a whirlwind, and my writing has unfortunately taken a bit of a hit. But the lack of productivity is not without good cause…

Baby boy #2 was born at the end of June, bringing with him all of the love and accompanying exhaustion one could expect. He and mom are healthy and in good spirits (though, truthfully, everyone could do with a bit more sleep).

Now, this isn’t to say I haven’t been writing at all – I’m actually about 80% done with Arc of Radiance book 5 – but my daily word count has gone down a little, something I plan on remedying in the coming weeks.

At any rate, here’s what you can expect from me for the rest of the summer:

1. I plan on finishing Book 5 by the end of July.
2. “Bringer’s of Doom” (Book 2) will launch on August 1st.
3. In August, I will officially begin working on a new secret project (more details on that later).

There’s always stories brewing in the back of my mind, and I’m super excited to share them with you. Patience, though, is necessary to bring them to fruition.

Aside from babies, diapers, sleepless nights and working a full time job (on top of writing), I’ve tried to take a little “me” time in the wee hours of the night. I’m still grinding through the Witcher 3 – though grinding is probably not the right word. This game is without a doubt one of the best RPGs ever made, hands down. The writing is impeccable, the gameplay is enjoyable, and the story is downright amazing. I haven’t had this much fun playing a video game since “The Last of Us” (honestly, I wish I had more time to play).

Video games are one of the ways I de-stress, but I also consider them ‘research’. I know, I know, this is probably something that every writer says, but that doesn’t make it any less true. That’s why I love RPGs – the rich worlds and characters give me ideas for my own stories and help to make the books I write better.

Enough about games, though.

We’re just plugging along here at the Peel House. Every day brings with it new challenges and opportunities. I’m very excited to share with you some of the things I’ve been working on, but again, patience is (unfortunately) required. The Arc of Radiance saga will be published throughout the rest of this year, and then we can delve into new worlds and storylines.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts/questions. I’m always happy to hear from the readers!

Best wishes in all of your endeavors! Until next time…

–Blake

Greetings!

I hope everyone is doing well. Summer is in full swing here at the Peel house – the air is hot and muggy and everyone is outside swimming while I am sitting in front of a computer screen. This isn’t a complaint, it’s just a simple fact of life (okay… maybe it is a little bit of a complaint).

Ranger’s Oath officially launched fifteen days ago, giving me a good start to my author career. It has been met with mostly positive reviews, and I’ve even managed to sell a handful of copies (yay me!). The first step we take is often the most important one, especially on such a long and ambitious journey, and I consider this the first major milestone. With persistence, hard work, and perhaps a little bit of luck, I hope to make a full-time living off my writing, enough to support me and my family.

Bringers of Doom, book 2 of the Arc of Radiance series, is now up for preorder on Amazon. Check it out here!

I’m still hard at work on book 5. Hopefully, I will have it done by next month. I am also hard at work outlining a two book series called Tears of Eternity, as well as a much larger series that I’m not quite ready to reveal yet. For now, I’ll just say that it is a much larger project than I have ever worked on before, and will likely be more than ten books long (80-100k words, epic fantasy).

In my personal life…

I’ve been enjoying spending time with my family. My two year old and I love wrestling each other, and my wife is due to have another little boy here in a couple of weeks. Exciting stuff, but also pretty stressful. We’ve mainly been trying to prepare ourself for the arrival of the new little tyrant… erm, baby.

In my (limited) free time, I managed to beat The Witcher 2 and have now moved on to The Witcher 3. This is a much larger game, and will probably take me the better part of the summer to complete. However, the story is excellent, and it gives me plenty of inspiration when working on my own fantasy worlds.

I’m almost done reading the second in Daniel Ford’s Paladin Trilogy, and am currently looking for a new series to dive into. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Other than that, not much more to report. The life of an entrepreneur can be exhausting, but it is definitely rewarding. When people read my work, it fills me with immense satisfaction. It is one of the best feelings I have ever experienced in my adult life.

Thank you for reading and for your continued support. You folks mean the world to me!!

Until next month,

-Blake

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

-Blake

Hello everyone!

Just a quick update…

I’m still plugging along on the Arc of Radiance series. Book 4 is almost done, just a few chapters to go, then it’s on to the fifth (and final) volume of the series. Excited to wrap this thing up! I have some really cool things in the works, but more on that later. For now, expect Ranger’s Oath to launch early summer.

Right now, I am offering one of my older novellas, Cycle of Blades, for free on Instafreebie. Here is the link to claim a copy: https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/IAEy7blC

Other than that, I’m still working hard to bring my stories to life. Until next time…

Blake

Hello everyone!

Its been a couple months since I last updated my blog – sorry about that! Things have been rather busy with the holidays and with work, but needless to say I have not stopped writing!

Arc of Radiance book 3 has been completed! It is now off to my beta readers and will be edited over the next few weeks. I have begun the process of outlining book 4 and am also working on an anthology of short stories set in another world.

“Ranger’s Oath” is still set for release in the spring/early summer of this year. Once I start hitting publish, you can expect a book out every month or two 🙂

2018 is going to be an excellent year for me in my author career – one might even call it my “breakout” year. With any luck, I will be able to generate enough sales over the next year or two to start writing full time. Once that happens, things will really start shifting into high gear!

My family is doing well, and my wife is actually pregnant with our second child. Huzzah! Very exited about that. We find out the gender next week, and baby is due right about the time “Ranger’s Oath” will be released.

Like I said, exciting things happening 🙂

I will try to do better about blogging over the course of 2018. For those who care, I will include updates about my personal life/family in addition to news about my books. As always, if you have any questions or thoughts (or would like to be included in my mailing list), please shoot me a message. I’m always happy to speak with readers.

In the meantime, I’ll keep pressing forward.

Be on the lookout for cool updates on upcoming projects on my social media profiles 🙂

Excelsior!

-Blake

Hello everyone,

It’s been a couple of months since my last post, but rest assured that I have not stopped writing. Book 2 of the Arc of Radiance series is complete and in the editing process, and I have finished rewriting much of Ranger’s Oath. We’re right on track for a Spring 2018 release 🙂

As many of you know, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). My project for this month is Arc of Radiance Book 3 – which will be title War Echoes. I’m already on chapter 4, and moving full speed ahead. It should be finished before the year is over. If you would like to track my progress, I will be giving daily word count updates on Twitter and Facebook, so follow me! Other than that, I will be developing my marketing plan and outlining my next series, a steam punk epic fantasy tentatively titled Nightblade.

Thank you so much for your continued support. It’s positive reviews and constructive feedback that keeps me going 🙂

Anyway, onward and upward. Until next time…

Blake

Hello everyone!
Sorry that it’s taken me so long to post on here. It’s been a crazy couple of months.

I want to give you a quick update on what I’ve been up to:

No, I have not published Ranger’s Oath. I know… I know… I said that I was going to over the summer. Sorry about that. I’ve decided to change my strategy, and my overall approach when it comes to publishing books. In an effort to make sure that my books do as well as possible, I plan on writing the entire “Arc of Radiance” series before publishing a single book. Why? Because of the nature of the business.

Self-publishing is an extremely competitive world, one that is over-saturated (especially in my genres) and rife with strong competitors. A new author needs every advantage he can get to stand out from the pack. Amazon tends to reward authors who can churn out books quickly (there’s this thing called the ’30-day Cliff’) by placing them higher in their search results, much like using SEO to rank higher in Google. Since I am not a particularly fast writer, I want to make sure I have the whole series done so I can publish them in quick succession – I plan on releasing one a month (roughly). This will ensure that my books are being promoted by Amazon for 5-6 months straight!

Right now, I plan on releasing the series in Spring 2018. Sorry! I know it’s a long ways away, but if you’re really that upset about it, send me an email and I’ll make you one of my beta readers 😊

This weekend, I plan on finishing Book 2, which is titled Bringers of Doom. After that, I plan on diving right into Book 3, which is tentatively titled War Echoes. Remember, this is a five book series, so if I keep up my normal pace, I should be finishing Book 5 around March/April of next year. Also, the Ranger’s Oath cover has been completed, but I am only showing it to my beta readers. So, if you want to see it, you’re going to have to email me to be added to the group.

There are a lot of exciting things going on, and I am excited to finally start getting my work out there for the world to see. Please, if you have any thoughts/questions, comment below or send me a message. I LOVE hearing from people.

As always, I am hard at work trying to bring these stories to life. I have a long backlog of books that I want to write, and hopefully one day I can make that my full-time job. Until then, I will continue doing my best to pump out stories as fast as possible.

Thanks for reading and supporting me!

-Blake