One Step Closer: Writer’s Diary August 2025 Update

Welcome back, one and all! I hope the Summer’s been treating you well. If not, we can at least take solace in it’s coming end. I, for one, welcome cooler Autumn air openly.

Unfortunately, living in Florida, it will only be, like, two degrees lower. But we take what we can get.

First on the agenda is an update on blog content. Work on my ‘Daggerheart‘ article is underway. I hope to have that out for you all soon. The 19th at the earliest, the 25th at the latest.

Beyond that, I currently have no other plans. Not that I won’t be blogging. Any other articles you see will be as much a surprise for me as for you. Sometimes you just need to let go and embrace spontaneity.

Now, onto the meat and potatoes. The ‘Father of Monsters‘ update. I’m very pleased to announce that editing on Draft 3 has been completed! Here are the final numbers:

• 55 Chapters + Prologue/Epilogue
• 196,290 Words
• 387 Pages

I’ll be honest: I was expecting that to take way longer. Huge thanks again to my beta readers. Their feedback really brought the book to the next level.

Now it’s time for the next stage: professional editing. At the time of writing, I am looking for an editor to apply the final layer of polish. Work will have begun by the time this article goes up. Given the length of the manuscript, this will probably take a month or more.

Once that is finally done, all that will remain is visualizing. Adjusting cover dimensions, writing the back cover blurb, formatting the print copy, stylizing chapter headings, etc. I aim to make ‘Father of Monsters‘ as professional as I possibly can.

Do I expect this to be perfect? As much as I want it to be: no. This being my first go around with publishing, I fully expect to make mistakes. I can only aim to minimize those errors and deliver the best book I possibly can.

With that being said: when does it come out? I’m still aiming for an October release window. But the pessimist in me feels the need to shower some salt on that statement. As I’ve just laid out, there’s still plenty of work to do. If all goes well, it’ll be out by Halloween. If not, it might be a Thanksgiving or Christmas gift. I won’t make a sure promise until I’m 110% confident in it.

To wrap up today’s update, let’s talk about the audio book. This will not be coming out at the same time as the physical release. Much as that pains me, it’s simply not possible with the current schedule and budget. Rest assured that it’s coming out ASAP. Whenever that may be.

That’s all I have for you today. As always, thank you very much for reading. I hope to get back to y’all soon with some more exciting news!

Until then, keep safe and stay healthy.