The Audiobook is live... and available!

I can see why people earn big dollars for dealing with tech. The rise of the machines is here, and the rebellion comes in the form of a series of annoying nuisances. But the AI multicast narration of Purgatory of the Ancients is finally here and available!

At the moment it's only on my website, but I'll upload it to other platforms like Spotify, Apple, Kobo, Google, and maybe YouTube (not sure what the go is there) in the near future.

I consume maybe 20+ audiobooks a year, and honestly, the quality from the AI is pretty solid. It's nowhere near a good narrator, but an average one? Absolutely! And there's a cast of over twenty characters with distinct voices that adds a certain panache unavailable except in the most epic productions. So check it out—only $9.99 USD in the link below.

Multicast Audiobook

What I'm reading: 

The sword of kaigen by M.L. Wang

This has to be the best book I've read in a long time. It's rare that I get drawn into a story as much as I have with this one. The downside of being a writer is that an inner critic often overrides my enjoyment, but this one drew me in completely.

It's a standalone military fantasy that veers away from European fantasy to a Japanese-inspired setting with swords and elemental powers—water/ice, wind, and fire. The time period is somewhat modern but deliberately ambiguous in a way that works.

It follows two primary characters, and I was immediately hooked. I'm at about the 75% mark now, and the highs and lows in this book are incredible. By the 50% mark, there are plot turns you just couldn't believe were happening. Phenomenal book—I'd recommend it to anyone!

Gladiator Book Update: Runebound Series

I've decided to call the series Runebound. As for the title of the first book, nothing's stuck with me yet, but Lightning Slave is the working title.

It was actually much less work to get it into solid shape than I thought. I'm going to have one more read-through, but essentially the book is finished and beta reader ready. It's got gladiators, wrongful imprisonment, magic, gods, mythical beasts, political intrigue, and many grey characters. What more could you want?! It's at 100k words, so around 350 pages, give or take.

Wild Green Flame Update

As for Ardan's story: Got back first beta reader feedback, and the last 30% of the novel needs a bit of reworking. The short version is the bones are good and the climax is worth it (big yay), but the journey there needs some work. Luckily, I'd already been working through it subconsciously and largely agreed with the weaknesses. So I expect to be tackling that over the next couple of weeks.

Purgatory of the Ancients... in German

If having it made into an audiobook wasn't enough and you've been wishing for it to be translated into German, then your prayers have been answered! Or will be.

I've been beta-testing a course on using AI to translate my book into German. The whole process is pretty labor-intensive, and I expect to spend 30-40 hours getting it done, but so far the results have been pretty positive. Like the AI audio, it won't be as good as a human translator, but unfortunately AI only costs me time and a small amount of money instead of thousands of dollars. I'd love to be able to afford a human translator one day, but for now, AI it is.

Personal Update

Valentine's Day felt like a trap. My wife said she got all the chocolates and that was all she wanted—for me not to get anything else. (She went all out wanting to make it special for our son. Spoiler: she nailed it, even if he only had a vague idea what was going on.)

I was suspicious but also a bit of a risk-taker. So I was like, why not? Let's light this candle and see if it's fireworks in disguise.

I did write a heartfelt note, and my last two gifts for her were a bit of a wildcard, but they paid off.

Anyway, she was happy. There was no trap. But I'm not sure I want to walk that tightrope again.

Other than that, not much more news on the western front. I'll keep chugging away at Book 3 revisions and jump on some more author giveaways next month for some early spring releases. Until next time—

Stay awesome, Stew