Writing and Pub Update

I've had a few emails lately asking what's going on with the writing, the publication schedule, etc. Always nice to see that people care and are excited to see what comes next. Briefly:

1. The Devil's Cauldron is done and will be released on July 15. I'm really happy how this turned out. I flamed out on a project this spring (see below), and my confidence was a bit shaky going into this. I think the third book in the Devil's Deep series is as strong as anything before it.

2. The Bone Cage is dead (or at least on life support). This was my spring project, and I got about 200 pages into it when I realized that I'd gone off the rails somewhere. It was a modern telling of The Count of Monte Cristo with a female protagonist and seemed to be going fine. Then, crash. I don't know how to fix it, so I've put it aside for now.

3. The Wolves of Paris is seeking a home. This is a novel surrounding the true events of a pack of ravenous wolves that infiltrated the city walls of Paris in the frigid winter of 1450. It's some of the best writing I've ever done and my agent really wanted to try it with a few editors, who are considering it now. One way or another this will find its way into the hands of my readers, who will love it.

4. The Righteous #6, The Gates of Babylon, is finished and available for pre-order. The release date is February, but there's a chance that people on my mailing list will get a chance for some sneak peek reads, so sign up for the list if you haven't yet.

That's the part that's certain. Here is the speculative, near-term stuff.

5. I'm just starting Righteous #7, Hell's Fortress. I have a publisher deadline of October 1 to deliver the manuscript, so it's time to get cranking. Right now, the book amounts to a bunch of notes, but no actual story yet.

6. Because there's a bit of a wait between Destroying Angel and The Gates of Babylon, I'm thinking about taking this other story idea I have and releasing it separate from the main series sometime this fall. Call it Righteous 5.5. It's the aftermath of the Kimball doomsday cult and the stories of a few of its survivors.

7. After that, I would like to write a sequel to Wolf Hook, tentatively called The Empire of the Wolf. I also have thoughts of turning The Wolves of Paris into a trilogy, with the other two books called The Wolves of Florence, and The Wolves of Dalmatia. By spring I need to work on the final book of The Righteous series, called Final Sanctuary. I also have an idea for a fourth book in the Devil's Deep series, but since these books all stand alone, when and if this happens will not keep people hanging.