I'm back with Orphans of the Deep

Greeting, programs.

It's been quite a year since the launch of my debut novel, The Moon the Sun Forgot. I apologize for not posting since the launch, but everything leading up to it had been so draining that afterwards, I needed to step away and consider what might come next.

By early summer, I'd received many kind comments regarding the book, which is always nice since all I really wanted to achieve was to write something that someone, somewhere found entertaining.

But then I received the best news a new author could possibly imagine: my publisher wanted more.

It was something I hadn't prepared myself for, and immediately knew things needed to change in my personal life. I wasn't enjoying my current job and had been considering seeking employment elsewhere. But when I began thinking about what it would take to write another novel in less time than the first—meaning, anything less than 25 years—I concluded I had only one real option: I needed to quit work and become a full-time author—at least, until the second book was complete.

So that's what I did.

Thanks to the financial and emotional support of my amazing wife, Philippa, I left work to dedicate myself to completing the manuscript I'd partially written. I treated it as a full-time job, writing between 5 and 8 hours each weekday. It worked, and 8 months later, I had a completed manuscript in the hands of my publisher and was actively looking for a new job.

Then things got even better.

Within the span of 6 days, my publisher gave me a new book deal, and I received an offer of employment. Philippa always said, "If it's meant to be, it'll be easy."

Big things are on the horizon. You can now pre-order my new book, Orphans of the Deep, from Mythic Roads Press, and on Tuesday, June 9^th, I'm being interviewed on an amazing podcast called The Heatcast. Be sure to check it out on YouTube!

Here's the description for the new book:

Max Danzig returns to Europa's vast undersea realms after sixteen months on Earth, hoping to rekindle his budding relationship with mariner Kassia McCullough. But during his absence, war erupted between the moon's mega-corporations and independent mining colonies, forever altering the lives of those he left behind. Kassia is now guardian to Bexley, an orphaned teen, and their AI shipmate, Alex, has been stolen by rebels.

Though eager to build a future with Bexley, Kassia and Max seek to end the conflict threatening their home. However, for their plan to succeed, they need their friend. They need Alex.

To rescue the AI and restore peace, the trio embark on a breathtaking journey from the crushing depths of Europa's ocean to the sprawling cities and windswept mountains of Earth, all while evading assassins, unravelling conspiracies, and navigating the intricacies of their newfound family.

Orphans of the Deep is a sweeping undersea adventure of loyalty, salvation, and the search for belonging in a world on the brink.

So, there you have it.

The next steps for the novel involve creating the cover and dealing with the editing process, both of which I'm looking forward to. I promise to do a better job writing blog posts so anyone interested can keep track. And watch my website for some changes to reflect the new book.

So that's how the past year for me went. What about you?