I chose this pic to illustrate my Progress Report, because it promises adventure. And sometimes, adventure happens in places that seem unpleasant at first. The Swamp is such a place in Valheim. Always rainy, full of creature out to poison and kill you. And yet, underneath all that depressing stuff is gold. Or iron, in the game.
Iron that will unlock huge progress.
This is how I feel about my writing this month. Right now, it’s a bit of a slog, but I am getting closer to treasure.
Book of the Month Offer
For July, I’m offering West Flows for 50% off in my PayHip Store.
West Flows is Book 2 in my Winds & Pillars series (with Book 1 being free everywhere, including my store). So basically, you’re getting two books for half the price of one.
Now, West is one of my favorite characters. He is impulsive but also very caring and lovable. His story is one of a long journey before he finally finds a new home (and love).
The romance plot in this book surprised me, mostly by who West chose. It challenged me, as well, but I think I did okay by them. (Don’t get the book if you hate gay couples. Fair warning.) Definitely get the book, however, if you like dolphins and horses (or mules).
Here’s the link: West Flows in my store
And here’s the coupon code (copy/paste is a good idea): Jeko
Enjoy!
New Surprise Release!
I have a new release, and yes, that was a surprise even for me!
You see, I have this German Steampunk short story I wrote for an anthology in 2021. It got published, everything was good, and I didn’t think of it often. Which changed just a few weeks ago.
For some reason or other, I looked at the story again and started translating it into English. The words flowed, hyperfocus set in and finished the whole thing in one go. Almost 6,000 words. Took me five hours.
And then I went, created a cover, formatted the whole thing and sent it off to my proofreader. It has been available since end of June.
So let me present The Last Princes to you:
A superb airship. A competent Princess. A desperate battle.
When her airship is ordered to join the desperate, final battle above Wilhelmsburg, the capital of the old Empire, steerswoman Princess Aline realizes that she might lose everything she holds dear.
The death of Captain Franzon on the eve of the biggest battle of them all, catapults Aline into commanding the Falcon. Going through his documents, she discovers her uncle’s brazen plan, shocking in its scope. What’s more, the Falcon carries the legacy of the Empire as well as its best Artisans, the masters of elusive magic.
Can Aline’s keen senses, assets and teamwork save the Empire?
Find out in this fast-paced Steampunk short story, with exciting air battles, clever magic and a loyal crew.
You can either buy directly from me or grab it from your favorite store. It’ll cost you 99ct until the end of the month, then it’ll go up to 2.99.
Writing Progress Report
The good news is that I’m still writing.
The bad news is that it is hard to find motivation.
You see, my sales are way down and I don’t really know how to get them back up. (Yes, money is a reward, especially as I get few reviews.) It is very hard to find readers these days.
Visibility is the biggest problem, for the last year or so, AI slop has been flooding all stores with so much crap it’s difficult to actually reach human eyes. And even as a reader, I find it difficult to discover new authors I can trust.
How are you finding new authors?
Please share your tricks in a comment. And if you’re looking for indies, check out my Buy Direct Directory.
Winds & Pillars Progress Report
Moon is almost done! And as you can see, I already have a cover! Doesn’t it look great?
I’m also writing the big showdown, where Moon does something worthy of the superhero she is. That is so much fun!
I really hope I can finish Moon Rises soon and release it in August.
Which means there’s only one final book to write in the series, Spirit Sings. So far, I’m planning to write it late in 2026 and publish it early in 2027.
Wish me luck.
Wolves Progress Report
The next Wolf book is still A Wolf’s Love, the tale of Timothy and Ellie.
However, I’m thinking about Ellie and finding out more things about her past. Sad things. Important things. Things that will influence how she handles stuff in the Compton Pack (that we got to know in A Wolf’s Mate).
And well, we already know Timothy’s main problem, I think. I didn’t make it entirely obvious in A Wolf’s Mate, but there are hints. Mwuahahah. (Yes, feel free to re-read A Wolf’s Mate with an eye on that.)
Definitely looking forward to writing this. I know already that there will be lots of adventure and much danger, because the antagonist is quite ruthless. Also heroic (and clever) deeds by both MCs will save the day. I really want to dive into it soon.
Marketing Progress Report
Well, the promo stacking wasn’t as successful as I hoped. Even so, you can get West Flows for half-price in my own PayHip store, check out the blog post with all the details: West Flows – Book of the Month July 2026 – 50% off!
(Yes, yes, I know. I mentioned this above, but really, that’s a great deal. And I know you’ll love West.)
I honestly believe we indie authors need to band together and set up our own curated store. A place where readers can trust the books and also know that their hard-earned money goes directly to authors, without filling the coffers of any tech giants.
And I wish I had any idea on how to actually do that.
The infrastructure in tech isn’t exactly helpful, and yes, curating will be a bear. But we really need to fend off the AI slop. I just hope that LLM bubble bursts soon, it’s so hellishly destructive in so many ways. (And that’s all I’ll say about that.)
Pockets of Happiness Report
I finished a coloring project – and I went a little wild and rebellious with it. You see, that image didn’t work well with realistic colors. I mean what’s that weird stuff at the top that I colored blue? I decided to go with an abstraction of clouds, sky or rain.
And then, because it already felt slightly psychedelic, I made the squirrel purple. Because why not? I mean, what if there is a fantasy land where squirrels are purple? I can definitely run with that!
I never expected that coloring stuff to make me so happy. But I am already planning to get myself more pencils this week. And start a new project!
The Ember Tale
Today, I have a very cute idea for Ember, involving something I found in the park. And no, you can’t read the story anywhere else except in my newsletter.
My newsletter goes out on the 13th of every month, it has writing news, book recommendations and sales, and I always offer one book through my store as Book of the Month. And it always has the Ember Tale.
Occasionally, I might send out a release email when I publish a new book (most of the time, I can’t be bothered and just tell you about it in the regular newsletter).
Interested? Sign up below!
