Work in Progress
Last year, I cranked out two novels, The Delicate Art of Death, released in April 2023, and The Firefly Collective, released in August 2023. I planned to take a short time off, start the plotting process for the next novel in October, and finish writing it early this year, with a release in late March or April. When October came around, the plotting process ran a little long, so I didn’t get to the writing portion of the book until December. That also wasn’t a big deal. I had cranked out books in less time than this. I wrote The Osiris Initiative in less than three months, from plotting to being ready for edits. Then, at the end of December, my family was hit with a bombshell. A routine exam revealed that my wife had a potentially cancerous growth, as well as some problems with her thyroid.
That was heavy, and it was the first time we’d had to deal with something of that nature. Given the possible outcomes, you would assume it would be dealt with quickly. But you’d be wrong. Long story short, my wife finally went in for surgery at the end of March. The good news is everything ended up being fine, and there was no cancer. But it was a lot of metaphysical heaviness to carry around. And anyone who writes or does any other creative endeavor knows that mental stress can shut you down. It’s hard to summon the creative energy when something like that is hanging over you.
As if that wasn’t enough, the start of this year has brought a flurry of activity to my day job, which is running my own business. More business is good, but it takes attention away from my other creative endeavors. As I’ve lamented on social media, publishing, writing, and marketing your books are several jobs; adding running your own business to the list makes it a Herculean task.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitching. The purpose of this post isn’t a vent session. I wanted to explain what brought me to this point. Despite the delays, I’ve almost finished the manuscript that will become my fifth novel. But I will once again have to push the launch deadline back to complete it in a manner that gives me enough time for editing and pre-launch marketing. Thank goodness I never set a launch date on KDP. I’ve heard horror stories of authors not making their launch date and losing all their preorders, and I would never want that to be me. So until I’m sure I can finish a book, I never put up a preorder. I decided I didn’t want to launch the book in June, and July seemed like too much of a holiday month. So, I’m proud to announce my novel will launch in August of 2024. Yes, that will be nearly a year after my last release, but life, as they say, gets in the way.
I am tremendously excited about this latest novel. It’s the fifth novel in the Xavier Greene Thriller series and picks up after the events of The Firefly Collective.
If you haven’t read that novel, light spoilers are below this line!
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Okay, if you’re still here, I’ll give you a few tidbits about the novel.
As you know from the ending of The Firefly Collective, our protagonists were all left in vulnerable positions. Xavier was whisked away to meet with the secretive clan of assassins known as The Iron Tigers at the behest of Hondo Ishimura. However, the mystery he encounters on the backstreets of Tokyo could turn deadly when he runs afoul of the Yakuza, ghosts from his past, and a mysterious new enemy who may be his most deadly foe yet.
Meanwhile, Stacy Martinez had been betrayed by her longtime partner, Bill Logan, only to be swept up by the mysterious Citadel. Now, she’ll find herself plunged headfirst into a deadly mission that she has no choice but to accept.
Speaking of Logan, he did what he thought was right and only followed orders. But those orders may have cost him a friendship he holds dear. In the meantime, a confidant may have information about the elusive James Devos, but he will only speak with Logan. The unorthodox FBI Agent discovers that he can’t trust anyone as the conspiracy only deepens.
The title will stay secret just a bit longer—but not too long. I’ll be doing a title drop and releasing preorder information very soon. I’m having a blast constructing this story, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you!
– Ryan
