Happy New Year! 2024 certainly ended up as an eventful year. Both my wife and I got new jobs, travelled plenty, and spent valued time with family and friends. That said I thought I would pop in for a quick post just so you all know I am still at it.

Currently book two is sitting at 81% complete with the first draft for Faerin’s perspective almost complete (we are playing in some fun areas so I keep adding to the word count goal). Then it’s some fleshing out on the other two stories, mop up, edit etc. I feel very confident that I will have the manuscript complete and in the editing stage before the summer which puts us on track for an end of year release, roughly five years after releasing A Promise of Iron.

Book two has certainly taken longer than expected or intended as finding time to write is has proved elusive over these last few years. But recently I have fallen into a more regular cadence and the word count per week continues to grow. As I see the finish line up ahead this will only increase. Much like our favorite dwarf… I am a natural sprinter. All I can offer is my hope that the story will be worth the wait.

In the meantime enjoy this picture of Ruk who seems to capture the “stop judging me” tone I was hoping to set with this post.

Blessings!

-Brandon

It has been way too long since my last update- but that is a good thing! The story has progressed significantly and I am rounding the corner on completing Faerin’s story arc. Based on my target goal, The Sins of Silver is roughly 67% complete. While I would love to put the goal for completion at this year I feel it is best to be realistic and set a goal that won’t require a massive overhaul of my life outside of writing. That said… expect book two in 2025.

One word best sums up the past several months of writing.

Ocunebris.

It is a dark place, full of as many secrets and mysteries as it is of wrong turns, dead ends, and peril lurking within the shadows.

Like our friends in the land of Ara I have been navigating my way through Ocuenbris. But like any labyrinthian journey the joy you feel when seeing the end is best shared with friends.

So here I am.

I have powered through to 80,000 words, which sounds like meagre progress, but when you realize I have written the past 40 odd thousand words ten times over perhaps you will grant me a bit of reprieve.

I, just like the characters I have grown so fond of, am nearing the end of my time in Ocunebris. The path forward is brighter, clearer, and for the love of all the quin in the world not complicated with the the limitations of story telling in such a place.

While I could say I hated my time in Ocunebris, that would be a lie. I was challenged in Ocunebris, challenged to write, to rewrite, to scrap, to start over, to burn it all down only to mold a tower from the ashes. And as a good friend told me while we were both highly intoxicated- “You need to get out of your head and out of your own way.”

Wise words.

Pressure turns coal into diamonds. While it will ultimately be you the reader that will determine what is a gem or not, I can at the very least go to sleep tonight knowing it is no longer coal.

Expect more regular updates.

The darkness is ending. We bid farewell to Ocunebris.

-Brandon

Hello patient readers! Its currently 137 degrees in Phoenix, but you aren’t here for my complaining! You are here (I hope) for a progress update on book two. As I have shared previously, book two will be told from three perspectives in three parts. Part one is complete. One perspective from Part two is complete which puts me at roughly 4/9 (44%) through the book. I hate putting timetables on anything as delicate as writing, but I wouldn’t expect it to be complete by 2023. However, mid to late 2024 is certainly a possibility.

Time and focus are the key. Some creatures have supreme focus. An example of that focus is pictured below… Ruk really likes treats. For other creatures focus requires effort and dedication. With that said I will be dedicating a strict portion of my time weekly to focusing on the book… rather than my typical approach of when I find the time.

Also, quick update I only have five of the original first edition hardcovers left (shocking to me). I will be sprucing some things up in the leadup to book two and will rerelease A Promise of Iron as a second edition (but likely not a hardcover). Not that it will ever be a collector’s item but if you feel the urge to have a copy with a handful of glaring punctuation errors so you can troll me for all eternity, I recommend you grab one quickly as these will be the only copies in existence of that edition….

Many blessings!

-Brandon

Hello all! It has been many cycles since my last update. And although I could dazzle you with a dozen reasons why this site and an unfinished manuscript have been gathering dust… let’s just move forward with the promise of steady progress in the future and less demands on my free time.

So how does book two look? After a quick recap I am at roughly 100 pages that I would say are nearly finished and another 200 in various stages of rewrites… but my progress through those is much faster than in previous months/years.

There will likely be more regular updates on progress, companion stories, merch, promotions etc. in the coming months. So stay tuned!

Time has been at a premium the past several months. An exceptionally busy work life, home life and other activities that have demanded my attention have kept me from updating here— but that’s an excuse. I could have very easily taken a few minutes out of my busy day to update here but didn’t… mainly because I didn’t have much to update.

So here goes the update of an update.

Book two progresses with only minor setbacks. Part one is penned at roughly 300 pages. I’m currently rewriting and somewhere between version 3-5 (five tends to be my final rewrite before moving on to completion). What I have written has improved with each pass, which tells me I am getting closer, but still have more to tie together.

It has been a joy to write this book with the new perspectives of Crylwin and Lira joining Faerin. At the same time I don’t want to rush this process, and the process behind this book has proven to be considerably more complex than the first. While there is a break between semesters (for those that don’t know I am finishing my degree) my pace is considerable. But I expect that pace to slow again when school resumes. In all reality I will be finished with my degree this coming fall and can devote all my free time and energy into book two. In the meantime you can expect regular updates throughout the year, as well as quarterly newsletters, and a beta ready version of part one. I hope I will see drafts of part two and three early by the end of year.

It’s good to have hope.

-Brandon

This year is just flying by. It seems like only yesterday that A Promise of Iron was released… but it’s one year anniversary is looming just around the corner. It has been an exciting year not only for A Promise of Iron but for the next book in the Echoes of Illyria series, The Sins of Silver. Draft one part one is finished, or roughly a third of the way through. I will be doing rewrites and collecting beta feedback over the next few months so stay tuned for updates!

On a personal notes I want to thank you all for your patience during my periods of radio silence. Rest assured I am (most weeks) hard at work trying to tell this story to the satisfaction of the characters in it (Lira can be difficult to please). I can say with some confidence this has been a surprising book, not only in how the narrative has unfolded for me, but for the growth and discoveries that each of the characters has experienced. For fans of book one, book two should be even better.

As always I appreciate your feedback as well as your words of support and encouragement… I simply would not, could not, do this without you!

Blessings!

-Brandon

Has it really been since April? One thousand apologies… let’s hit the high notes…

1. School has started, we have bigs off to big school and a little off to little school
2. Arizona has has a wet summer- bring on the rain!
3. Book two is shaping up nicely, beta invites are coming soon. Interested, email me info@realmccoybooks.com subject line BETA READER

That’s it for now! Newsletter for August just went out, if you need you can find it here!

Salt&ruin

-Brandon

For those of you that do not receive the newsletter… here is a behind the scenes update.

1. New logo thanks to some talented folks on Fiverr. I think it looks good and may branch out into some merc merch.
2. “The Sins of Silver” book two in the Echoes of Illyria saga is about 15% complete. Part One of Faerin’s story is done, working on Crylwin’s story now.
3. I am looking for beta readers. If you are interested in shaping the story, or just like to get early access send me an email info@realmccoybooks.com

Outside of that I promise to update here more frequently (same with Twitter and Facebook).

By way of apology… here is an excerpt quote from the new book

“Fool,” Nox said, smiling. I saw Vox’s smile staring back at me. “I am already dead.” Then he leapt from the ledge into the throng of Golmere.

It has been awhile since I last updated the blog so I figured I would take a minute and let you know what we have cooking behind the scenes.

All hardcovers have been mailed out so expect them in the next few days. I am super eager to hear what you think!

With the help of all your support we placed third in the cover of the month contest- as I am sure you know already from my relentless spamming! This was a super cool contest and something that will hopefully give lots of exposure in the future.

We have two cool author promos running. Links are below. Take a peak- it is a great way to score some free books and great deals!

Free Books Promo

Amazon Kindle Unlimited Promo

March Newsletter went out today so check you email and spam filters. The complete first chapter of “The Song of Creation” is posted for subscribers as well as a contest for two $25 Amazon gift cards. If you are not a subscriber, sign up and send me a note so I can send you the letter for March. I plan on having regular contests and giveaways as well as featuring the continuation of “The Song of Creation” as a newsletter exclusive.

Perhaps the best update is that I started Echoes of Illyria Book Two over the weekend, thanks to my lovely wife sending me away for a quiet and productive weekend. The title is “The Sins of Silver” and it will feature pov from Faerin, Lira and Crylwin. It is a direct sequel and will pick up right where book one left off, so those of you dying to know what happens after book one’s cliffhanger you wont have to wait much longer. I imagine I will include Chapter 1 in a future newsletter so make sure you are subscribed!

I think that is enough for now. Thanks for reading!

Salt & Ruin,

-Brandon