No, oh, not me. Haha.

Although, we did just finish the latest set of revisions on Blood Jade in record time, and I must say that I’m really happy with how the sequel to Ebony Gate came out. Just as with the first book in the Phoenix Hoard series, working with our editor, Claire, has made the story so, so, so much better. I can’t wait for you to read it!

So, what does a writer do when finishing such a huge project? Well, seriously, you sweep the first deadline off your desk and plop on the next one. We’re working hard on Fists and Fangs, targeting release in November! But, all work and no play makes for unhappy writers, so even though I pre-ordered the awesome special edition hardbacks of J. Zachary Pike’s Dark Profit series, I decided to treat myself to reading the finale of the series, Dragonfired, on ebook. (Don’t worry, no spoilers ahead.)

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Even with just a few weeks break between the second and third books, I still needed and appreciated the slow break-in of the finale. We have a bit of a time jump from the end of the second book, and there’s a bit of seeing where everyone landed, and then the eventual getting the band back together.

Once the story reaches critical mass, it really takes off, firing on all cylinders just like the first two books, and hitting new highs and lows that were unexpected and so satisfying.

The Dark Profit series will enjoy a place of honor on my bookshelf as one of those rare beasts that brings the series to an end and STICKS. THE F**KING. LANDING.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Green Bone Saga
The Expanse
Fables
Kate Daniels
The Gap Cycle

So, this last one is the series that I thought of last, and then the more I thought about it, the more I realized it has (strangely) a strong similarity to the Dark Profit saga.

Strangely, you will know if you have read the Gap Cycle before. If you haven’t, let me be the one to say that it is an exceptional and sprawling space opera with some of the ugliest characters you may ever have the displeasure to read. In fact, given the humorous, satirical tone of epic fantasy in Dark Profit, then the Gap Cycle is just about the polar opposite in terms of tone, setting, and just overall feels.

(Seriously, if you’re feeling too happy or good about yourself, give the Gap Cycle a try.)

But there is a similarity, in that both stories start with turning a fairy tale on its head. In both stories, the princess is rescued from the villain by the handsome prince, and then swept away to a storybook ending. Both series take the inversion of this story, and spin it out into a wide-spanning story that casts ripples across every aspect of their respective worlds.

Really, it’s amazing. I wish you’d already read both of these series so we could all talk about them without spoiling anything but…

Got thoughts? Let me know in the comments. =)