"An Axe to Eat the Gods" is Nearly Here

...closing out the book and mapping out the bonus short story

An update is long overdue, but I had a lot going on with the holidays, a wonky work schedule, and my free time was spent very much focused on writing this next book. I was also writing the big climactic battle, which takes up four chapters due to how many different phases there are to that fight.

As of this morning, I re-read, edited, and beefed up the final battle. After getting to the end, I felt as if it needed to be tighter, more cohesive, and that certain moments needed to be emphasized more. Although, upon re-reading it, it was already pretty good and tight. Out of the fortyish pages, I ended up only adding two. Most of that was just added dialogue for more context.

The main story of the book sits at 210 pages, currently. I still need to write the closing (post-battle) chapters. I foresee two chapters and then a short epilogue. Beyond that, I have to write the bonus short story, which is something that takes place alongside the final battle. However, the main story alone has already made this the longest book I have written in the Barbarians of the Storm series. I’m fine with that, though, even if this novella length pulp series is moving into standard novel size. This story needed this many pages to be properly told. It is still told in a fast-paced pulp style like the other books. Had I gone the more traditional fantasy route, this thing could have been a massive beast.

The book’s length, compared to all the others, is a big part as to why this one has taken longer than usual. While I wanted to have it out by Christmas 2023, getting the book right is much more important. That being said, I think that this is my overall favorite in the series. I think that I hit a different kind of stride here and I like how the characters and their relationships are evolving into something even more meaningful than what has been seen before.

But… I do not want to spoil too much! And I need to get this thing done! So, for now, this is it! Back to work!

Expect another update or two, as I close in on the book’s launch. I can say with certainty that it should probably be published in the next few weeks, maybe even sooner.