I wrote another novel 🐲🦾

Just in time for my birthday

Yesterday I finished writing the first draft of a new novel. 🎉

This is my fifth completed manuscript, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

This new book still has a long way to go before it reaches people’s hands, but I’m immensely delighted to have reached the point where the story is “on paper,” even though it’s currently messy, inconsistent, and probably confusing to anybody besides me. But that’s OK, that’s part of the process. The next step is to share it with first readers, and to get the story cleaned up.

What’s it called?

The project’s code name is Hydra. I’ve mentioned this book several times before in this newsletter. And indeed, that name has become part of the series title: The Hydra Chronicles.

The actual title isn’t locked in yet, but at the moment I’m calling it The Root and the Call. I really like that title, but I’m getting mixed feedback from people in my inner circle. Do you like it? Let me know in the comments.

What’s it about?

This is the first book in a new series. It’s unrelated to anything I’ve written in the past. (Although I love dropping easter eggs in my own books. In this new novel, for example, one of the characters has a cat named Pomella. Maybe this is the start of the Denzel-verse? 😝)

Anyway….

On Nuera, a colony planet where technology no longer functions and mysticism has filled the void of science, a young woman falls from the sky.

Reina Malone grew up in the orbital Ring, a cold and orderly space habitat where political fractures run deep and resistance feels futile. When a failed spy mission strands her on the planet below, she’s taken in by a charming, yet eccentric wizard. Around her, ancient tech boots to life.

As Reina wrestles with her own past and strange powers, she’s drawn into a larger struggle for Nuera’s future; one shaped by loyalty, legacy, and long-buried truths.

To learn the secrets of her past and to unlock the potential of the untamed planet, Reina will have to venture into the heart of the Wilds, where massive cybernetic dragons called Hydras rule.

The Root and the Call begins a sweeping science-fantasy series about the ties that bind us, the legacies we inherit, and the courage it takes to stand up and have your voice heard.

A sketch I made on my iPad. (No AI used, but the clouds were partially sourced from stock photography cause they're tricky to get right.

A sketch I drew of Reina, the main protagonist. I traced a reference image to get the pose and the angle of her face right. (Because perspective is hard and also cause I’m doing this as a hobby.)

When Can I Read it?

I’m a traditionally-published writer which means that I’m going to submit this book to a publisher after I revise it. That process always takes a while, so realistically, the book won’t be out for a couple of years. It could happen sooner, but I want to set proper expectations.

That said, I’ve already shared a couple of sample chapters on my Substack. Those are available to anybody who signs up for a paid subscription. It’s very affordable and I hope you’ll consider supporting me in that way.

I plan to share a brand new sample chapter from this book later today for paid subscribers.

What About Celestial Saga?

For those of you who’ve been around for a while, you may be wondering about the status of my other big, ambitious novel: The Celestial Saga.

I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I made the decision to split the book into multiple volumes. It was more than twice the length of this newer Hydra book. After working on CS for so long, I needed a mental break so that’s why I switched to Hydra. But I plan to return to CS later this year, maybe in a few months, and complete the process of splitting that book up and making the first volume complete.

Year of the Horse

The Lunar New Year is coming up on February 17, which is the day before my birthday. We’re entering the Year of the Horse, which also happens to be my Chinese zodiac sign. 🔥🐴🔥

This is an exciting and auspicious time considering that I’ll probably have 2 (!) novels ready to submit to publishers later this year: this first Hydra Chronicles book, and the first Celestial Saga book. Both projects are ambitious and very close to my heart.

As always, I’m grateful for your support, and I can’t wait to share these stories with you. I think you’ll love them as much as I do.