Castle of Spells on the horizon

Posted on July 11, 2014 (Subscribe to Blog)

I had to give up posting on my blog over the last couple of months. I was just too busy working and writing to muster the energy to write here as well. Plus I went on a cruise!

The cruise was great. We spent eight days at sea, visiting three islands along the way, and I often sat on the little balcony overlooking the clear blue ocean while typing on my laptop. Yes, I was busy writing Castle of Spells (Island of Fog, Book 9), and I got quite a bit done while I wasn't stuffing my face with "free" food.

So what's the status of the last two books in the Fog series?

Book #8, Prison of Despair, is finished except for some minor edits. This book is on course for publication on July 20th, just over a week away! All those who have beta-read it, please consider adding your review to Goodreads now and then to Amazon when it's published.

Meanwhile, I'm about two-thirds of the way through Book #9, Castle of Spells, and naturally this hasn't yet gone out to beta readers. I expect (hope!) to send it off around August 1st. I'm still aiming to get this published on August 20th, which will be exactly a month after Book 8, so this means beta readers will have only two weeks to read it and get it back to me so I can do some finishing touches. Two weeks seems to be plenty of time for most beta readers, though.

So -- July 20th and August 20th, my two deadlines for the final two books in Hal's story.

I want to reiterate that there will definitely be more Island of Fog books, just not from Hal's point of view and therefore not part of the main series. They will be one-off "Island of Fog Tales," following various characters that have cropped up in the series. Want to see what happened to Thomas all those years alone in the woods with manticores? How about Queen Bee's struggle to form the Swarm? Or Miss Simone's creation of the Shapeshifter Program? I see endless possibilities for these shorter, one-off tales. They will be self-contained standalone stories, but fans of the series will enjoy seeing how they tie in with the series.

I'm off now to continue editing Castle of Spells. I'm running through the first seventeen chapters before writing the final five. I expect the last one or two chapters will be kind of a wind-down period. I don't want to end on a cliffhanger or have anything unresolved. The series really is ending, and I intend to do it properly.

*wipes eyes*

Comment by CHARLIE on Friday, July 11, 2014...

I'm excited my daughter will be happy to hear the news she loves the series I can't wait to read them myself. Thank you for a wonderful series.

Comment by HAKEEM on Friday, July 11, 2014...

I was a little worried last month, because I thought that book 8 was to come out in June and you hadn't blogged on forever. But it's nice to know everything is in track can't wait to read the next book.

Comment by NATHALIE on Saturday, July 19, 2014...

My 8-year-old can't wait for book 8 to come out — he's been asking us every week since he finished book 7 to check on the status of book 8! (He read books 1-7 during a 3-week stretch.)

Comment by CARYS on Saturday, July 19, 2014...

I'm so excited to hear that books eight and nine are coming out soon! I'm eleven and I have literally just finished reading Labyrinth of Fire and it's AMAZING. I just can't wait to buy the next book, I'm so addicted to this series. The first two books have taken me three days to devour! I' also really looking forward to reading those 'one off' stories!

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Saturday, July 19, 2014...

Thanks, all! I've spent the last couple of hours doing final typo corrections to Book 8, PRISON OF DESPAIR, and I'm starting the "publish" process tonight on Amazon. It should pop up ready to buy sometime tomorrow (July 20) as promised.

Carys, great to hear from you! I'm very happy you're enjoying the books. :-)

Comment by CHARLIE on Sunday, July 20, 2014...

What price will the book be on amazon or kindle? I was wanting to know in advance. :-)

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Sunday, July 20, 2014...

Charlie, the price will be $3.99 on Kindle, the same as all the others. I'm sitting here waiting for Amazon to approve and publish the book. Should be soon!

Comment by CHARLIE on Friday, August 1, 2014...

Awesome I am glad to be able to read book eight. Thank you fir writing it so fast.

Comment by KYRA (SAID LIKE K-IRA NOT K-EERA) on Tuesday, August 5, 2014...

I can't wait for book nine! I'm so ready for this!!!!

Comment by SERINITY on Wednesday, August 13, 2014...

I was a beta reader for Prison of Despair. I wanted to know if you are looking for beta readers for Castle of Spells, if so how can i become a beta reader if not when do think you will be looking.

Comment by KEITH ROBINSON on Wednesday, August 13, 2014...

Serinity, thanks for asking, but I went with a very small, select group of beta readers for Castle of Spells. The book is just about ready and will be published on August 20.

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