Meet the Author ...Again

Perhaps re-introductions are in order -- and a writing update!

Hey folks, it's been a while. I haven't written one of these here blog thingies in almost a year. But when you stop and think about it, it could be worse. I haven't published a book in almost three years -- which feels like an eternity when you're used to putting out one a year. And since its been so long since I've put out a book, I figured it was time to reintroduce myself to you all and give a few updates about what you can expect from me this year.

First of all, hi. I'm Matt and I'm a fantasy and scifi author. I've written and published five books, including a stand alone portal fantasy, a sword and sorcery trilogy, and the first book of a futuristic dystopian scifi series. I've also started a handful of other projects that I've been working on over the last year off and on. I would love to say that I'm a full time author, but I spend forty hours a week fixing broken computers to pay the bills while building my author brand and writing backlog. I play guitar and bass for fun, and got my start with writing music and lyrics. Over time it morphed into telling stories that I hope all of you will enjoy.

If you've been following along with my social media posts for a while or remember back into the distant past when I wrote my last blog, you're probably aware of my next big project, The Shadow Sisters. It's been a labor of love over the last three years, which is a very extended period of time for a writing project for me. I've had to fight some mental health demons along the way, as well as a number of life changes which have left me with little time or motivation to write for far too much of the last three years.

So it's with tremendous excitement that I'm proud to announce that The Shadow Sisters is finally off to my editor! I finished up the last round of pre-editing revisions on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning received proof drafts for the cover from my artist. I also already have a map done from another talented artist that I can't wait to reveal to all of you as well. All in all, we're on track for a fall 2025 release!

The Shadow Sisters is a much darker book than you might be used to from me. Not that I've ever been afraid to go dark in my novels before. If you've read them, you know that the body count can get fairly high. But in The Shadow Sisters, the darkness is very personal. This is the story of one woman's fall and the lies and betrayals that lead to it.

Our main character is a young woman named Anjia. Having grown up in a remote village, she's been promised to the local temple of Kyrsma. She's been training as an acolyte for seventeen cycles (years) to become a full sister of the temple, but there's one test that remains: Anjia must face the Khimital, a shadow demon that the sisters of the temple have keep bound to protect the rest of the world. If she does not defeat it, she will die at the Khimital's hands.

What Anjia doesn't know is that the temple has long ago fallen to the Khimital. The game is rigged. Facing the Khimital is a test to see if she is worthy to serve it as a shadow sister -- an assassin who it sends to kill targets around Ilisana in order to extend its grip over the continent. And though Anjia initially tries to resist, it's not long before she realizes that if she does not serve the Khimital willingly, it will simply take over her body like shadowy puppeteer and force her to act upon its will. Her only choice, if she wants to maintain any illusion of control, is to serve it. And the longer she serves it, the more she begins to enjoy what it's making her into.

In many ways, this is a story about choice -- or the illusion thereof. It asks the questions:

1. When the threat of losing control of your own bodily autonomy hangs over your head, what are you willing to do?

2. How far are you willing to go? And...

3. Will you let your actions under duress change who you really are?

Because that's the thing about evil. The more you commit it, the easier it becomes to justify. And it can begin with just the smallest of selfish choices and escalate out of control before you realize it.

So needless to say, I'm excited to finally have a product that I'm proud of in the hands of my very capable editor, Vanessa Redmon. I can't wait to show you the final cover by the extremely talented Fay Lane. And I'm truly looking forward to showing you the world I've created in my head that the incredibly talented Dewi Hargreaves has brought to life with the map he created for this book. The plan is to roll both of those out, as well as the blurb, release date, and preorder box options over the next few months for The Shadow Sisters to release this fall. If you want to stay up to date without having to scour social media, you can subscribe to my mailing list and receive announcements right in your inbox!

In the meantime, here's the teaser trailer for The Shadow Sisters to get you excited! Talk to you all again soon!