News & Updates

Hi! Here’s where you’ll find all the latest news and updates regarding my writing progress, website updates, and my publishing journey.
Updates on this page will be posted as they occur, so stay tuned!
For more regularly-scheduled content, check out the Author’s Blog page and explore my Worldbuilding Journal where you can learn about the world of Orosta and a little more about me. New posts there are posted every Friday! Subscribe to be notified so you never miss something new!
Remember dragons lie.
—J. L. Gryphon

Writing Progress

Remember Dragons Lie Volume I: The Stag

Remember Dragons Lie Volume I: The Stag is COMPLETE (woohoo!), and I am currently seeking an agent in the interests of having it published. In the meantime, I am actively writing it’s sequel, Remember Dragons Lie Volume II: The Unicorn.

I can’t wait to finally share this story I so deeply love. It’s been a long, long time coming. Subscribe and join my email list, or just leave me a comment telling me how much you love fantasy! Every little bit helps on the road to getting an agent and getting the books out there!

To everyone who wishes to support me and the books on this writing journey, I sincerely thank you.

Remember Dragons Lie Volume II: The Unicorn

I have officially moved to a new state! Writing delays to follow while I deal with all the unpacking.

My things have failed to ship, so I’m camping out in a hotel for the time being. I miss my gaming computer. His name is Hal-9000, by the way. Yes, I was extremely tempted to make my username Dave.

My stuff has FINALLY arrived (took almost two weeks!), and I’ve officially settled into my apartment. Now comes the actual unpacking. Once I get Hal back, my life will feel a little more normal.

I got Hal back! He’s humming along as I type. Still settling in from my move. There’s a lot of real world stuff that unfortunately demands first priority. Trying to get back into writing soon.

Officially I’m writing again! Took a few months, but I made it. So far, I’ve developed some key concepts and have determined based on the manuscript so far which characters need POV attention. Which character has the goal in this particular scene? Which character is this scene really about? These are the questions I’ve been asking, and it’s led to some interesting discoveries.

Explored character arcs and why certain people go willingly into the unknown despite everyone telling them to turn back compared to others who stay trapped and afraid. Randomly, The Princess Diaries film helped me out the most:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”

—Ambrose Redmoon

I determined there are potentially two motivations. The first is the one above. The second is desperation, if venturing into the unknown is safer than staying where you are. Both can be used to develop character heel-turns, although if desperation is the motivator, there may be more risk that the character will revert to their old ways once the pressure is gone.

Did some character creation and backstory for the character Cayl.

I have distilled my villain’s motivation down to a single sentence. Really great insight into her character today.

Through the course of editing, I had determined a while back that the villain introduction chapter needed a complete re-write. Attempted doing that today, which is what my “queen in a bath” comment was about on my latest blog post, but ran into a wall. I’m not sure why writing this chapter isn’t working, but it’s really been a process getting it out. At least the outline is completely finished for it.

Determined some important details about the character Learza. Annoyingly, it turns out he’s been right about a few things, after all. He’s being smug about it, too. *sigh*

Figured out the cause of my writer’s block regarding a specific chapter. In this case, it wasn’t laziness or fallow ground (see here for context). It was “protection against stupid” where the reason I couldn’t write it was because I was missing an angle to the chapter beyond “introduce villain”, which is a great reason for me the author, but not so much for the story and its characters (They don’t know I exist, or they think I’m personified Death, so getting them to do things only for my benefit never tends to work out very well.).

So, once I realized that was my problem, I sat down and thought of an in-story reason for the scene. I asked myself the question: “What does my villain want out of this exchange?” Came up with an answer, and bam, I have an angle, goal, and purpose for the chapter other than “the plot demands it” which, I repeat, isn’t actually a reason. Or at least it shouldn’t be the only reason. Long story short, the writing is once again flowing. So, lesson learned, if I have trouble like this again, I need to sit down and analyze what the scene is still missing, because clearly missing something was the problem here. Thanks, Kristen!

Website Updates

General Updates

04/23/21 – The founding of a new website!

08/02/21 – Links have been added to the Concept Art page’s navigation list for easier scrolling to different sections. Click what you want to see from the list, and you’ll jump straight there!

08/03/21 –

  • New page! This one, in fact. “News & Updates”
  • Changed profile to a picture of Azrael for proper immersion purposes.

10/08/21 – New page! “Writing Classes” If you enjoy my content and are looking to hone your own writing skills, I am now offering one-on-one writing classes. See the Writing Classes page for more details.

12/01/21 – Page update! “Books” Publication progress for Remember Dragons Lie Volume I: The Stag is now at 25% completion!

Concept Art Updates

05/03/21 – All new character art! See all the new faces here!

07/16/21 – New map! “The Island of Rhye“

07/18/21 – New map! “Atheliona City Map“

08/02/21 – New map! “Jezryn’s Assassin Camp“

08/06/21 –

08/31/21 – New character art! “Litzana Riel“

12/02/21 – New character art! “Ree“

08/23/22 – New map! “The Fairy Kingdom Rhyseel“

Blog Post Updates

2021

04/21/21 – Author’s Blog post updates:

05/01/21 – Published blog post: “The World of Orosta“

05/19/21 – Published blog post: “D the Voidhound“

05/20/21 – Published blog post: “Chabaal the Fisherman“

05/28/21 – Published blog post: “Sithuwaye“

05/29/21 – Made a decision to change up the blog posts and go for something more interesting and fun. Introductions to the new narrator will come tomorrow.

05/30/21 – Published blog post: “Meet the Narrator“

05/31/21 – Author’s Blog post updates:

06/04/21 – Published blog post: “Jeenta“

06/05/21 – Received a special request from one self-proclaimed genius pedant. A post about his favorite character, Ilitha Reiyiss, will be out in the next two weeks. Got to take some extra time to make it special. Until then, the blog post “Shadowstealing” will be out this coming Friday.

06/11/21 – Published blog post: “Shadowstealing“

06/18/21 – Published blog post: “Ilitha Reiyiss“. Special request achieved!

06/25/21 – Published blog post: “The Man Named After the Sky“

06/26/21 – Been thinking about it for a while now, and I’ve officially decided to do voice work for the blog. Having Death read to you might not be so bad. It could even be fun. The idea is that people who are too busy can sit and listen. Also, I thought it would be a great idea for people who are blind. This way more people are included. Now it’s just a matter of learning how to DO voice work. I might need a minute.

07/02/21 – Published blog post: “Greetings from the Author“

  • Includes brand new voice over complete with ambient sounds!
  • Audio will be included in all new posts moving forward unless I run into a technical snag. Will post here if that happens.
  • Old posts will be receiving audio updates when I have the time. Will post here when a post gets an update!

07/09/21 – Published blog post: “Wraith-Step“

07/16/21 – Published blog post: “Stories I Love: Part I“

07/17/21 – Audio update has been added to the blog post:

07/23/21 – Published blog post: “Stories I Love: Part II“

07/30/21 – Published blog post: “Stories I Love: Part III“

08/06/21 – Published blog post: “The Morsus Swamp“

  • A click-adventure fantasy-horror story game. What you choose determines the story. How it will end is up to you!

08/13/21 – Published blog post: “Azrael’s Guided Tour“

08/20/21 – Published blog post: “Seeré Anastil“

08/27/21 – Published blog post: “Balâg Loperian“

09/3/21 – Published blog post: “Vänima Anastil“

09/10/21 – Author’s Blog post updates:

09/17/21 – Published blog post: “Cali“

09/24/21 – Published blog post: “Psionics Part I: Sithuwaye“

10/01/21 – Published blog post: “Psionics Part II: Dragons“

10/03/21 – Author’s Blog post updates:

10/08/21 – Published blog post: “Marian Rilet“

10/10/21 – Audio update has been added to the blog post:

10/15/21 – Published blog post: “Le Sair the White Stag“

10/17/21 – Audio update has been added to the blog post:

10/22/21 – Published blog post: “Merrow“

10/29/21 – Published blog post: “Sirens“

11/05/21 – Published blog post: “The Cult of Azrael“

11/12/21 – Published blog post: “Shades“

11/19/21 – Published blog post: “Lilith“

11/26/21 – Published blog post: “Zurrinaih“

12/03/21 – Published blog post: “Mimicry“

12/10/21 – Published blog post: “Fairies“

12/17/21 – Published blog post: “Pixies“

12/24/21 – Published blog post: “The Void“

12/31/21 – Published blog post: “Dragons“

2022

01/07/22 – Published blog post: “Scáth“

01/14/22 – Published blog post: “The Veldriss“

01/21/22 – Published blog post: “Cazdaerni“

01/28/22 – Published blog post: “The Realm of Velherr“

02/04/22 – Published blog post: “The Veldriss’s Shadow“

02/11/22 – Author’s Blog post updates:

  • Published blog post: “Ssä”
    • Delayed Audio!
  • Azrael’s note on the delayed audio:
    • “Due to a jeenta windstorm, my voice has been drowned out in the gale. Alas, the audio version will be delayed until it subsides. I think Ssä had Cell send the storm on purpose. Just to spite me. Ah, infuriating serpent.”
  • Audio update has been added to the blog post: “Ssä“
  • Azrael’s updated note:
    • “So it seems the wind has finally died down. My deathly voice is once again there to greet you, those below. Happy listening.”

02/18/22 – Published blog post: “The Veldriss’s Voice“

02/25/22 – Published blog post: “Cell“

03/04/22 – Published blog post: “The Black Unicorn“

03/11/22 – Published blog post: “Anäriel Anastil“

03/18/22 – Published blog post: “The Religion of Velherr“

03/25/22 – Published blog post: “Fredegar “Fred” Dalequest“

04/01/22 – Published blog post: “Ree“

04/08/22 – Published blog post: “Kieran Quinn“

04/15/22 – Published blog post: “Litzana Riel“

04/22/22 – Published blog post: “The Fisherhook Gang“

04/29/22 – Published blog post: “Feyaga Hush“

05/06/22 – Published blog post: “The Hood“

05/13/22 – Published blog post: “Silas McGain“

05/20/22 – I have come down with the worst cold I have ever had. Unfortunately, for the first time ever, the blog post will have to be delayed.

6/17/22 – I am still sick thanks to getting a nasty case of bronchitis, but I’m not dead! My lungs just sound like a raspy whistle and my brain is constantly in a fog thanks to the medications. I hope to be back soon. Keep checking back here for updates! Azrael sends her greetings.

Publishing Journey

Querying Has Officially Begun!

As of January 28, 2022

Doing research into publishing methods to choose which path is right for me.

After much deliberation and research, I have officially decided to pursue the traditional publishing method. *ducks*

Ducking aside, it’s honestly a huge relief to finally have a plan. I like plans. I also like lists. Lists keep me organized. Having a plan lets me create lists. Sweet harmony. So with that in mind: *begins crafting To-Do list*

A comprehensive shortlist of literary agents has been compiled!

Doing a last once-over with edits for Remember Dragons Lie Volume I: The Stag before I begin querying to bring down the overall wound count. Starting wordcount is approximately 148,000. Industry standard is 120,000. Ultimately a story needs to be as long as is necessary to properly tell it, but there are ways to keep content intact and still bring that overall wordcount down. Example:

“He pushed up onto his knees.”

You can cut the word “up” no questions asked, and the manuscript is officially one word shorter. So it’s that kind of editing I’m looking at. The tedious kind. But any wordcount lower than what I currently have is at least something, so that’s what I’m determined to do. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t hit that magic number, but the closer to the standard I can get it, the better. Hang in there with me!

Wordcount down to approximately 147,000 so far! Very satisfying to shave off at least that much. As I said before, I’m not sacrificing content. Just tightening via my previous example. Yes, I’m slowly (quickly) going insane. Probably for the best, though. To quote one of my favorite characters:

“Sane is boring.”

—Jarlaxle

Knocked out another thousand words. Word count down to approximately 146,000! I’m really happy with the results so far. Still chipping away to get that number even lower.

New word count update! Down to 140,000 words! Definitely a huge jump from my last update. Querying to agents will begin very soon now!

New updated wordcount! Down to 139,000 words!

Querying has officially begun!

As of January 28, 2022

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