Greetings!
I will again be selling and signing Empyrean Dreams books at a local literary event, this time at Erie Lit Fest in Frontier Park. The event is this weekend, Saturday, Sept. 21st from noon to 6:00 pm. In addition to vendors and authors, Lit Fest will feature poets, storytellers, and other spoken word performers, plus writing workshops.
Nathan
The literary scene is lighting up in Erie!
I'll be representing Empyrean Dreams at the Get Lit After Dark local author signing event this weekend, Saturday, August 2nd, from 7-9 pm at the Hidden Gem Event Space on Federal Hill (Peach Street, behind Tipsy Bean Cafe) here in Erie, PA. More details are in the image below. I'll have all six published Empyrean Dreams books available for sale and signing, plus copies of Guardian Fighters Era: The New Disciples, the first book in a light novel series I wrote with creator Deren Somsanith.
I apologize that I neglected to post about a previous local authors' event, held at Werner Books back in June. The next event I'm planning to attend is the Literary Festival at Frontier Park on September 22nd; more information to come once confirmed. Werner Books is also planning another authors' signing event before year's end, so I'll be watching for that signup.
- Nathan
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Greetings!
Third Time's the Curse, the second sequel in the Tales of the Scape Grace (or fourth book, if you count the prequel) is published and available! The paperback and Kindle eBook editions are now available online here. Print copies will be added locally in Erie, at Werner Books and Books Galore, as soon as available.
The story begins with the bane of all pirate captains: mutiny! Captain Lerner of Scape Grace discovers that he has been marooned while at port on a space station deep in the Mauraug Dominion. Who could have stolen 'Grace... and how? Where have they gone? How can her captain win his ship back? And most importantly... does he even want to?
There's another manuscript to finish, first, before I start Biological Clock, the second novella in Stchvk Casefiles #2, so that book will likely be published around late spring or summer of 2024.
After that...? I'm definitely planning at least one more sequel in the Tales of the Scape Grace, to wrap up her storyline, but I'm also considering a series of short stories filling in the "missing" ten years between Escape From Grace (her origin story) and The Wreck of the Untranslatable. These stories may appear first as exclusives on my Patreon (now under construction), then would be published later as a single compiled volume.
The timeline depends on my availability. I may be called back to duty once Guardian Fighters Era is ready to go again. Book 1, The New Disciples is available here, Book 2 has been written but is waiting on artwork, and Book 3 already has its outline. It's a martial arts light novel, wholly different from Empyrean Dreams, but still my writing and (I think) a good read.
Finally, if you've read this far: all Empyrean Dreams eBooks have been reduced in price, to $2.99 each! I should have done this earlier, but I was prompted recently by the increase in print costs for paperbacks, some of which had to increase in price. I know this won't help every reader, but hopefully, a few will be more able to access the books in electronic format.
As always, thanks for reading!
Nathan
Prompted by a stray memory, I checked back to the first message posted to this website, the "Introduction". It was created on August 21st, 2023... over ten years ago. I didn't start writing or sharing stories in the Empyrean Dreams universe until later that year, but it's been almost ten years for me, too.
That's impressive, if only for managing to keep a website going that long. I grant that my updates have slowed to about one per year, but it's not totally quiet yet! Plus, the previous Empyrean Dreams stories are all still here, all the books to date are still available for sale via links, and I'm still writing new stories.
Speaking of which... Third Time's the Curse, the next book in the Tales of the Scape Grace series, is very nearly complete. I should be announcing its availability soon, here and on our Facebook page. After that, I'll start writing "Biological Clock," the second of two short stories that will eventually become Stchvk Casefiles #2 (the first story, "Binding Threads," is already written).
In the meantime, Empyrean Dreams will be attending Erie ComiCon yet again this year, from September 8th to the 10th. Come on down if you're in town! If so, also, our books are available on the shelves at Books Galore and Werner Books, here in Erie.
What's next? My goal for 2024 is more promotion: more sales venues, targeted advertising, and possibly, a move to a different publishing platform. Amazon is a handy centralized platform with a low entry cost for self-publishing, but it's... well, Amazon. I'd like to find a printer who also offers some direct promotion, even if it's a pay-for-views arrangement.
You're welcome to help with that goal. Share your Empyrean Dreams books or tell a friend about one of our books or the whole series. Sales will hopefully follow, but right now, we'd like to get more (positive) attention.
- Nathan
p.s. I've considered something like Patreon as a source of funds for advertising, publishing costs, travel costs to attend Cons, etc., but so far, I've been kept too busy to guarantee regular output. Besides Empyrean Dreams, I ghost-write for a client and create and publish card games... and those are just the paying projects. If one of those jobs picks up, great, and I'll let you know if Empyrean has to pause. If not, though, I certainly have enough ideas for this setting to give it more frequent attention, and maybe set up a channel with regular updates. For one thought, I keep wanting to write a series of short stories about the history of the Scape Grace, those ten years that passed between Escape from Grace and The Wreck of the Untranslatable... a lot of interesting things can happen in ten years.
Hello again, readers!
I'd almost forgotten to mention, in the flurry of preparations, that Empyrean Dreams will again be attending Erie, PA's ComiCon, on Friday, September 16th through Sunday, September 18th, of this year. I'll have copies of all five currently published books available, PLUS the first copies of Guardian Fighters Era: The New Disciples, a fantasy martial arts light novel I assisted in writing.
Sadly, the next Scape Grace book and the next Stchvk Casefiles will not be ready to print this year. Between Guardian Fighters Era and my other business projects, other writing had to slow down. Still, the outlines and early chapters are there, and I know exactly where each story is going. Sooner or later, there will be more Empyrean Dreams.
-Nathan
And now, for the official announcement:
Empyrean Dreams will be featured in the @ComiCon Erie Artist Alley next weekend, September 10-12 at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA. If you're in the area, please come by and support us and the other talented artists featured there!
