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writing news

There's something special that can happen between an author and the audience. Something magical, something fun, even something intimate. The characters that appear in my books are all a part of me, and so you, the readers, are getting to know me. And when someone reads my novels and wants to hear more, I learn a little something about all of you, as well. What you like, what you want to hear, and (hopefully, if I'm doing my job well), whether or not you want more. 

But there should also be an unwritten contract between us. If you promise to listen, I promise to tell you a great story. I won't start something I can't finish, I won't walk away from the narrative before we've come to the ending, and I'll always give you the best finish that's within my power as a storyteller to give. It may not always be a happily ever after kind of thing, but it will be true to the characters and the world.

My main focus at first will be Auren, but I have other worlds and genres which I'll be exploring as an author, and these will sometimes come out concurrently with The Storm Cycle and its sequels (there are currently two sequel series planned). I'll be writing other stories, but I don't want anyone to think I'm losing sight of our contract with one another while I do so.

This will be the place for you to keep an eye on me. I'll be updating my progress every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month in just a paragraph or two, so you can see that I'm keeping up my end, and you can be assured that I won't leave you hanging indefinitely on the next part of the story.

Life happens, including tragedies, but barring death or brain damage, I'm going to keep writing until I've told you all of the stories I've had stuck in my head for decades. And hopefully keep all of you entertained for decades more!

The epic fantasy author at his computer updating his readers on the latest novel's progress.

Mapping the Storm

MAY 24th, 2026

The first half of the Auren calendar year is finished and I think it looks really good. Check it out in the Auren Archives! Hoping to put together one long "tapestry" for the year at some point so each month will flow into the next one more organically. Re-recorded the first chapter for the Audiobook with the new sound baffles and everything sounds great. A new blog is coming out on the 1st of June, along with a more consistent newsletter schedule, which will go out on the first of every month. Oh, and mapped out 2 full chapters and 4 "snippets" (see the Blog for more on this) for Storm Clouds Gather.

MAY 11th, 2026

Finished mapping out The Storm Cycle. Looks like to tell the complete story, there's going to have to be another novel added to the series. Have a working title created that I'll sit on for a bit more to make sure I like it. Began the detailed outline of Storm Clouds Gather with the chapter beats and the end of the novel in place. Will begin the detailed chapter breakdowns next. New blog posted on the 4th of this month. Still working out technical issues with the audiobook.

April 27th, 2026

The test chapter for ACX was completed, but we're working out some technical challenges to make sure the sound quality will be consistent throughout the series. Continuing to map out the details of The Storm Cycle with Storm Clouds Gather ready to go. The first two months of Auren's calendar are also live with the next 2-4 looking good for May 17th.

April 13th, 2026

The e-book and paperback went live on March 30th! We have an official cover for the audiobook, the engineer is on board, and we'll be recording our first chapter this week as a test for the fine folks at ACX. Began mapping out the details for the next five books in the current Storm Cycle.

March 23rd, 2026

Everything is locked for the e-book and the paperback to go on sale on March 30th. Got the proof on the 19th and everything looks great! Created Google Ad and Amazon Ad campaigns, as I'm an author no one's heard of. Finalizing the details with the sound engineer now for the Audiobook.

March 9th, 2026

 

The website went live today, including a contact page, information on the book, the first three chapters (for free), and even a blog. Looking like a late March publication date might be in the cards.

© 2025-2026 by Leonard J. Chastain. All rights reserved.

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