I build fantasy and sci-fi worlds and tell stories about them. My Worldbuilding Workshop for Fantasy Writers is a bestseller on Udemy, and my writing courses have over 15K students enrolled from all over the world.
Missing Fall—and Finding My Own Kind of Cozy
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Hello Reader! The north is deep into fall now, and winter’s not far behind—two seasons I miss dearly. The crisp air, the changing leaves, the return of sweater weather… the perfect time to visit a pumpkin patch and/or apple orchard and get doughnuts (if you’re not familiar with the tradition, you’re seriously missing out). Blizzards aren’t bad either–sitting in front of the fireplace’s glow with a cup of hot chocolate while it’s freezing death outside. It’s the best! Alas, we have none of that here in tropical Nicaragua. But we do have hurricane season. It gets gray and rainy and gutters overflow and half the backyard floods. Meanwhile, I’m nice and dry inside with my cup of coffee, enjoying the roar of the rain against the metal roof. This is as close to "autumn cozy" as we get. And for me it’s the perfect time for writing. Lately, I’ve been pouring as much time as I can into my work-in-progress, Chorus in the Storm. Over the summer, I didn’t make as much progress as I’d hoped—but for a good reason. A new Top Secret project landed in my lap, and I decided to start (and finish!) it during my break. I’ll reveal more about that in a future newsletter. Now that I’m back to Chorus in the Storm, I’m seeing real progress. Stepping away for a while turned out to be exactly what the story needed. With fresh eyes, I made some big, necessary changes—scrapping most of the opening chapter, completely cutting another, and tightening the pacing overall. Not because the material was bad, but because the story was dragging. Time to trim the fat, as they say. Write without fear, edit without mercy. I took that to heart. I’m determined to make Chorus in the Storm the strongest possible follow-up to Angel from the Rust, and I can’t wait for the day I get to share it with you. Worldbuilding DiariesThis is a new section of the newsletter where I’ll share glimpses into Earth Medieval—the world of Chorus in the Storm, Angel from the Rust, and the upcoming board game Iron Wilds. Here, I’ll feature my art, lore, and pieces of my creative process. (Fun fact: worldbuilding is what got me into fantasy in the first place, so I get really excited about this stuff.) Here’s an introduction to the world as a whole... Earth had once been a place of technological wonders. But then the End War came. Machines and bombs decimated civilization as we know it, and a small percentage of people survived. Out of the ruins, humanity barely limped on.
600 years later, the Earth is deep within a new Dark Age. Horses plow the fields, and swords keep the peace. The technology of the past is feared as demonic magic, and anyone caught trying to resurrect it is taken away by the authorities, never to be seen again.
If you haven’t yet stepped into Earth Medieval, start with Angel from the Rust and dive into the adventure. Thanks for joining me on this journey of writing and creating. I'm glad you're along for the ride. Until Next time, Jason PS - A bunch of authors (myself included) have come together to build a massive giveaway of fantasy and sci-fi ebooks. With over 80 authors participating, you're bound to find one that catches your interest. Check them—click the image below:
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Jason Link
I build fantasy and sci-fi worlds and tell stories about them. My Worldbuilding Workshop for Fantasy Writers is a bestseller on Udemy, and my writing courses have over 15K students enrolled from all over the world.