Time for the promised update (a day late, sorry) The numbers The order numbers for the August free giveaway blew my expectations by an order of magnitude, so that was incredible! I placed the book on the Freebooksy mailing list (free ebooks every day - highly recommend signing up if you're a Kindle user), and the numbers were wild. 3320 downloads of Air Superiority and Compromised across both weekends, with at least 2461 individual readers. Most of these will probably sit on

The main highlight of this weekend was the success of making Air Superiority free this weekend. People like a freebie I can't really express my disbelief at the stats. Current processed orders for Air Superiority I'll do a proper update on what happened after next weekend's free promotion is finished. I don't expect to see another spike like this, but then I'll have more numbers to work with. Renegades update This is the bit I wanted to quickly chat about. Renegades writing i

Chapter 2 is done! Well, no, it inevitably will look completely different once time and editing has worked its magic, but the first pass draft is done. Words are on the page. Me after finishing Chapter 2 It's roughly 10k words like Chapter 1, so I'm at thirty thousand words, already. I may need to dial down my vision for Renegades at this rate. Air Superiority and Compromised were around 90k words. Would a 120k word count be the end of the world? Probably not, but it's indica

Sure enough, it's been a creative couple of days! I'm fighting off a cold, so I have had some brain fog. The complex flight sequences over the Gulf of Thailand will need to wait until the weekend, I think. On the plus side, I have had some ideas spark. Some of them are ignored, some of them are written down in my black notebook for future contemplation, and some went straight in. Week 33 Chapter 1 is done. The first half of Chapter 2 is done. The epilogue is done. Everything

To those who follow me on Instagram and may be worried that Renegades isn't being prioritised: Chapter 2 is still underway. With so many new platforms from various nations in the sky, this isn't a part I'm keen to rush. Moving the body helps the brain move, too. Changing the scenery always leads to better writing and more complex sequences, so it's worth the delay of a few evenings! Don't follow me on Instagram and want to know what I have been up to? Mostly, I have been enjo

This is a mini-update on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the last few days. The good More people appear to be getting into Compromised, which makes me relax a bit. A wonderful reader reached out to tell me it was their favourite of the two, which helped immensely. Updated KENP figures The bad Ordering has been a bit slow. I have been trying to make sure people know it'll be free soon. Hopefully, people are waiting for the opportunity to download it for free later this mont

I am sat on my sofa with Renegades v1.2 open on my laptop. The writing I am back in Oslo, back on my sofa, and back into writing. Flying home This evening I patched a few minor plot holes and circled some bright threads to prevent loose ends. This is one of my favourite activities and is not at all procrastination... While I have a smattering of dialogue and a rough epilogue finished, most of the chapters are currently notes and bullet points. Usually, I find it easier to sta

I kept starting and stopping and re-working the plot... so where am I at, now? [Spoiler warning - don't read if you haven't finished Compromised!] The Big Update The plot, at least at the highest level, is finished. There will undoubtedly be tweaks during the writing process but I have the general chronology and geography set. Speaking of geography, here's a sneak peak for you: Chapter outline of Renegades ...Is that Russia I am opening with? Yes. Am I going to explain more?

One day I will invest in a proper promotion campaign, but today is not that day. With that caveat in mind, let's dive in! Orders First up, a screenshot of my total orders! May 11 is when I first opened my KDP account, but the books weren't released until the end of May (1.5-2 months ago). Why am I making this post this week and not waiting for two full months? Because 140 orders, 80 for Air Superiority and 60 for Compromised, was such a beautiful set of numbers that I couldn'

An update on what I have been up to over the last month or so. Update 1 The last month, I have mainly been focussing on my new project, with the first draft completed. I'm planning to take a few weeks off before I pick it back up for further editing. The plot is great, but I worry it might be a bit long - twice the length of Air Superiority or Compromised. However it's about an endurance cyclist over three seasons, so some length is to be expected. Still, the fine editing wil

[Warning for mild spoilers.] I made a list of my (current) top ten favourite quotes form Air Superiority and Compromised. It'll be fun to see which ones stand the test of time! Air Superiority “You do not have to choose the difficult path in every aspect of your life to be worthy of it.” “obedience without judgment was just stupidity with a gun.” “If my reputation is classified, no one can disappoint themselves by meeting me in person.” “the honest response would have been ca

This post is about my Amazon KDP experience over the last month. There are screenshots of the platform and my figures. TL;DR - writing is hard, sharing with the world is nerve-wracking, but publishing itself is easy. The Platform The KDP platform is relatively simple to use, and I had no major issues. There are dedicated tools for designing a cover, so you don't have to worry about sizes. You can take your time playing around with it, and there are options to preview your ebo

(1) Renegades The third installment of the Corvid series is underway, with the plot mostly ironed out and writing getting started. The Renegades bird pin - a sea eagle from Thailand Xavier, Nikolay, and [SPOILER but you know who] will return. Xavier will be back in the Raptor, and I promise some great air combat. (2) [Work in Progress] This one actually started the year before Air Superiority, but I am slowly approaching the finish line. I will release more spoilers and tease