This is a very common question I get, so I’m going to do a breakdown of what’s open on my computer and actively being worked on!
This is not a place to ask “When are you writing the next book in $this series?” If it’s not open on my computer right now, I’m not actively working on it.
All links are to Amazon, because I’m tired and need to do a lot today. (Tired is going to be my perm status for the next three months of my life. I have SAD, it is winter. Please do not be alarmed. I am self-caring, and my medications are tuned. Tired is a mental state not a physical one. It beats the alternatives, which are far, far worse. Good job, meds. You have done your work well.)
Note: medications do not perfectly fix problems. It makes the problems a mountain that CAN be climbed versus one that cannot be climbed. So, when you see someone who medicates still struggling… yes. That is how it works. It just means we have a solid chance of success at our struggles.
Medications are good. They do good.
Reminder: if your natural chemicals do not work, storebought is fine.
Now, onto the show.
1: Old Secrets (Balancing the Scales)
I am in the final stages of preparing Old Secrets for publication. Woowoo! Today, I will upload the adjusted final. Tomorrow, I will go over the book again to see if I can find any stray typos. Sunday, the final version will be locked and loaded across all vendors. (Side-note: For Amazon, I’ll upload literally as many times as I can to prevent the “null” bug from eating my manuscript.) This releases on November 23, 2023.
2: Trickster King (Royal States)
This is serialized for Patreons in the Cindercorn / Spicy Ponies with Bite tiers every Wednesday. This is due for publication in February. (Don’t ask which date, I don’t know offhand… that’s how life is right now. Dates are not real.)
3: Iron Unicorn (Agents of the Royal States)
This serializes for Patreons in the Cindercorn / Spicy Ponies with Bite tiers every other Friday. No set publication date at this point in time.
4: Murder Floof (Bernadette Franklin)
This serializes for Patreons in the Cindercorn / Spicy Ponies with Bite tiers every other Friday. No set publication date at this point in time.
5: Partner in Crime (Magic, Mayhem, and the Law in Precinct #153)
This serializes for Patreons in the Cindercorn / Spicy Ponies with Bite tiers every Monday. No set publication date at this point in time.
6: Pirate Magic (Exiled at Sea)
I pick at this when the mood strikes me. It does not get much love. I want to give it more love. It’s fun.
7: Cerulean (Rainbow Angels, Science Fiction)
I will serialize this in Patreon (Cindercorns/Spicy Ponies) whenever I have a scene done. It will probably take all eternity to serialize this one.
8: Rose Valley Murders (Science Fiction)
This isn’t actually open on the computer yet, but I am about to begin the conceptualization process, so it counts.
9: A Light in the Dark (Audrey Greene)
July 2024 release. Available for Preorder. This can be read as a standalone, although it does have some references to the events in Moon Tamed. It takes place in Stoneriver, a different city-state in the world, and follows the tale of somebody determined to make good changes in her society. This has a little more action and drama than Moon Tamed, because the character in A Light in the Dark is a go-doer more than the character in Moon Tamed.
Insect shapeshifters = a thing. (The insect in question is a Luna Moth.) Please don’t be afraid of the sweet Luna Moth!
10: Grave Affairs (Lilith Daniels.)
I think it’s a May 2024 release. Available for Preorder. I have committed to two books in this series. I will see if I want to do more cases after the success or failure of this one. This was branched off because the tone is more mystery than my normal RJ Blain books, and I have hopes to do a longer series. (I branch of pen names if they have a different tone that doesn’t fit what I want for the RJ Blain books OR the series could become longer.) I have as many long series under RJ Blain as I can readily manage.
For example, Fox Witch books are replacing the Witch & Wolf books. The Mag Rom Com series will ultimately be replaced by the G.P. Robbins books, but because of how many books, it went off to do its own thing.
I did not want the G.P. Robbins books to be beholden to the Mag Rom Com series, because the tone, the point, and the character types ARE different. Yes, there are comfortable similarities. That was done on purpose. (Read: The Black Dragon of New York is essentially your “Satin” class of character; he’s the big mean baddie on the block that everyone loves despite his status as a big mean baddie.) Jace is essentially your Bailey type with a twist. (More like the good-natured order to chaos but creates the chaos all by accident type compared to her super self-esteem woes type.)
Jace doesn’t need a Quinn, but he’s getting black dragons everywhere. And yes… a lot of you have decided to judge the female lead when she is at her worst.
Give her a chance to show you her best. Nobody is at their best when ill like she is, so you’re going to find that she will absolutely live up to being the Black Dragon of New York’s prized granddaughter.
Patience pays off.
Anyway, Grave Affairs is hugely about dragons, but the cover does not scream dragons because while dragons everywhere, the core of the story is about prejudices against abilities like necromancy, so that is the tone of the book/series. It’s not as funny, although there’s plenty of humor. But there’s a lot of social issue undercurrents, death, murder, and mayhem.
This is a second chance romance novel.
11: Another Fox in Space short novel.
12: Year of the Lost Dragon (Spoiler Alert: Old Secrets contains the unedited conceptual first scene of this.)
This book will be under the RJ Blain umbrella, and it will fit into my “Fantasy romance” slow in the grab bag of things. I will maintain no sex on the page, so its going to be one of those. (Don’t throw lemons at me, I don’t enjoy writing sex, I will never enjoy writing sex, and I won’t force myself to write sex on the page. I do not like it, Sam I am… so I will not do it.)
Sex is not romance, so please stop acting like it is.
(Go enjoy your sexualized novels; I have a category on my kindle called Smut Mountain, and I enjoy adventuring onto it. But not every romance needs sex on the page. Ooyyy.)
And that’s all I’m actively working on right now!
Note: this is not reflective of the publishing line up after I finish everything I’m obligated to. This is just want I have open or am working on (pen and paper) at the moment.
And yes, this is why I sometimes have years where I release a book a month. When you pick on something on the side, eventually, it gets finished. When you’re picking at 12 somethings at a time, sometimes you get a lot of things finishing all at once.
What you don’t see: the fact that project was open on my computer for two to three years…
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look of things.
Patreon members: expect November 20 or 21 for your book files of Old Secrets. I am avoiding work on the weekend outside of things I WANT to do.
Wait, people complained about Jace’s dragoness? I like her. I have the workaholic and work through illness issues (I’m getting better) so she rang a bell for me.
Looking forward to all this. As someone on storebought chemicals for my brain as well, i appreciate your positivity about them.
Yep! A surprising number! LOL She’s not assertive enough for some I guess. I dunno. I love her, personally. She’s a breath of fresh air. She’s quiet competence… except in the kitchen. And she’s gracious about her shortcomings.
In other words, she’s not a rampaging bitch of a woman, but she’s successful. She’s definitely work driven, and that’s an issue… but it’s an issue I think is fun to work with. She’s not like that because she can’t put the food on the table otherwise. She’s like that because she’s driven to do her best.
I really love how she’s just not my standard heroine.
I quite like Alicia, too – though I had to look up her name to be sure I got it right.
She is rather quiet and competent instead of ditzy and wild. Not every heroine has to be just alike.
“Dead Weight” is a well plotted and well characterized book. I really hope the series takes off. (The Patreon serial for the next book is *very* promising!)
Thanks for the look at your “To Do” list. Everything there will be on my want list as soon as I can add it.
Authors like you are great finds (and rare ones). I am so glad I tried the first book I found – “Winter Wolf” if I remember correctly.
Thank you for so much reading and re-reading.
I love Jace’s Dragoness. Alicia is an amazing character showing you can buck the trope as it were. As another person who relies on store bought for sanity, and survival, I found Alicia to be a character resonated well. I loved seeing here limpet like attachment to Jace as she didn’t have herb stuffy handy. I’m eagerly waiting on the hopeful release of the Audio for Partners in Crime. Until then, I’ll enjoy my husband reading it to me,
JustJeanette
I also like Alicia very much. She’s a realistic portrayal of someone driven to do her best, and now dealing with the consequences. Plus, Jace’s character comes into sharper focus as he deals with both her and his ex. His compassion is noteworthy.
SAD is draining. Northeast Ohio has fewer sunny days than even Seattle (!), and I’m considering those special lightbulbs that mitigate it now that I’m spending more time at home. I’m glad the meds are helping you, and applaud your self-care.
Also, I was excited for the mention of Cleveland and Edgewater in Dead Weight! I’ve spent many 4th of Julys there, picnic’ing and watching the fireworks.
Salt lamps are really nice, but yes, get plant lights. Don’t buy the special “sad” bulbs. Just buy plant lights.
You’re a humanoid plant that has the same requirements as plants to grow. If it’s good enough for a plant, it will help you. Just put one nearby (Behind you, as back lighting preferably so it doesn’t hurt your eyes) and put it on an 8 or 12 hour cycle while you’re at your spot. It helps.
Salt lamps are just really pretty and I like them… they die QUICKLY tho because of the salt.
Insect shifters definitely are a thing. (giggle!) I am doing the tenets of Nano, just to get back to writing (I have been doing way too much editing, way too long). Of all of my concepts, my son chose the one with my lead character being an insect shifter… a cockroach! There are advantages to being a bug that is hard to kill, can get into almost any place, and sometimes, you don’t see them until you see them.
And yes, she has issues over the fact she ended up a cockroach. She hadn’t been expecting it.
Is there a possible list of what might be the next audiobook/s to be finished?
Not really, sorry. They are done when they’re done, and I can’t predict how long it takes for distribution. Blood Diamond and Inquisitor are headed for retail, but who knows when they’ll actually make it?
No ETA on the upcoming. It depends on the talent recording them. I don’t update on audiobook because I simply don’t know until I have links in hand.
And Inquisitor is a “I REALLY don’t know because I’m not done uploading it yet” situation
Yay for no sex on the page – it’s gets so _boring_ when it’s used as shorthand for establishing a relationship.
Also yay for taking time off and taking care of yourself.
Waiting excitedly for all of these! (Whenever they come out, I’m not trying to hurry you).
Yes! I skip so many boring sex scenes in other books. I appreciate your plotting & characterisation, sex not required.
So agreed. Way too often it’s the same thing, with maybe a slight variation. Even, especially, within a series. Ugh.
Sounds like a lot of good reading down the road. Yeah!!!! Since I don’t plan to quit reading any time soon, I’ll get to read these as you get them done.
Yay!!! Im so excited for grave affairs, please always take time for yourself and rest. I hope you have an enjoyable holiday season!
Holy smokes! No wonder you’re tired. Love your books, especially the unpopular ones (sigh).
The entire section about meds and mountains speaks so much to my soul. I screen shot that section to read and remind myself it’s a mountain that can be climbed.
Thanks for the background info, and I’ll second those who agree with the idea of you taking care of yourself.
I also suffer in the winter. Last year in addition to my light I bought an cculus. I use a program called supernatural. In addition to the workouts it has some meditation. I found that I could use a meditation and just go sit in the sun. I hung out on top of mountains and in the desert. I sat in the Egyptian pyramids and on the Great wall of China. The light in the occlus really helped me make it through a very long dark winter.
Lady have a great weekend. We will survive. Although with batted breath! Love ya!!!!❤️♥️
I can’t find the black dragon of New York on Amazon. I can’t find it anywhere. What am I doing wrong help please
The Black Dragon of New York is a character in Dead Weight by G.P. Robbins.
Thank you for this roundup, I’d missed the Greene book & was able to place 2 more preorders as well.
Stick to your guns on the “no writing of sex stuff”!! This is the main reason I enjoy your books so much, you give the readers a good STORY that doesn’t depend on sex and smut. I like a good story and you provide me a good story every book that I read of your’s!
Have a Happy New Year and stay safe!