Shadow Master Giveaway!

All right, my good people. It's time to give away a couple of these advanced reading copies of Shadow's Master. Here's the deal:

Submit a photgraph to messages@jonsprunk.com. The only requirement is that it must show the cover of one of my books somewhere in the frame. It can be artistic or silly, I don't care. I'll pick out two of them to feature here on my blog and send the lucky photogs an ARC.

Good luck!

Oh, this contest runs until midnight on March 31, 2012.

Shadow's Master is Here!

Hey sports fans,

Shadow's Master is officially released. The book looks spectacular. I can't wait to share this final installment of the series with you all!

Big thanks to my editor, Lou Anders, and his staff.

New Project

Well, I've been getting a lot of queries from fans about the new project. I have to be a little careful, because I'm still in the early stages of writing and I don't thnk my agent would like me spilling too much before it even gets sold, but I can toss out a few tidbits for you wonderful people.

First off, it's fantasy (duh).

Second, it's a series. Looking like it will be four books. It will feature all new characters and situations. As much as I love the Shadow Saga with Caim and Kit and Josey, I needed to go in a different direction. So I'll be introducing you to new characters whom you'll (hopefully) love just as much.

It's epic. As many of you will know, the Shadow Saga took on a more epic form as the series progressed, and I'm building on that to launch this new series. The basic premise is a fish-out-of-water combined with blood magic, insane God-Kings, internicene warfare, and violence. (The lovely ultraviolence, as little Alex might say.)

So where do we stand? Well, first, you need to go out and buy Shadow's Master, if you haven't already! Then, you'll need to be a little patient. I'm not a quick writer. Especially with a new series, I need the time to work it out in my head, and then on the electronic page. But I promise not to be Martin-esque in my delivery of the good. ;)

Master Cover Art

Hey everyone,

I've just received the final cover art for Shadow's Master by Michael Komarck (via the very awesome Art Direction of Lou Anders). Check it out!

November Update

Hey sports fans,

Well, I've officially begun my new series. The outlining is (mostly) done, and this week I started actually writing. And it feels great. I admit I'm a little rusty. It took me all week to put out 2k words, which is slow (for me), but I'm getting back into the rhythm. And things should pick up next week.

Also, Shadow's Master (book 3 of the Shadow Saga) is going through the various publication hoops. It's with the copyeditor now, I believe. When she's done, I'll get it back for corrections, and then I probably won't see it again until I get my author's copies, sometime next spring.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Peace.

Third Book Submitted

It is with a tired sigh that I announce the manuscript for Shadow's Master has been officially submitted to my publisher. The last twelve months have been both a labor of love and a long trek through the writing wilderness, but I can say without hesitation that I'm very proud of the final product.

I hope you will enjoy it.

Revising Shadow's Master

I'm a good way through revisions for my third book (yay). I'm hoping to have it all wrapped up in short order and send it along to the proper authorities.

As always, revisions are a bittersweet experience for me. You hope you're making the right changes, and not missing any vital problems. At the same time, you are altering the fabric of your universe with every keystroke.

Touching Base

Hey sports fans,

Just popping in to hi. Sorry I haven't been blogging much these past couple weeks, but I've been juggling a lot of plates. The big one, of course, is finishing revisions on book 3, Shadow's Master. That, finally, is nearing the end. Soon I'll be letting my beta-readers see it, incorporating their feedback, and then sending the manuscript on its merry way to the publisher.

Also, we're in the process of looking for another house, so that is taking up a certain amount of time and brain-power.

I don't have anything juicy to report, except that I'm working hard to deliver a good book for you. Thanks.

Oh! And we have a guest blogger today. Stay tuned.

Progress Report

Hey gang,

Now that Shadow's Lure is out, I am splitting my time between promotion and working on the third book. You can check my website (www.jonsprunk.com) for a list of places I'll be visiting.

Progress on book 3 is going well. The writing went very smoothly, but now I'm up to my ass in revisions. The way things are shaping up, I don't think I'll have a problem making my September deadline, but there is a ton of work to do before then, much moreso than with the first two books in the series. Anyway, it's a labor of love.

--Jon

Letting It Breathe

Well, now that the first draft for Shadow's Master (Book 3 in the Shadow Saga) is done, I'm going to set it aside for a couple weeks. I'd like to say a solid month, but I can never let a manuscript go for that long.

In the meantime, I'm going to be messing around with other projects. I've been kicking around a short story idea about the incident(s) that led Caim into the assassination profession.

Stay tuned for a very special interview with Lou Anders, Editorial Director for Pyr Books. Coming soon!

March Update

Hey folks,

It feels like I haven't touched base in a while.

The manuscript for Shadow's Lure (book 2 of the Shadow Saga) has passed the copyedit phase and should be in the final production phase, which is the actual printing. I've been told that we're shooting for a mid-June release. I have some plans for the time around release, but I'll wait until closer to June to reveal just what they are.

The manuscript for Shadow's Master, book 3, is progressing well. I figure I'm about halfway through the first draft. Lots of ideas flowing (good ones, I hope).

As far as conventions, my strategy this year is to hit a lot of local ones, rather than one big con. This weekend I'm headed to Pittsbugh for the Steel City Con (with special guest Adam West). And next month I'll be attending the Pittsburgh ComiCon. My website (www.jonsprunk.com) has the full list. Hope to see some of you.

First Step Completed

Hey folks.

I just (as in thirty seconds ago) finished the outline for my third book, Shadow's Master, sneaking in under my self-imposed Christmas deadline. This 15,000-word document will be my roadmap in the months ahead. I feel very good about it, and I hope you will, too, once you read the results.

Now, off the enjoy my Christmas Eve.

Happy holidays!

Writing Update

Hey folks,

Just a quick update of my writing progress to date. I'm finishing the final tweaks of Shadow's Lure and should finish them this week, depending on how I feel. (I've been fighting a cold for the past couple days.)

And the groundwork for Book 3, Shadow's Master, is picking up. I finally have a solid frame for the middle of the novel, which is the hardest part for me. Next I need to lock down the ending.

All in all, things are progessing well.

I don't have any conventions planned for 2011 yet. I applied for Guest Status at next year's Dragon*Con, but haven't heard back yet. I'd also like to hit some of the local cons, like BaltiCon and PhilCon.