Second Edition

Here is another delayed blog posting from me. After a month or two of revision, The Last Soul is in the hands of BETA Readers and on its way to being released as a second edition. I decided to listen to my readers and repair the problems they discovered with the book. It also provided me a chance to flex my new editing skills and to contribute parts to the book that made it far more interesting. I have learned a lot in the past two years from when I began this journey. I'll be the first to admit that I rushed to publish this book, which was a mistake.

I hope that you will take advantage of the second edition when it releases! If you didn't read it on my Facebook Page, all eBooks will be updated automatically. However, the paper versions will need to be purchased again. If you own a paperback of The Last Soul, be sure to contact me and we'll work out a deal to get you a copy of the second edition. It's not your fault that I talked you into the subpar version of this story!

I am typing diligently on the sequel, now that my revisions of The Last Soul are complete. I possess six weeks when the BETA Readers will be pouring over the story. In that time, I intend to write a lot of chapters down for the unnamed sequel. When they are complete, I'll grind through another round of revisions and two more rounds of editing. I will complete one round and I'll hire a professional for the second. My passion for this project has skyrocketed of late because there was a time where I was ashamed to promote my book. Sadly, I knew it wasn't great, but now, that time has passed. I'm excited about the new content and the restructure it has undergone. Plus, it steps beautifully into the sequel I wanted to write, the sequel I pictured. After publishing The Last Soul, I felt at a loss for what the sequel would look like.

Now that I have incorporated all the lore I originally desired—but didn't know how to include—I am confident in the story moving forward. When I dreamt about The Last Soul, I wanted to write it from the perspectives of five or six characters, a lot for a first-time novelist. Several people offered me the advice to focus on one main character and go from there. I ended up writing two main characters; Lathan and Ches. Ches had a smaller role compared to Lathan but his story is equally as important. With the revision, we get to observe through the eyes of several more characters, all in smaller roles. However, the perspectives they provide will guide you and other readers into the story that I originally imagined. The book I managed to write was a watered-down version. Truthfully, it was all I could manage at the time.

In this second edition, you will be observing through the eyes of the High Illuminator, Karvakko, Ecila, Abaddon, and two other characters that only contain three paragraphs between them. Yet, those few paragraphs set the stage for a larger story, one that will transcend multiple series. The High Illuminator is analytical, cold, and craves knowledge. He relays a history of Oreniah throughout the book, read in the first person, as a character in the future, reading about the past. Karvakko is another new character, he is the Graveborn, loyal to the Envoy of Death, and associated with the Twelfth Pillar. He lives underground on Limbo Isle and will provide insight into the destruction that rained down on the island at the end of the book. Then, there is Ecila, who you should remember. We don't receive live scenes from her but journal entries instead, peeking inside her strategic and manipulative mind.

Finally, I decided to add scenes that involve Abaddon, the Lord of Chaos. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember him. He was mentioned as more of a footnote and referred to as “Chaos” for most of the book. I didn't feel he received the attention that he deserved. So, there are several chapters written from a close third-person perspective with him as the main character. From him, we see his anger, the vengeance he desires, and the command he wields over his generals. Abaddon's chapters are spread throughout the book where we witness his machinations behind the scenes. We're also introduced to his four generals, up close and personal: Pazuzu, Bale, Nova, and the one you should know Andros/Glitch.

I look forward to releasing this new edition and I hope that you will enjoy reading it!