A Newsy, Update-y Post About All the Writerly Things
Dear Reader, you are awesome, do you know that?
Seriously. I just want to thank you all for your patience with me. I know I’m not the fastest writer in the world (faaaaar from it!) And I know that I’ve had a tendency to disappear for months on end lately. This year has been really weird, because I’ve felt like I had very little to share about… and yet, so, so, SO much work is getting done behind the scenes.
Because you are so awesome, I wanted to give you a bit of a better glimpse of what all has been going on behind the page here in the Stormcave, where I’m at on this author adventure, and most importantly, when you will get to read a new Jenelle Leanne Schmidt book.
So buckle up, because i’m gonna throw a ton of info your way!
For those of you just tuning in, I have spent the better part of the past four years working on a brand-new five-book series called The Turrim Archive.
I took a brief hiatus from this series in 2019 to write An Echo of the Fae, but for the most part, the vast majority of my efforts since the release of Minstrel’s Call in 2018 have been aimed at writing and polishing this series.
Wow.
I hadn’t really realized how long a stretch I’ve been actively working on this series until I typed it out just now. Technically, it’s even longer than that, because I wrote the rough drafts of The Orb and the Airship and Mantles of Oak and Iron several years before that… but they sat in the cobwebs for a while.
I have spent the past four years drafting these books and taking them through various stages of the editing process with the end goal of being able to have all five books complete and ready to go so that I can rapid-release them for you with far less wait-time in between books.
So, while I know it’s been a while and I know that it’s been a lot of silence. I have not been idle. I have been locked in an epic battle with this 679,027-word monster series… and it has come close to defeating me a time or two. But I am determined to conquer and tame it for you, dear Reader.
And that goal is now just within sight. We are almost to the finish line… and I’m going to need your help in a bit, if you’re willing, dear Reader.
So, where are we at?
I must confess, that at this time I do not have 5 books nearly ready for you to start reading.
Wait.
What?
It’s true. I do NOT have five books nearly ready to release into the wild.
I have six.
snickers
Yep. Because I am insane. Because I am a wonderful magic author lady who gets easily sidetracked I hammered out a sixth book this year.
Remember my Super Secret Project?
I’m finally ready to tell you just a little bit about it. I’m still keeping a few secrets, like the title… because it will be fun to do a more concentrated reveal of that later. But for now… what I can tell you about the Super Secret Project:
It is not a part of the Turrim Archive series.
Buuuut, it does take place in the world of Turrim.
It is a shorter story, around the same length as An Echo of the Fae.
It is a stand-alone story.
It is completely finished and is currently in its final round of edits
And….
It is an Oliver Twist retelling!
So, now that you know something of the big secret I’ve been keeping, let’s reveal a bit more, shall we?
The Orb and the Airship
Estimated release date: June 16, 2023
Status: This book is DONE, my friends. I am going through my final proof-reader’s notes this week, and then I can hand it over to my formatter. I’m hoping we can do some cool things with formatting to make the book extra pretty inside.
Cover: Complete! Just waiting on formatting details to get the final dimensions, but the design is finished and ready to wrap around the book. I am so excited about these covers and I cannot wait to show them to you!
Oliver Twist Retelling (formerly known as the Super Secret Project)
Release Date: September 22, 2023
Because: reasons, this book will be releasing between books 1 and 2 of The Turrim Archive. All will be revealed eventually.
Status: This book has been through several rounds of edits and is currently with the proof-reader.
Cover: A few details have been hammered out, but no true designing has begun.
Mantles of Oak and Iron
Estimated release date: December 15, 2023
Yes. That’s three books coming out in 2023. Hopefully that makes up for the three years of silence.
Status: Has gone through developmental edits and is now with my line-editor.
Cover: Currently in-progress!
Hearts of Stone and Steel
Estimated release date: March 15, 2024
Status: Has gone through the developmental edits and will go to my line editor after the holidays.
Cover: Queued
The Prisoner and the Pirate
Estimated release date: June 14, 2024
Status: I just finished writing a whole new subplot of nearly 40,000 words for this story. As such, it is currently in developmental edits.
Cover: Queued
Towers of Might and Memory
Estimated release date: September 27, 2024
Status: Has been through developmental edits and hopefully does not need as much work as The Prisoner and the Pirate did…. but I have not gone through the notes on this one yet.
Cover: Queued
In addition to everything else, I am also hoping to be able to release each book in audio near the paperback/hardcover/ebook releases so as to have the whole series available in all formats right away. I’ve already got Benjamin Fife lined up to do the narration for this series, because I absolutely love what he did with the Minstrel’s Song series, and I very much enjoyed working with him.
So that is my very news-ful update!
I hope that you enjoyed getting a few extra tidbits about what’s happening here behind the page. And I hope that you are encouraged by the sight of all those release dates coming up! I know I am. They seem simultaneously super far away like they’ll never get here and panic-inducingly “ah! how will I ever get everything done in time?” much too close.
What’s next?
Well, in many ways, more of the same. I am going to be editing these books as fast as I can. My goal is to have at least most of the edits done for all 6 books before the first one releases so that 1) I can take a short break and breathe a little bit and 2) so I can get started writing a couple of other projects that have been on the back burner and hopefully continue this momentum going forward.
I’m considering doing a kickstarter in January to help cover some of the costs of producing these stories. If that comes to fruition, I will probably need some advice before we go live.
I will also be needing some Fearless Adventurers that I can count on to help me spread the word about this series. I will need Advance Readers and Reviewers. Cover Revealers. Instagram Officianados. And people who just really love to share about books in general. The Guses to my Shawn, as it were. grin
In that vein, I am starting my very own Discord Channel, where I hope to be able to: gather my “street team,” keep interested readers updated on all the newsworthy and important things happening in my author journey, and just generally hang out and have nerdy conversations about all things fantastical and fun.
If any of those things sound interesting to you, please come join me as a Fearless Adventurer! But be warned: safe return doubtful!
