Podium Audio, FitzDuncan's Inheritance, and the next Perseverance Andrews novel

It gives me great pleasure to share with you that I have contracted with Podium Audio for the Perseverance Andrews series of science fiction novels. The company describes itself in this way: "Podium is a leading digital-first publisher whose mission is to change the lives of trendsetting storytellers by discovering, developing, and amplifying their work."

Podium's focus is on science fiction, fantasy, and romance. They are one of the fastest-growing companies in the business. I certainly hope the Perseverance Andrews books both contribute to this growth and benefit from the increased exposure.

The next book in the FitzDuncan series will be published on August 1. FitzDuncan's Inheritance sees Caz joining a diplomatic mission to call upon the nomads to the east. Upon his return, he and Fenwick are assigned a dangerous mission in foreign territory to gather intelligence regarding an old enemy's preparations for war. After capture and a daring escape, Caz and Fenwick return just in time to provide a warning. I don't dare tell you more--too many spoilers!

Once again, Thea Magerand has done a fabulous job with the cover!

The first draft of the third Perseverance Andrews novel is fifty percent complete. For those of you who were upset by the cliffhanger with which I ended the second book, be assured that I resolve it quickly. Quickly, however, does not mean painlessly (c'mon--you didn't think I'd tell you, did you?). Look for this novel sometime in the fall (I hope). 

Until the next time, thank you for reading.

Release day for The Courage of the Commonwealth, FitzDuncan series update

 

The Courage of the Commonwealth publishes on May 1. The Kindle version will be available then. Paperback and hardcover versions can be ordered now on Amazon. I hope readers enjoy it as much as I like telling Perseverance Andrews' story.

The principal writing for the seventh FitzDuncan adventure is nearly complete. Once I'm finished wrapping it up, it goes to my editor, Martin Roy Hill--a terrific author himself. The talented Thea Magerand will, I hope, design another awesome cover. Look for this book in the second half of August or early September.

Once I send the latest FitzDuncan away to my editor, I will return to writing the third of the Perseverance Andrews books. There's no telling how long that will take, so I can't predict a publication date yet. I am eager to get back to it, though.

Thank you for your readership and support. 

The Courage of the Commonwealth

 I am pleased to report that The Courage of the Commonwealth, the second book of the Perseverance Andrews series, will publish on May 1. The manuscript is complete and has been edited. ISBN numbers have been assigned. The extremely talented Thea Magerand did the cover design.

FitzDuncan's Hope, the most recent book in the FitzDuncan series, hit the market ahead of schedule. Once again, Thea Magerand brought Caz and Lucy to life on the cover. Customer feedback has been excellent. It is extremely gratifying to know that people are enjoying the continuing story of Caz and Lucy. 

The next FitzDuncan story is already underway, as is the third of the Perseverance Andrews series. Somewhere in there is also the fourth of the Pike books--I promise I'll finish it one of these days. 

In the meantime, school is back in session, and lacrosse season has begun. Thank you for your interest. 

Deja vu all over again? Nope.

 

FitzDuncan’s Hope, the second Perseverance Andrews book, and a new puppy. FitzDuncan’s Hope, the sixth book in that series, will soon be available for pre-order through amazon. I just received the manuscript back from my editor and the wonderfully talented cover artist, Thea Magerand, has already submitted a terrific first draft and is making some slight revisions. If all goes well, the publication date will be April 1. The second in the Perseverance Andrews series is well underway. I am roughly two-thirds of the way complete with principal writing. As you may expect, Perseverance enjoys some successes and suffers a setback or two. Her romance with the handsome Saint John Powell continues, though the course of true love never does run smooth. Finally, there have been big changes in my personal life. My wingman and companion of eight-and-a-half years, Gus, died unexpectedly in the early hours of the morning, December 15. Those of you who have had beloved pets can understand the feeling of loss. Here is a photo of the two of us from a few years ago.

Alicia, my dear wife, suggested that the best way to fill the hole in my life would be to get a new puppy right away. As usual, she is correct. My new buddy, Aggie, arrived Wednesday. Aggie is a Clumber Spaniel and her real name is Agrippina (c’mon—I’m a Latin teacher, let me have my fun). Aggie is pretty darned cute, if you ask me. She’s awfully sweet, in the way that puppies can be. She will be ten weeks old Sunday. When she starts sleeping through the night, we’ll be all set.

Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed this update. Until the next time!

2022 in Review

 It has been another year of adventure in the life of this self-published author. Let's recap...

Five books published... FitzDuncan's Enlightenment, FitzDuncan's Fortune, and FitzDuncan's Gambit, plus Pike's Progress and The Defense of the Commonwealth. 

Some awards won... Gallantry in Action (my first book) earned recognition as a B.R.A.G. Medallion winner, as a Finalist in the Independent Author Network (IAN) Awards, and as a Finalist in the Readers' Favorite Awards. Pike's Passage is currently on the "Short List" of books still eligible for the Cygnus Award.

What's in the works for 2023? Well, I just finished the first draft of the next FitzDuncan book, tentatively titled FitzDuncan's Hope. I am roughly forty percent of the way into the follow-up to The Defense of the Commonwealth, as we ride along with Perseverance Andrews. A fourth Pike book is also underway, but it has been slow going. There are at least a couple of FitzDuncan books to come, though I may end up in prequel territory.

One sad note... my dog, Gus, died unexpectedly in the middle of the night December 14/15. Gus was a "bagle hound" (beagle/basset mix) who I adopted in the spring of 2014. He was my "campus dog" as opposed to our other dogs who live with my wife in Maine year-round. Gus was the most loyal companion anyone could hope for and I miss him a hundred times every day. 

They say that the best thing to do when you're thrown out of the saddle is to climb right back on, so I have made arrangements to become the owner of a Clumber Spaniel puppy. Her name will be Aggie, short for Agrippina Minor (one of the more fascinating women in Roman history). I am looking forward to meeting her and I'm certain the students at my school will fall in love with her.

Despite the loss of Gus, it has been a fun year. I am extremely grateful that some readers have found my books and are liking them. As long as people are enjoying them, I'll keep writing.

Happy New Year to all!

JS

FitzDuncan's Gambit and reviews for The Defense of the Commonwealth

 

As you can see, the cover design for FitzDuncan's Gambit is now complete. The book is edited and nearly ready to release. I have moved the actual release date to October 31 (Halloween). Once again, Thea Magerand has provided a brilliant piece of cover art, as she did for FitzDuncan and FitzDuncan's Fortune. She will be revising the covers for FitzDuncan's Alchemy and FitxzDuncan's Enlightenment in the very near future. I can hardly wait to see what she develops.

Reviews have come in for The Defense of the Commonwealth. You can read the reviews here (https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-defense-of-the-commonwealth) and here (https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2022/10/review-the-defense-of-the-commonwealth-by-john-j-spearman/).  I was slightly disappointed in the second of these and hoped for a slightly better result.

With The Defense of the Commonwealth, I am trying to open up new distribution channels, so it is not available to Kindle Unlimited members for free as part of the subscription. The book is available on apple Books, Google Play Books, and Kobo. In order to make it part of the Kindle Unlimited program, authors must give amazon an exclusive, and I wanted to see if there were sales I might be missing through these other channels. It is also available to bookstores through a company named IngramSpark. This gives them a way to buy the paperback and hardcover versions at a competitive rate without dealing with amazon. I will give the trial thirty days to see if these other channels generate any sales.  If they don't, I pull the book from them and allow it to be part of the Kindle Unlimited program like all my other books. This may have been a mistake based on some information I just received today.  If it is, I won't allow it to linger.

At the moment, none of my other projects are close to completion. I am working on sequels to The Defense of the Commonwealth, Pike's Progress, and FitzDuncan's Gambit.  I would say all three are off to a good start, but when Aristotle said, "Well begun is half done," he wasn't telling the whole truth. Progress on all of them has been slow, and I have been easily distracted. This, too, shall pass. After all, in the last twenty months, I have published nine books--three of the Pike series, five of the FitzDuncan series, and the first of the Perseverance Andrews books.

In the meantime, fall has come. The air is crisp, the leaves are changing here in New England, and football season is well underway. I survived a bout with Covid (not too challenging) and am now healthy again. I hope this finds you and yours happy and healthy as well. Until the next time...  

The Defense of the Commonwealth and FitzDuncan's Gambit

 The Defense of the Commonwealth, the first book of a new series featuring a heroine named Perseverance Andrews, is complete and will release on October 15. The book takes place in the same universe as the Jonah Halberd series, roughly 350 years earlier. It begins with an account of how the Inter-Planetary Commonwealth formed.  From there, it shifts to the story of Perseverance Andrews and her exploits in a war between the Commonwealth and two opponents--the Rodinan Federation and the Chinese Republics. Things begin poorly for the Royal Navy, as they are set on their heels in the opening battles of the conflict. Perseverance is one of only a very few to survive the initial action and finds herself acclaimed as a hero. As with the Halberd books, politics and romance play as important a role as the battles in space.

I am also pleased to inform you that the fifth book in the FitzDuncan series, FitzDuncan's Gambit, is nearing completion. The manuscript is finished and edited. I am waiting on my talented cover artist to work her considerable magic. With any luck, FitzDuncan's Gambit will publish on or before December 1.

In the meantime, I am working on a possible new book in the Sandy Pike universe, a second Perseverance Andrews novel and yet another FitzDuncan. As I get further along, I promise to supply updates.