Chase Gamwell's Blog

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 4th annual Texas Author and Reader Con in Irving, TX. It was an exhilarating (but tiring) two-day event where I got to meet a ton of other authors and readers.

I’ve done a few events over the last few months, but never one this big. Honestly, I was a little bit worried I’d be in over my head since sci-fi feels like such a hard sell these days, but all of the readers who stopped by my table were open to the idea of talking about sci-fi, even if they didn’t regularly read it. And lots of people seemed super interested in the Indie Science Fiction Author List I put together!

To everyone who subscribed to my newsletter this last weekend: thank you! I really appreciate you following along and look forward to sharing the next steps in my writing journey with you! Also, I’ll be drawing the winner of the sprayed edge copy of Aiko’s Dive and reaching out to the winner soon!

And to everyone who missed the Texas Author and Reader Con I’ll be at the The Dusted Shelf Bookstore in Conroe, TX on Saturday, July 26th from 11am to 2pm. Hope to see you there!

This weekend, I have a table at the Texas Author and Reader Con in Irving, TX! The Con will take place in the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas. It’s completely free (except for parking), and will run from 10am-7pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday. So, if you’d like to stop by, say hi, and chat about sci-fi (or anything else), here’s your chance!

On top of that, I’ll be taking part in the Young Adult Writers Panel on Sunday at 10:30am. So, if you’d like to hear me and a few other YA authors ramble on about YA fiction, drop in for that.

I’m super excited about attending the Con. I love meeting readers, and I love having the opportunity to talk about my book and sci-fi in general

So if you’re in the Dallas, TX area and don’t have any plans this weekend, consider stopping by! Hope to see you there!

I’m a little ( a lot) late on this one, but on June 28th, I attended the Bayou City Book Fest put on by Coffee Girls Boutique and Grand Events The Venue.

The event was wonderful, and I had a chance to meet a few local sci-fi and fantasy authors. On top of that, I had the opportunity to chat with a bunch of local readers.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth to chat, and a special thanks to the people who signed up for my newsletter. I’m excited to share all of the new stuff I have coming down the pipeline.

That said, stay tuned for another update about an event I’m attending next weekend in Dallas, TX!!!

Great news everyone: the cover art for Aiko’s Choice has been finalized! Here it is:

The design is a huge hint as to what’s going on in the book. Think you can figure out the big twist before reading? If you’d like to take a guess, feel free to drop it in the comments below or shoot me an email.

Whether you’re right or wrong, stay tuned, because the book will be available for preorder soon! I’ll update you all again when it is!

On May 15th, I attended Keys and Quills. It was a local event hosted by Buy the Book and Words in the Woods, and took place at the Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar.

I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to meet other local authors and interact with local readers. And I loved being able to represent the sci-fi genre with Aiko’s Dive.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table, bought a book, and signed up for updates. I’m very excited to share more updates on my writing journey (like the cover of Aiko’s Choice, which should be coming soon).

Stay tuned!

It’s been a little while since my last update, but that’s because I’ve been plugging away on Aiko’s Choice. The great news is that it’s done and with my publisher!

My editor is currently reading through the manuscript and plans to have notes for me soon. In the meantime, I’m working with my publisher on the cover. The plan is to have it ready before the Texas Author & Reader Con in July so I can display it on my table.

Of course, I plan on sharing it here first, so you all will get eyes on it before anyone else!

Stay tuned, I’m really excited about this book and can’t wait to share more!

In my last blog post, I mentioned a lot of exciting stuff to look forward to in 2025. One thing I didn’t mention was social media differentiation.

The (short-lived) TikTok ban made me realize that I had all of my eggs in one basket. And if the ban eventually becomes permanent, I’ll lose an entire social media platform with nothing to fall back on.

Enter YouTube!

I’ve been writing long enough that I know a thing or two, so I’m putting together a “Writing Tips” Playlist. Check it out below:

I’m also planning a “How to Get Published” playlist that will detail everything I’ve learned over my 10 year journey. Publishing is hard enough as it is without going in blind…

If you’re interested, consider giving me a follow over on YouTube. And if you know anyone just getting started, consider sending them over to my channel.

I’m really excited about this new content and want as many people as possible to benefit from all the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years.

Stay tuned for a lot more!

2024 wound up being a crazy year. And 2025 is looking to be even crazier!

Here are some of the highlights of 2024:

My debut novel, Aiko’s Dive, released on August 6th.In August and September, Aiko’s Dive sold over 50 copies! The royalties for those 50 books came out to around $40. I plan on donating the entire amount to my local shelter, as mentioned in this post.Aiko’s Dive was featured on a release list! This one. I check out this list every month, so it’s an honor to finally be included.Aiko’s Dive was entered to be considered for the Nebula Awards! I don’t expect to get nominated, or win, but being included is awesome!I met a ton of fellow Writers and Authors! Some of them even live in my area! And through them, I’m learning about local book fairs and author events!

Overall, I’m really happy about how 2024 turned out. But all of this is just the beginning of some really cool stuff happening next year.

Here are a few things to look forward to in 2025:

I’m going to be at the Texas Author and Reader Con! I’ve officially booked a table for the event, which takes place July 19th and 20th at the Irving Convention Center in Dallas, TX. So, if you’ll be in the area, feel free to stop by and say hi!I’m sending the Aiko’s Dive sequel to my publisher! As of right now, the sequel to Aiko’s Dive is complete. Once I get it back from beta readers, I plan on sending it over to Vulpine Press. And with any luck, it will come out later this year!I’m working with my publisher on a new sci-fi trilogy! Vulpine Press has read the first book and really likes it. Hopefully, that means the first book in the series will release this year, as well! Fingers crossed!I’m going to start offering signed author copies of Aiko’s Dive! I’ve been working on this a while, but I plan on selling Author Copy Bundles in 2025. If TikTok doesn’t go away, I’m thinking of setting up a TikTok shop. Otherwise, I’ll offer them here, directly on my website. Stay tuned!I plan to send out monthly update posts on my blog! Since I have a lot more news to share, I plan to consistently update my website in 2025. That means a monthly blog post as well as new pages!

I’m really excited about everything that’s going on. And I’m even more excited that I can share all of it with you. Thank you for sticking with me so far. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without all of your support!

One final thing: as we head into 2025, what kinds of content and updates would you like to see from me? Let me know!

It’s been a while since my last update, but I promise all that silence hasn’t been in vain.

Aiko’s Dive did well enough that my publisher expressed interest in a sequel, and I’ve spent the last few months feverishly putting words to paper. And now that sequel is finished.

Here’s a rough synopsis of the sequel (slight spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read/finished Aiko’s Dive):

Six months have passed since Aiko defeated the darkness and started hearing whispers in her mind. She’s been traveling across the sector, methodically hunting down every bit of darkness she can find. After her latest stop, another voice appears in her mind. Far stronger than a whisper. Promising to come after her. To find the source of this new threat, Aiko must rely on the help of new friends and reconnect with old acquaintances. But…hunting down this new voice turns out to be far more complicated than she originally expects, leading to a horrible truth about what she’s been doing these last six months. And revealing the terrifying nature of the new voice in her head…

End Spoilers

Initial feedback from beta readers is very positive, and I’m very excited about sharing this story with you all!

Honestly, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to write it. Publishing always seemed so far off, so I never made writing any sequel a priority. My mindset was: why waste time writing sequels when I can work on the next manuscript to wow agents with?

Turns out that mentality came back to bite me. Because my publisher expressed interest in the sequel as well as book one of another series. And you guessed it: I’ve only written book one…

That said, these are good problems to have. Because it means what I’ve written so far has been successful. In no small part thanks to you! I appreciate the support. And I appreciate you believing in me! This journey isn’t an easy one, but the destination is well worth it.

So, stay tuned for updates on the second leg of the journey.

The sequel to my debut novel, Aiko’s Choice, is coming soon!

Today is release day!

After months of waiting, Aiko’s Dive is finally out in the world!

It’s about an orphan girl who learns she’s the last human in the galaxy, and when she goes looking for answers discovers a terrible secret. If you enjoy the horror elements of Stranger Things and the world of Star Wars, this book is for you!

If you’d like to check out a sample, you can read chapter 1 here.

If you want to pick the book up, it’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook here.