A.C. Ward's Blog

July is my favorite month. There’s one obvious reason. I’m a July baby. Some people don’t like to celebrate for their birthdays. Maybe it’s the getting older part (which I actually don’t mind – I finally feel my age). Maybe it’s the being the center of attention. That I do get. If you’ve read my dedication in The Potential of Forgetting, you probably already know loving myself has been a struggle. But I do now, and I’m taking a weekend away to focus on myself and, yes, how great I am. It sounds horribly conceited when I say it out loud, but how much better it feels over saying the opposite.

The weekend getaway is in Savannah. I’ll likely be posting pics to social media. I’m not much for Twitter, though I’m on there as @wardabooks, but I absolutely love picture based social media such as Instagram @a.c.ward and Facebook @wardabooks.

In writerly news, I did take a break from the samurai series this month to write something completely new for Camp Nanowrimo. I really like this motivation tool of tracking word counts, and I’ve passed 20,000 words already. It’s not my typical type of book, but I’m having fun. I plan on jumping into edits of book 5 of The Kami Prophecy after this, with a later 2021 release date.

I’ve also decided to re-launch The Abyss Trilogy wide, so that it’s available in Barnes & Noble, Apple, Google, Kobo, and anywhere else readers might like to find them. With that came new covers. I’m absolutely in love with them. I used the same artist as The Kami Prophecy, as I love her style. I’ll do full cover reveals later on social media and shared a peek in my newsletter.

That’s it for this month. Until next time, I’ll leave you with a secret... I love Katashi more than Masaru. Who else is a bit in love with Katashi?

I've finally found a cure to my insomnia, now that the weather is warmer. The sun. There is something that settles inside me when I lay out in the backyard and soak in the beautiful weather.

In celebration of meeting my publishing goals, I rewarded myself with a new tattoo. It's a katana inspired by a pinterest board. I think it turned out wonderful. I'm so in love with it.

In writerly news, I am currently writing book 5 in The Kami Prophecy! This one has a lot of returning characters from book 1. And though I had no plans for it, my shinobi showed up again.

Book 4 is back from the editor as well, so that's next on the list and will be up for pre-order soon.

Today is the release day of book 2, Sword of Compassion! The cover that started it all. I hope you enjoy the dynamics between Katashi, Masaru, and Shou in book 2.

Already this month has been hectic. That's what I get for taking a family vacation. The Tampa area was gorgeous, and we enjoyed roller coasters, aquariums, and beach days. I actually got to relax and read a book. The winds made the beach cold as the sun went down, but I love capturing the sunset.

Today is the official release day of Katana of Trust, book 1 in The Kami Prophecy! I'm both nervous and excited. This series is very close to my heart, and that makes it more intense. The paperback is also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble if you like to hold a book in your hand. You don't have to wait this time.

In other writing news, the preorder for book 2, Sword of Compassion, has gone up, and the editor is finalizing book 3's edits this week. I've planned out book 5 and my goal is to get back to writing in April, using Camp Nanowrimo as a springboard. I feel like I've been editing for soooo long.

As a special treat for my newsletter fans, I wrote a short story set in the world, titled A Tengu's Regard.

I gave myself a break recently and binged a whole manga series. It was a reread, which I somehow love better than new stories most of the time. It's like visiting with known friends. Tokyo Crazy Paradise is about a mobster son and a cop daughter building an unlikely relationship far in the future. What's funny is this "future" was the year 2020... It was written a while ago. Besides the mention of the date, the story held up well.

I'm a Japanophile, mainly from my love of manga, anime, and JRPG. I especially like the modern slice of life stories. When I'm writing, I listen to J-rock singer Kiyoharu. I recently learned he has his own radio station on Spotify if you're curious. Nite&Day is a good song to try out.

In case any of you missed the last promotion, I am running a $0.99 special on the boxset of The Abyss Trilogy today.

In writerly news, the editing is coming along nicely. Books 2-4 are with the editor waiting on their revision notes. And... Book 1 is officially done and up on preorder for a March 15th release date!

I'm also giving away 100 free ebook copies in a Goodreads giveaway. Enter for your chance to win.

Now, onward to more editing. As a special bonus, here's the part I have been dreading writing. The Prophecy!

After light is cast on the dragon marked Heirs of the Kami
Seek the island’s blessing during a single decade night
Accept the dark passage through the shades
Approach the slithering descent of the caverns
Confront the Lady among that which she tends
Discern through the dual eyes internal
Stray within the shadowy spring beneath
Earned with each successful trial passing
To rise from the ashes and into a jeweled tier hereafter.

I am so happy to say that I've finished my rounds of self-edits on all 4 books in the Kami Prophecy that will be published this year. Now the books are off in the hands of the professional editor, to fix all those pesky commas I still got wrong. (Secret fact, I hate comma rules. I want to use them when my brain sees a pause between words.)
I'm one step forward in my publishing goals for 2021. Can't wait to share these books with you.

I'm the type of person who loves goals, but I also believe that each step is simply leading on to the next. I get a lot of satisfaction out of the pursuit, but reaching it somehow always feels flat.

Do you set any goals for the new year? I'd love to hear your plans. Comment if you need a cheerleader or just want to share.

Here're my 2021 writing ones:

-Publish 4 books in the Kami Prophecy series.
-Write 2 more in same series.
-Write 2 books and 2 short stories in a new genre.
-Launch a 2nd pen name in a new genre.


I've been feverishly editing the books in my new samurai fantasy series to launch in Spring. Then I realized that I still had [prophecy] in brackets throughout the four written. I know what the prophecy is, but finding a poetic way to write it out has been kicked down the field for a while. I might have to get on that soon. It's funny because poetry used to be a love of mine, but I haven't written any for a while.

Now back to the grind.

And somehow December came. This year felt like it was three. In a way, that was nice. I feel like I accomplished a lot this year. I tend to use December to think back and forward. I'm a very goals oriented person. It helps me to fight the times when darkness sneaks up, giving me a purpose.

Christmas lights make me happy, so I don't mind the early darkness as much. It's fun to look around at that bit of joy.

In writerly news, the third audiobook in the Abyss Trilogy is scheduled to release today! (Though I'm sure some platforms will take longer.) It was a joy working with my narrator again. She made me cry even though I knew what was coming. Some of our back and forth made me giggle, as she gets a lot of joy from voicing Lilith and Sage.

I'll be doing the cover reveal of book 1 of The Kami Prophecy soon. I'm still in the middle of edits and loving this samurai fantasy world. Book 1 will be released in Spring 2021.

Are you the type to set goals for the new year? If so, share some of them. Publishing 4 books in my new series is one of mine. Now, back to work!

I'm writing this from Pennsylvania. The weather up here is so different from Florida. My directions took me through all of the two-lane highway backroads. Farmland stretched on into the distance on either side as the sunset hung in the sky above it, as if trapped by the rain clouds that made my flight a little bumpy. And there are actual hills here! Ones I can't see over until I reach the top. I'm sure the locals hate it, but I was fascinated to get stuck behind a horse and buggy. Such a different culture to get the wheels turning on imaginary worlds.

Non-writers might not know that November is National Novel Writing Month. It's a non-profit program where people that have always wanted to write a novel join together to cheer each other on to get it done in a month. Some people find that idea very stressful. I love making writing my priority for a month. I also found my ideas flow better when I dive into them day after day with few "days off" in between. So most of the time I do write my novels in a month anyway.

I should be editing my upcoming samurai series, and I'll do that, too. But right now I'm inspired to write something new and different. Wish me luck!

I'm so excited to announce that my fifth published book is live on Amazon. This was the very first novel I reached "the end" on, and holds a special place in my heart for the issues it discusses. I hope you enjoy Kali's story as much as I do.