My sincerest apologies, dear readers, because “The Animal in Man” hasn’t made it into your hands yet. I’ve only recently learned that its production was delayed due to the book’s length.

I’ve been chipping away at the word count as much as I possibly can, but between my familial responsibilities and my new high-school teaching gig, there’s not much time left in the day for editing. I’ve been tasked with cutting 42% of my novel, so it’s going to be some time I’m afraid. I’m slitting the throats of some characters I cared a lot for, but I’m allowing a few others to live a bit longer.

One of the main characters who will not be cut is Feyn, the white wolf. Twenty years ago, when the campaign to eradicate all the insect Thraxians came to its close, Feyn - a Leoran knight of some renown - set off for his homeland, eager to see his wife and children again. When he returned at last, he found his estate ransacked, his castle burnt to the ground, and his son butchered. And he found the butchers. They soon overpowered him, struck a fatal blow across his face, leaving a wicked scar from his mouth to his ear, and threw him into the ditch alongside his wife’s corpse. But Feyn did not die there. During the attack, Feyn’s body fell unconscious as its parasitic spirit inexplicably fled. He regained himself - his true self - down there, in the dark. Feyn became something else entirely that night. A true animal.

So Feyn stays in the story. He’s been dead once already, you see. It doesn’t suit him.

I commissioned the character sketch for Feyn from the ultra-talented Ronald Orrego. You can find more of his work here, as well as his contact info if you need him. Tell him Joe sent ya.

Stay tuned, dear readers.

Updates, Faoii! Listen up!

I’m sorry for the long silence between updates. These last few weeks have been long, exhausting, and in many ways painful and even heartbreaking. But, we are faoii. We are nothing if not resilient. Thus, I am determined to carry my head high and continue forward, sword and shield at the ready. Luckily, we don’t have to depend on sheer force of will this time-- there has been two bright rays of wonderful news within the darkness, and I am honored to tell you about them here.

First off: The Last Faoii has been given to an editor over at Reedsy! Chersti Nieveen is an amazing woman with over twelve years of editorial experience. She has helped to perfect several books that I’ve read (one that I just picked up two weeks ago) and I am so awed to have her looking at something that I’ve been working on for so long. With her help, I am certain that our army and its campaign will be stronger still. You can learn more about her and her previous work by clicking here. 

Second: I am deeply honored and even in tears because of Evan Graham’s newest update. What a wonderful thing to read after what has turned out to be one of the hardest periods of my life. I am so incredibly humbled to be recognized by such an amazing author, and feel blessed beyond words that he would consider me a friend. Evan is a wonderful person, a fantastic writer, and worthy of every kindness the world and gods might offer. If you haven’t yet, please head over to his page and order your copy of Tantalus Depths. It is well worth it.

That is all the news I have for now, faoii. I hope your own battles are going well and that your foes tremble at your strength of heart and steel. Whatever it is that you are facing, I know you can overcome it.

Shields up.

Faoii-Tahani

  No particular news for Tantalus Depths itself right now. I’ve not heard anything from Inkshares about the next step in the production process, but it’s still early and I hadn’t expected to yet.
I am currently working on the promised prologue chapter, but I’m toying with the idea of making two smaller ones instead of one larger one, as I have two interesting ideas that can’t be easily combined. We’ll see how that goes.
My main purpose for this update is not for me, or even for Tantalus Depths. I wanted to take an opportunity to show my heartfelt appreciation for a good friend. 
I met Tahani Nelson through Inkshares during our mutual pre-order campaigning period. Her book, The Last Faoii, caught my attention quickly. Kaiya, her resolute protagonist, has a knack for overcoming impossible hardships without giving up even in the bleakest of circumstances, and is exactly the sort of character I strove to depict with Mary Ketch. I kind of see the two characters as cross-genre sisters.
As I’ve gotten to know Tahani better as a person, I’ve learned the true extent that the character imitates the author. She’s overcome no small number of impossible obstacles, and though they continue coming her way, she resolutely pushes through them without giving an inch of ground. She’s a real-life Kaiya, and so, in many ways, a real life Mary.
I felt a person like Tahani deserves to be immortalized in writing. The universe of Tantalus Depths is an unforgiving, dark place. Human civilization is a constantly imperiled thing; a child swimming obliviously among sharks. Yet, one of the core tenants of Tantalus Depths and any associated stories, is the notion that, in spite of these dangers, humanity endures. We may always be at the brink of destruction, but through determination and sheer force of will, we survive against the odds.
Tahani represents this to me, in life. To properly show what that means to me, I’ve named a planet for her, which I will include some capacity into the Tantalus Depths universe. If I can sneak it into Tantalus Depths somewhere during the revision phases to come, I will. If I can’t find anywhere to slip it in where it feels natural, it will be referenced at some point in the upcoming sequel. Either way, the presence of this planet in the Colonial Hegemony is now and forever canon.
Shields up, Faoii.