Jason Cordova's Website

I’m taking a quick break this morning from writing Darkling to update the site.

Uhhh… huh. Nothing much is going on. Libertycon is less than 2 weeks away and I am super excited about that. My vacation starts in six days (with only 3 days of work before that, cha-ching!) and I’m planning on getting a lot of stuff done in the books. I’m also working on the wikia of the Kin Wars Saga in my copious amount of spare time (where’s that sarcasm key?). I also did something… different 10 days ago.

I emailed the publisher over at Twilight Times Books and requested to have the rights to Corruptor revert back to me. She was gracious and accommodating and, as of June 30, it reverts back to me 100%. I enjoyed the working relationship I had with them and I wish them well with all their future endeavors. They’re some good people who have published friends of mine I referred to them, and it has definitely jump started more than a few careers, so I’m glad that everything worked out.

I had every intention of editing Corruptor, putting a new cover up and going indie with it but… things happen. I loved the book and the universe it resides in and, considering I’m a quick rewrite away from books 2 and 3 (Obliterator and Devastator) complete, it just made sense to take control of it once more.

Within 10 minutes of announcing this I had to separate publishers asking to take a look at it. *shakes head*

I’m going to talk with them both at Libertycon (they’re both attending as guests) and I guess I’ll make a decision from there.

It was also my foster dad’s 80th birthday recently. I had a joke about his AARP card but the humor there expired.

Anyways, time marches on…

I keep getting older, and these publishers stay the same age…

Sorry Matthew McConaughey, that still sounds creepy.

I turned *coughcough* this past week and while I don’t feel any older, my brain is convinced that I am slowly falling to pieces physically. Sure I’ve had a lot of joint pain the past 18 months but what other former athlete hasn’t? As long as opiates and ibuprofen don’t take control I’ll be fine.

That’s what I tell myself. My doctor begs to differ.

I’ve been slowly adding more to Darkling and, while it’s still adding, I’m also taking stuff out at the same time. Wrediting is what I call it and yes, totally a legit word. Look it up. I’m also already writing Deathlords becuase I want to drive myself insane. On top of that I’m starting to flesh out the fourth books of the Kin Wars Saga, tentatively titled Spinesplitter. That one has a major historical link and, if someone knows Arabic history, can guess what direction this book will be headed. I haven’t officially titled books 5 or 6 yet but they do have placeholder titles. I might even keep them, who knows?

I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I’m not on World of Tanks anymore. Part of it is quality of teammates and opposing play, but most of it is because I’ve had some major changes in my personal life which takes away a lot of my free time. No, my girlfriend is not pregnant. Sheesh.

Other than that, work and prepping for Libertycon. Which basically means I’m counting the days until I can get on my vacation!

First off, I wanted to thank everyone who picked up a copy of Wraithkin over the past few months and then left a review. I really appreciate the reviews, especially when they average 4.7 out of 5 stars. It’s probably the highest rated book I’ve written, period. If you picked up a copy and haven’t left a review yet, I encourage you to do so. I heard somewhere that Amazon rewards you with leprechauns and pints of Guinness when you crack 50 reviews.

(ed. note — This might just be a rumor or a very closely guarded secret. Unsure at this time.)

Secondly, I’m still hard at work on Darkling, which is the sequel to Wraithkin. This book has been a bit of a challenge for me because, up until a week ago, there was something about one of the character’s arc that bothered me. It took a long conversation with a fellow author and good friend to figure out what, precisely, the problem was. Now that it’s all situated I should have the book done soon. His story was the only part which was bogging me down.

Keeping in that “change is for the better” vein, my work is changing from public to private school. It’s merely a reclassification and it really doesn’t change the way we’re doing things, merely how we look and function to the state. Now, so far as I can tell this is not set in stone yet, but it appears to be headed that way over the next month or so. But since plans oftentimes go awry, I’m taking a “wait and see” approach.

Other than that, nothing really new to report. I got the official contract for “Paint the Sky“, my short story in Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy’s Four Horsemen Universe. It’s going to be released at Libertycon this June so make sure that if you’re there you pick up a copy. I heard rumor that it’s going to be available in hard cover.

Speaking of Libertycon, I received my schedule of events. I’m BOOKED solid on Saturday. Here it is:

• Friday – 5:00PM – Opening Ceremonies: Come boo me. It’s tradition.
• Saturday – 10:00AM – What’s New in 1632?: A panel I seem to have been thrown on because I wrote a short story in it, I’ll try not to get on the real authors of that universe’s way.
• Saturday – 11:30 – 1632 Mass Autograph Session: To be honest, I’m probably going to skip this. I’m having a 2 hour autograph session later and having this one kinda makes things redundant.
• Saturday – 12:00PM (2 hours) – Author’s Alley: I’ll have copies of Wraithkin for sale. $15 per book (cheaper than Amazon). It also has a free excerpt in the back for Mark Wandrey’s Cartwright’s Cavaliers. I’ll sign it politely or, for more money, will mock whoever you choose.
• Saturday – 4:00PM – Four HorsePersons of the Anthology: Kacey Ezell, Mike Massa, Chris Smith, and I team up for a reading again. Last year’s reading for us went extremely well, and this year it’s only going to get better. We even have THEMED t-shirts (I’m Pestilence… it’s a long story).
• Saturday – 5:00PM – Freehold Written in Blood: Michael Z Willliamson and other guests (including me) will be talking about our short stories in the upcoming Baen Books anthology, Forged in Blood. This should be fun.
• Saturday – 9:00PM – “A Fistful of Credits” release party: It’s also another book’s release party at the same time, but this is the one that I’ll be at. Again, I”ll sign any books thrust in front of me (I’ll even sign for Chris Smith so I can return the favor… I think he signs it “sooper speshul awthur Kris Smiff”.
• Sunday – 10:00AM – Kaffeeklatsch: Coffee with me and other attending pros. Warning: do not tempt the authors before their coffee is poured. It is bad for your health.
• Sunday – 12:00PM – What’s New From Copper Dog Publishing?: I have some short stories with them, and I owe them a short for another anthology (I’m sorry!!!), so we’ll probably be talking about that.
• Sunday – 1:00PM – Autograph session: My last autograph session. I’ll be with some new writers named David Weber and John Ringo. Never heard of either of them so I’ll show them the ropes*.

(*that was sarcasm by the way)

Libertycon looks to be a lot of work this year which means it’ll be a lot of fun.

I go from 2 months without posting to 2 within a week.

Exciting news! Not only is “Magnum Opus” coming out in Forged in Blood from Baen Books this coming September, but another short story, “Paint the Sky”, will be featured in the A Fistful of Credits anthology from Seventh Seal Press, edited by Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy, and is coming out on June 30, 2017.

That’s less that two months away!

Here is the cover for the anthology. One day my name will be big enough to grace the cover of an anthology.

Time sure does fly.

I’ve been working a lot and wrapping up the basketball season. First year with a new offense, only 1 returning starter and a bunch of young guys and we finished at 10-19. Not too bad, considering. In the month of February it finally clicked and our PPG went up by almost 14 points per game and our shooting percentage went up a bunch too. We were ranked nationally in rebounds per game and our MVP was 2nd in the nation in rebounds per game. All in all, not bad. Next year looks even better as everyone becomes more familiar with the offenses and defensive rotations.I’m gunning for a 20 win season.

Of course, all this basketball means I have done very little writing lately. That all changes now that basketball is over. I’ve already made a goal to complete Darkling by the end of the month, and have my short story A Battle of Wits to be done sooner than that. I also need to finish Terrance the Terrible Toy Train of Tehon, a short story set in the Sha’Daa universe, and also wrap up Deathlords by the end of 2017.

Keeping busy, you know.

Man, basketball season has pretty much sucked away my entire life.

With practice almost every day and at least 2 games a week, and my regular 100+ hour work week schedule thrown in on top, it’s a wonder I even remember what my house looks like. We’ve gone through some major improvements as we get deeper into the season, and though we aren’t picking up the wins, we’re scaring the crap out of every team we play. The best part? I’m only graduating 3 seniors, and only 1 of them starts for me. I have a young team of sophomores and juniors, which means next year we’ll be a dangerous team. Especially with my guards getting better with each and every day.

While basketball is awesome, it also means that I haven’t been able to update here, or get any new writing done on Darkling. Which is a shame, because I believe that I can have the first draft completed within a month. That being said, basketball season is over after our February 28th game. That means by April 1st the book should be done. Which means… nobody will believe me if I announce it to be completed on April Fool’s Day.

Crap.

I’m debating about setting up a mailing list here. I’ve never been a huge fan of them, mainly because they remind me of spam. That being said, I have a compendium built for the entire Kin Wars Saga made (albeit filled with spoilers because, well, spoilers) and I wanted a way to give it away for free. It dawned on me that people signing up for the mailing list could get rewarded with the free compendium. I was considering selling it for $1.99 until… yeah, mailing list.

I still might sell it and give it away. Who knows?

Don’t forget: if you picked up a copy of Wraithkin, give it a review over on Amazon. Many Bothans gave their lives for these review stars. The least you can do is leave some in remembrance of those poor, brave, retconned Bothans.

Just a quick update while on “vacation”.

Wraithkin is doing exceptionally well still, staying around the ranking I had anticipated while the holiday season is still in full effect. I’m hoping that the first two weeks in January see an increase in sales since that’s usually the time people start to buy their books again.

Saw an awesome review by JR Handley for Wraithkin as well. I should have pointed out that the Dominion, just like every other nation in existence, is not perfect. And I’ll leave it at that. You can go check out the review here.

Doing a little work on Book 2 of the Kin Wars Saga today. Darkling is coming along splendidly and at a much faster pace than Wraithkin did. I’m happy with the plot so far and the newish character POV shows a different side to everything. I’m really enjoying writing these characters and this universe.

Okay, time for breakfast. Don’t forget to pick up your copy today!

Between being deathly ill, work, and basketball, I have been unable to accomplish much lately.

First, the bad. I had pneumonia. It was bad enough to absolutely level me for over two weeks and I’m still not 100% better. However, I felt well enough to return to work (albeit in a limited capacity) so there is that. Basically, my stress levels were too high and my immune system was compromised due to this. I’m getting better, though.

The better? Basketball season is going well. My guys played their hearts out last night and won, improving our record to 3-7 on the season. Considering this is being considered a “rebuilding” year, I think we’re looking good thus far.

The best? Wraithkin will be out this Friday, Dec 16. Oh yeah.

And yes, I even got a promo blurb from the International Lord of Hate. That’s some shenaniganning right there (totally a word, shaddup).

It’s cover reveal day here and I am pleased to show off the cover for Wraithkin, Book 1 of a brand new series. Look at the texture, the color, the gorgeousness…

…

…you want to see it now, don’t you? Fine, I’ll quit yammering about it.