The Myridian Constellation Continues to Grow, thanks to YOU.

30 years ago, even before The Door Within, I had an idea for a fantasy story centered around an assassin seeking redemption from a haunting past. The story began with "A Sword in the Stars." Here's a peek at the new cover concept.

The story begun with "A Sword in the Stars" continued to reveal itself to me with a reluctant young king, trying to live up to expectations and struggling to avoid his father's mistakes. Before I knew it, there was a really nasty red dragon and a devastating unexpected invasion. A sneak peek of "The Errant King" cover concept is below.

From the very beginning the Dark Sea series (now The Myridian Constellation), had 7 books outlined. Book 3, however, took me by surprise when it became such a behemoth that Amazon wouldn't even publish it in paperback at its size. It became clear that there were two very unique story arcs, and so I made the decision to split the third book into book 3 and book 4. I never imagined how much work and time it would take to re craft those tales into individual books of the series. "The Forsaken Continent" became book 3 and took nearly 5 years to complete. Here's a peek at the new cover concept for TFC:

"Mirror of Souls" was going to be book 3, but I quickly realized that too much needed to happen to lay the groundwork for what I think has become the turning point of the series. Here's a peek at the full cover of Book 4, Mirror of Souls. Release date is August 9th!

Author's Note: Thank you, readers for the opportunity to write for an audience. I'm no Tolkien or Rowlings, but you've all been so very kind to make it clear that these books have an audience. God made my dream come true and gave me a mission, but I'd get nowhere fast without knights and swordmaidens like you. I'm forever grateful.

Paying it Forward: Ads for Your Book in Mirror of Souls

 When my first book, The Door Within, was knee-deep in production prior to release, it came time to start promoting. Fortunately, my agent, then Gregg Wooding (Miss you, man!), had done some promotional work with Josh McDowell––the "More Than A Carpenter," Josh McDowell. Mr. McDowell was absolutely gracious and kind enough to write a promotional blurb for The Door Within. I also had wonderful endorsements from Donita K. Paul, Christopher Hopper, Bryan Davis, Booklist, School Library Journal, and several others. 

Please understand the kindness of these talented people. No one in the world knew me or my books from Adam. So for these already-busy folks to give me a little leg up in the early going of my writing career was absolutely path changing.

Since then, I've worked hard to try to return the favor, to pay it forward, so to speak for other authors. To continue in that way, I'm offering a full page ad for your book to be included in both digital ebook and paperback versions of Mirror of Souls, the fourth coming Myridian Constellation novel, due out in early July this summer. The cost is $25 for the full page ad. That will help me pay for the interior design for the book, as well as, contribute to the cover art and design. If you are interested in an ad, here's what I need from you:

• a roughly 6X9 ad for your book(s) that can work in color and grayscale B&W. Email the ad to: batguy21784 (at) yahoo (dot) com

•  $25 sent to us via PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.

Paypal: mdbatfam@yahoo.com

Venmo: @mdbatfam

Zelle: 4102457998

• Ads and payment due by June 10th. 

Logo Contest for The Myridian Constellation Series

Calling all clever and talented graphic artists!

Announcing the Myridian Constellation Logo Contest!

I’m looking for a seriously crafty artist to design a logo for my 7-book epic fantasy series called "The Myridian Constellation."

Here’s the concept: since stars and constellations figure prominently in the books, I’m looking for a full logo for book covers and merch. This logo would show a seven star constellation and the text “The Myridian Constellation” is some kind of epic fantasy composition. A small version of the logo would appear on the covers of each of the seven books.

Here’s the trick: the logo would need to be able to be subdivided on the spine so that each book gets its own numerical star. IE: the first book “Sword in the Stars” would have the beginning of the constellation with the first star alight with the number 1 imposed over the star.

Then, when all seven books are placed on the shelf next to each other and spine-out, the entire 7-star constellation will show across the spines.

All entries are due by January 31st, 2021 (is that enough time?) The prize for the winning entry? PRIZES (plural!)

1) All seven books of The Myridian Constellation, signed by the author

2) Direct promotion for your graphic arts services via a FULL PAGE AD in all 7 books

3) HTML ads for your work on all my websites

4) Frequent social media promotions, etc.

5) Fair payment (negotiable, but keep in mind that, I too, am a starving artist).

If you are interested in entering, please send submissions in jpg, png, or tiff format to me via the email below:

batguy21784 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Some Good News from ...Myriad!

Like my close friend {cough} John Krasinski always says, "It's time for some good news!" I am throwing a FREE Kindle Sale of Sword in the Stars, Errant King, and The Forsaken Continent from June 8th through 12th. You can get all three ebooks free from Amazon on those dates! Epic fantasy goodness coming your way! Never alone.

https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Thomas-Batson/e/B001JRVV9C?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1591112857&sr=1-2

Summer's here and the time is right for dancin—er, for READING! I've got TWO new books for you to check out. If you are a fan of the series called "The Dark Sea Annals," I've completely revised and republished the "Author-ized" version of Sword in the Stars and Errant King. The series is now called The Myridian Constellation, and the long-awaited third book in the series: The Forsaken Continent is out now in Kindle and Paperback!

And if you're the type who likes Christmas in July, I've released my modern retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I've titled it "A Christian's Carol," and some have said it's a much needed wake up call to the modern Christian. True to the original, but updated with many of today's social issues, A Christian's Carol is (as one reviewer said) worth reading at any time of the year.

Here are the links:

New Sword in the Stars:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1974639037/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i8

New Errant King:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C1HWZCF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i12

BOOK 3: The Forsaken Continent:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1090136129/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

A Christian's Carol:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1790977010/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i20

Go get 'em and enjoy some great beach reads!

The Forsaken Continent - Paperback and Kindle - Available beginning March 18th!

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I've got some good news. "The Forsaken Continent" Paperback -and- Kindle will be available on March 18th! 

 

Originally, I expected the release date to be 3/21, but turns out, it's EARLY!!! Here are the links:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2UD8XAp

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2UD9suh

 

 

Hallooo, readers! Thank you for helping make 2018 my best year for self-published titles! I'm hoping to deliver a ton of epic goodness to you in 2019. Here's an update:

1) Book 3 of The Myridian Constellation: "The Forsaken Continent" is in the pipeline (see early draft of the front cover below). With the help of some great editors, I'm cleaning up the manuscript. That should take me a couple more weeks. After that, it's off to interior design and uploaded for Kindle. I'll also be asking Dave Cruse to continue voicing the series in book 3. Can't imagine any else reading for this series. If you haven't heard him in Sword in the Stars or Errant King, go listen to a sample on Audible. He's just ridiculously talented and skilled.

2) Book 4 of The Myridian Constellation: "Mirror of Souls" is about 40% completed. I'll be working on that hard and heavy, hoping for a summer 2019 release.

3) This summer, to celebrate my lovely wife's and my 25th wedding anniversary, we will be taking a 10-day trip to Scotland. During this trip, I'll be visiting many of the places that are key settings in "Ghost 2: Minister of Fire." I'm about 30% into that book, but decided to postpone until after Scotland. I plan to bust my rear on that book all summer and am hoping for an October 2019 release date.

4) Somewhere in and around all this, I have a short story called "Will o' the Wisps" for the Realm Makers Consortium anthology that will debut this summer.

5) And for Door Within Trilogy fans, I -MIGHT- have a huge surprise for you. But, right now, it's super hush, hush. I'll reveal what I can whenever I can. :-D

The NEW Author-ized Editions of Sword in the Stars & The Errant King—what's the deal?

A lot of readers ask me, what's new about these "Author-ized" editions of Sword in the Stars and The Errant King? Many readers purchased the original editions back in 2012 and are wondering if the new versions are worth getting. A little background might help answer those questions:

The original Sword in the Stars and The Errant King were published by AMG/Living Ink Publishing. I am grateful beyond words that AMG contracted me for those books and the whole Dark Sea Annals series. Unfortunately, changes in the publishing market made events go in a direction neither AMG nor I wanted. eBooks hit publishers hard, and AMG became stretched too thin. In the end, their fiction brand collapsed. After that, AMG was gracious enough to grant me back the rights to the whole series. 

Explore Sword in the Stars Paperback

That was a huge relief because I really feel like this series, now The Myridian Constellation, is the passion of my writing life. God has given me bits and pieces of this 7 book epic, and I hope and pray that all seven books will rock your world, honor God with craft, skill, and accuracy, and ignite passions within readers to dare to adventure in God's kingdom.

Explore Sword in the Stars Kindle

To those ends, I hired a professional editor so that we could clean up the manuscripts. With her help, I've added thousands and thousands of new words to each book. Don't worry! I didn't change any substantial plot lines, eliminate characters, or make any other drastic decisions that would warrant a good shin-kicking. What I did do is quite a bit more character building, a ton of foreshadowing for the rest of the series, and (HOPEFULLY) upgraded the language of the written craft. 

Explore The Errant King - Paperback

On top of that, I've hired a new interior designer (Malachi Armas) to give the series a more epic feel. I've hired the amazing (Caleb Havertape-illustration) for new cover art—and am completely blown away by his work. All in all, I feel like the series is becoming all that it was meant to be. 

Explore The Errant King - Kindle

Book 3 in the series "The Forsaken Continent" should be released this Summer. Book 4 "Mirror of Souls" will likely be early 2019.

I hope some of this info will help you make a good decision regarding the purchase of the new books. Thank you, as always, for your devoted readership. Never alone.

Mea Culpa: An Update on The Myridian Constellation (formerly Dark Sea Annals)

What was it Douglas Adams said about deadlines? "I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." So, dear readers, it is with profound exasperation that I let you know I am not able to get the new version of Errant King or book 3, The Forsaken Continent, out in stores by Christmas. And this comes on the heels of about 25 missed deadlines regarding this series.

In a perfect world, with a perfect author, The Myridian Constellation (formerly The Dark Sea Annals) would be into its 5th book. The original publisher wouldn't have collapsed and the return of series publishing rights wouldn't have taken years—so long that I wrote The Dreamtreaders Trilogy while I waited. But, it's not a perfect world, and things dragged on. And I'm not a perfect author. I made book deadline promises to my long-suffering readers over and over again, but I did not keep them. 

Yes, there have been many extenuating circumstances, many of a personal or family nature that required or consumed time. We all know how life can get. And, I could bore you with details of how self-publishing, the process, takes away so much time from actual writing. But, I know I could have used the time God's given me better. So, I apologize.

Rather than offer you another deadline, (WHOOSH), ouch, I'll give you an update instead. I am @80% finished the revisions for The Errant King, Author-ized Edition. Frustratingly, I've discovered a massive timeline error that requires me to completely revamp the series chronology. On the bright side, delving so deeply into The Errant King has provided some wonderful new material. This version should be so much better than the original. And, as an added bonus in the new version, there will be no characters killed off early in the book only to show up later in perfect health!

The Forsaken Continent, you might recall, was originally going to be Mirror of Souls. But that manuscript surpassed 200,000 words. So, after much toil and thought, I split the manuscript into two distinct novels: The Forsaken Continent (Book 3) and Mirror of Souls (Book 4). In essence, both novels are written, but I still have work to do. And I don't want to rush and put out an inferior product. I believe God has something special planned for these books and this series, and I feel deeply that this will be a kind of life's work legacy when all is said and done. So, I ask, patient readers, for you to be patient once more. If you cannot wait, I'll understand. I'll update you in the future, but I won't make release promises again until a given manuscript is through revisions.

Much love. Never alone.

-Wayne Thomas Batson, December 2017

Bat-Book Readers, Would You Consider Becoming a Patron of the Arts?

Greetings, wonderful Readers! Lots of book news for you! Read on:

Over the last six months, I've been blasting away at Dreamtreaders 3: War for the Waking World (set to release in October), and I think it's the best of the series. But...

...it's also the LAST contracted work. Since then, I had a very lucrative offer from a publisher for a three book series but, after a lot of prayer and counsel, I turned it down. To take that deal would mean shelving The Dark Sea Annals and GHOST for a while. I just couldn't do it. It felt oppressive, so I said no.

So what this means is that now, at last, I've made the leap. I am no longer under any contract with any publishing house. I am now on my own. I am my own publisher. YIKE! I hire editors, proofers, cover artists, designers—the whole nine yards. And that is where I could use your help.

If my books have touched your lives at all, would you consider being a Patron of the Arts to support my work? Patreon is a kickstarter-like company that allows you to support writers, artists, musicians, and creators you love with monthly pledges of as little as $1. I've been a part of Patreon for about a year now, and it has really helped me. Now, more than ever, I need kind readers to become Patrons.

In return, you'll get private access to my creation process: artwork, proofs, sneak peek chapters, private messages, and a host of other crazy creative benefits!

If you'd like a little more info on what it means to be my Patron, check out my Patreon Page:

https://www.patreon.com/WayneThomasBatson?ty=h

So what's next? Dark Sea Annals.

I'm hoping for a July / August release of both Sword in the Stars and The Errant King repubs, and then fall for Mirror of Souls (Book 3).

Thank you again, readers...friends. I love this adventure all the more because you are part of it with me.

What the FONT?

This summer, I plan to RE-release Dark Sea Books 1 (Sword in the Stars) and 2 (The Errant King). I'm not changing the plotline in any significant way, but I'm doing a lot of what I call "Rendering."

As in digital animation where, pixel-by-pixel and line-by-line, the image becomes more detailed, more lifelike, and altogether more breathtaking to behold, I've done a serious overhaul of the language. Often it's as simple as deleting one word from a sentence. At times, it has been fleshing out a setting that I carelessly "mentioned" in the original. In sum, the new versions of Sword in the Stars and The Errant King will be the same story, told more precisely and more vividly. And yes, Dark Sea book 3 "Mirror of Souls" will follow shortly afterward, aiming for Fall, October-ish release.

If you've read this far, thank you. That probably means that this book series means something to you. So here's where I could use a little help: I need a front cover branding-kind of font for the series. There are a gazillion fonts out there, but I'm looking for something that speaks of "Fantasy" but not of hokey, over-the-top fantasy. I want something totally readable, even when it's very small. When I say branding, I want this font to become the brand name look so that whenever you see the font, you'll know it's a dark sea font, you'll know it's this series. Above all else, it'll need to be professional.

If you have a font in mind that might fit the description above, post a screen shot of it, or if you've seen another fantasy book cover that has a very cool font, please post it in the comments. If you come up with a font, and I end up using it (or even one like it), I'll give you a first edition signed copy of "Mirror of Souls" BEFORE ANYONE ELSE GETS IT.

*I should also mention that the reason this font needs to absolutely ROCK is because I'll have BRAND NEW COVER ART for the whole series. If you've seen Caleb Havertape-illustration​'s work, you know these images are going to blow people away, so a lame font just cannot be permitted.

GHOST is FREE on Kindle: Today Only! September 4th, 2013

My new THRILLER for Kindle: 

GHOST*. 

Free. 

Today Only. September 4th. 

Enjoy. 

*(Ages 16+)

Click below for free GHOST:
http://is.gd/Xb5ZVu

Start the Fireworks! GHOST is here!

GHOST: A New Thriller from Wayne Thomas Batson

About the Story: Ghost fits into the genre of Supernatural Thriller, in the same vein as Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, the X-Files, Nightstalker, etc. But, it's also very much a Detective Thriller in the vein of "Lone Wolf" murder mysteries like Lee Child, Brad Thor, and Stephen Hunter.

"Fans of Lee Child and Jim Butcher will love this series!"
—The Underground


Protector and punisher…

Hunter and hunted…

Down-to-earth and otherworldly…

John Spector, aka GHOST, isn’t your ordinary investigator.

He carries a shiny badge, a billfold ID, and a mysterious silver suitcase. His mission? Seek the forgotten ones, the abandoned ones, the ones no one else can or will help. Visit blunt force trauma upon the world’s blackest souls and deny the devil his day by any means necessary. And never stop. Never.

For more than a decade, the "Smiling Jack" killer has been posting photos of his victims on the Web, daring anyone to catch him, daring anyone to care. But when no missing person files match and no victims are ever found, the FBI closes the case.

Years later, a digital camera washes up on shore, and GHOST finds it. Each macabre photo becomes a clue that will lead GHOST and FBI Special Agent Deanna Rezvani on the trail of one of the most diabolical killers of this world…or beyond.

"No one gets away with murder. Not for long."

For my younger readers, please note that this is a story for older readers. At the very least, age 16+ Why? It won't be for sex and bad language––that's a promise. And it won't be for gratuitous violence either. I'd say the violence and bloodshed would be on par with my pirate books.

So why the audience designation? Two reasons: these books will deal with the criminal element, and some of the scenes / topics may disturb younger readers. Ghost is a special sort of investigator who will go after the worst of the worst criminals, the ones no one else can or will catch. These are villains who have literally been getting away with murder...or worse. Another reason for the change in reading audience is that these books will be on a whole new level of intensity. Seriously. We're talking, white-knuckle, pit of your stomach, fear. There's a point to it all as well, and hopefully a message of hope.

Want a sneak preview chapter of GHOST? Click HERE: http://is.gd/GMXnrO

Don't have a Kindle, but still want GHOST? No worries, they have Kindle apps for just about any electronic device you have. The paperback version of GHOST will come out later in the summer because formatting for print is a time-consuming beast. If you've been a faithful reader and want to support my writing efforts, please consider getting one or the other (or both) as it will really help the Amazon sales numbers in both categories.  GHOST for Kindle will only be $3.99!

Thank you for being fantastic readers and for following my books from Door Within to Dark Sea and now beyond!

Here's the link to purchase GHOST: http://is.gd/PHqG2t

 
And now...a GHOSTLY offer...

Be one of the first 100 people to purchase GHOST on Kindle for $3.99, email me, and I will put your name (or name of your choice) in a special GHOST Patrons section in the Print Version of GHOST, due out later this summer. The reason I say "or name of your choice," is that some of you might wish to honor someone else or use a screen name. Whatever name you wish. Your chosen name will appear in the first edition of the first GHOST book of what will, hopefully, be a long running series.

If you purchase GHOST for Kindle on July 4th, email me at: batguy21784(at)yahoo(dot)com

Put GHOST PATRON in the subject line. Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for helping this dream come true. 

Reminder Note: GHOST is thriller fiction intended for ages 16+.

PS: Here's a sneak peek at the cover for GHOST, Book 2: Minister of Fire!

Berinfell Prophecies 3: The Tide of Unmaking IS HERE!!!

Berinfell Prophecies Book 3: 

The Tide of Unmaking

is HERE!!

Click the Pic to order Berinfell 3

For Kindle Version, Click Here!

For Print Version, Click HERE!

Freebie Friday, August 10th! All Bat Short Fiction...FREE!

You a Kindle reader? If so, come back this Friday for FREE BAT FICTION. Skeleton Project, Episodes 1&2, plus Forget Me Not will be absolutely free from Amazon...all day long. Please spread the word!

The NEW Cover: Berinfell Book 3--The Tide of Unmaking

Okay, folks, here it is, the new cover design by NewLifeMedia. Berinfell Prophecies Book 3: The Tide of Unmaking!!

Woo hoo! So, whaddaya think? Oh, and Elves, if you're visiting and feel the need to EXPLODE, please be sure to clean up. Thank you.

Skeleton Project, Episode TWO is available NOW on Kindle!

Happy Sunday, all! I apologize for the delay, but Skeleton Project Episode TWO is now LIVE on Kindle!

Skeleton Project Agents Pershing and Minnis are once again thrown into the clutches of the supernatural. Scares and laughs abound as Pershing comes face-to-face with his darkest fear. And even Minnis, with her powerful arsenal of weaponry, may not be able to bail him out.

Skeleton Project 2 "A Bug Going Around," Only $1.29: http://is.gd/9qWrXE

If you haven't read Skeleton Project, Episode ONE yet, you're in luck. It's FREE today on Amazon: http://is.gd/o5dJk7


Or, you can just click the links in the sidebar. 

Berinfell 3-The Tide of Unmaking: Update

Go ahead. Throw the flag. 
We've earned it. 

Christopher Hopper and I have been furiously working on Berinfell Book 3: The Tide of Unmaking, but unable to work furiously enough. We wanted the release date to be end of May. Then we wanted end of June. Trust me on this: we are dying to get the book into your hands.

But part of being an author is knowing when a book is ready for readers. Part of being a Christian author is knowing when the book is of a high enough quality to honor the Lord. Tide of Unmaking just isn't there yet. It's good. It's very good. But it's not ready for you yet. It can be better. It can be much better. Shoot, it can make the word Epic run home crying to its momma. But CH and I must have more time to invest in it. 

It's my sincere hope to have The Tide of Unmaking in your hands before the end of the summer. CH and I will try. But more than anything else, we're going to pour ourselves into making the book the best it can be. You've honored us by reading our stories and by being patient. Let us honor you by taking the time to craft something spectacular.  

--Wayne & Christopher

Look What the Stork Delivered!!

Greetings, Knights and Swordmaidens! No, the Batson household hasn't welcomed a fifth child. But in many ways, the moment a writer gets to hold his/her book in hand, well…it's just pure joy. I came home very tired from teaching today. And BEHOLD, there be boxes on me doorstep! Big FEDEX boxes! Immediately, I'm turning cartwheels!

In other news, don't forget: Mark your calendars for...

1) Dark Sea Saturday: November 26th--visit Enter the Door Within (HERE) for a HUGE announcement. The kickoff of the biggest contest I've ever been a part of.

2) December 3rd Lunch, Signing, Errant King Release Party:

WANNA DO LUNCH? Author chat and booksigning for The Errant King coming soon: December 3rd 12-3 pm in Ellicott City at His Way and Nora's Cafe. Contact Michelle Audrey Black (410) 549-8746 to reserve your seat!