Dear Reader

Happy beginning of the holidays! My mindset as a parent and writer has always been to lump the holiday season as one giant set, from Halloween through New Year's (with my birthday tossed in at the end for good measure).

After a summer that seemed to last all throughout September and half of October, it was a welcome change to start dressing myself and my children in longer clothes. As someone born in winter, and grew up in New England, the fall and winter months are the ones that calm me the most.

It's refreshing to walk outside and wake up with the chilling bite of the frosty air. Walking through the forest, hearing the crackle of leaves underfoot. Building a fire in the hearth and letting yourself settle under a blanket with a good book.

If you want an amazing homemade recipe for spiced apple cider, here it is.

Spiced Apple Cider

• 2 Quarts of Apple Cider from your local supermarket
• 1-2 sticks of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of whole allspice
• 3-5 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 orange, halved
• Brown Sugar to taste

Pour Cider and orange into a pot. Bring to a soft simmer over medium heat. Add Brown Sugar and spices, and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently to incorporate sugar, and then let sit, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

Best liquors to add: rum, whiskey, and bourbon.

One of my favorite parts of spiced apple cider is how versatile and forgiving it is. Play around with the spice combinations. Add lemon juice or not. Stir in cranberries. Chill, strain and serve over ice.

But hot apple cider is one of my favorite drinks as the days shorten and the nights are filled with family events. I hope that these last two months of 2025 bring tidings of comfort and joy to you.

All the best.

How are the books coming along?

The first round of Legends of the Realm 6 Kickstarter rewards are sent out! It is insane to see that all come together. As I mentioned last week, being able to see the progress Arcane Inkdustries has taken since 2017 has been such a delight, and I hope you enjoy all of my books going forward.

Some awesome projects to check out

Sega (Yes, thats his name) is an AVID GAMER!! He is also not a good sport and a POWER GAMER. He lives and breathes ROLE PLAYING GAMES, spending nearly every waking moment immersed in fantasy worlds and epic quests. He plays at least five days a week—he’d make it seven if his girlfriend, didn’t drag him back to reality now and then. But when a mysterious experiment to study past lives goes wrong, Sega’s imaginary worlds become all too real. The heroes, villains, and monsters he’s created over the years begin to cross over into his life—each one remembering every decision he ever made. Now, Sega must fight to survive a nightmare of his own making.

Reroll Kickstarter Link

What happens when a mad sorcerer steals the sun from an ancient god? Maliket has plunged the fae realms into darkness—and now his twisted ambition threatens to spill into the world of man. As the Seelie and Unseelie courts prepare for war, one unlikely hero stands in his way: Oswald, a talking mouse with a destiny bigger than anyone imagined.

Fallen Gods Kickstarter Link

Levanthria is a brutal, immersive dark fantasy series that reimagines legends like Robin Hood, Blackbeard, St. George, Arthurian myths, and even Father Christmas in a gritty, folklore-infused world.

Across six core novels and an ever-growing collection of companion tales, the series explores loyalty, vengeance, forbidden power, and redemption, featuring rebels, witches and monsters hiding in human skin.

Levanthria Kickstarter Link

Dead by the Book

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I didn't ask for a destiny.

Especially one that says that I'm supposed to destroy every god in existence.

It made the name William Creed a curse. Made me turn tail and run from the only home I knew. Left my friend, my favorite ghost, and hoped that the gods would just forget about me.

But now I'm back. Chasing the one good paycheck I've seen in years. Chasing some kid who's in way over his head, searching for a book that could break reality.

I'll have to take on dragons, the undead, a whole cosmos of deities, and my own mother.

Welcome to God Street. Where miracles become realities.

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