I wrote four thousand words on Friday.

Geez, I love being able to write that sentence.

This summer, I've been contenting myself with twenty-five minute writing sprints. Trying to keep up with my goal of averaging writing five hundred words a day. It's been a mental checklist while making sure I survive as a businessman and a father.

But Friday was the first day I wasn't rushing around picking up the girls at three separate times. I was able to pack up for Granite Con in two weeks, go over the business. Do laundry (and fold it!), do the dishes, set up for dinner and a fun long Labor Day weekend.

And then I was able to write sixteen pages of book three of The Innkeeper's Dirge. It was a jaw-dropping statement of what the future school year looks like.

Do I think I'll be able to write this much this fast every day? No. But it could mean that there will be a lot coming down the line for all of you. In fact, the first big part is right here in the State of the Inkdustries...

State of the Inkdustries

First off...we have an awesome cover!

It has been a jaw-dropping experience seeing that the book is becoming more and more real. I've been publishing books since 2017, and I can say with certainty that the sensation of seeing your words become artwork is a joy that is timeless. Resistant to all sense of tire and fatigue.

Our pre-launch page for the Kickstarter is also up, and we are expecting to launch in January 2027. You can check out the pre-launch page right now, with lore of the Fiorae and even read chapter one on our website!

The Lore Corner

Come enjoy a drink at the Call.

The Innkeeper's Dirge takes place, as expected in an inn. In the small farming village of Diwedd, there is an inn near the lone river known only as The Crow's Call. Owned and operated by one Brynn Greenway, it is the one establishment in Diwedd where everyone finds an excuse to actually be social.

When you enter The Crow's Call, you may forget to notice the life-size iron statue of a crow above the main gable. Instead, you are ushered into the main taproom/dining hall. Old circular wooden tables where men and women have settled into their seats over decades.

The great stone fireplace crackles and roars. Every seat in the place - from the bar stools to the dining chairs, to the seven reclining seats - personally commissioned by Greenway and his grandfather to be built for comfort and relaxation.

You can find Greenway one of two places. Through the double-doors at the back where the kitchen murmurs with the quiet insanity of a one-man operation. Or behind the bar, cracking open the ale and liquor he makes himself, or the wine that he has imported over far too many years.

Sit down anywhere. If you steal someone's spot, they'll grumble quietly and move on. Brynn will gladly carve another portion of the daily special and plate it for you. Abigail Elspeth will ask your story and pay for your drinks. Yoric will try to steal your food, but he's a harmless sort.

What would you order in The Crow's Call? What would you hope Brynn Greenway would serve you? Let us know in the comments.

Want to know more about Brynn, and the strange dinner party he's about to serve? Chapter one is on our website right now, and the pre-launch page is live!

Where to Find Us Next

If you want to read more of our short stories, poetry, see behind-the-scenes work, or support everything that Arcane Inkdustries is doing, click the link and sign up to be a Patreon supporter now.

Thank you for reading. I hope that this sparked a piece of magic for you this week.

Until next time.

Blessings,

Jack Holder

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