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Will Wight, New York Times Best-Selling Author of 'Cradle'
  • Home
  • Books
    • The Last Horizon
    • Cradle >
      • Kickstarter Bonus Content!
      • Kickstarter Special Edition Ebook FAQ
    • The Traveler's Gate Trilogy
    • The Elder Empire
    • Kickstarters!
    • Buying Will's Books
  • A Blog of Dubious Intent
  • Merch
  • Say Hello
  • Hidden Gnome Publishing
  • Press
  • Podcast

In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

Ghostwater: One Month Later

7/6/2018

105 Comments

 
It’s been about a month since Ghostwater came out, so I thought it was time for me to check in! I took about a week off and then got back to work, but I haven’t been very communicative in the last few weeks. I needed some time in my hole. Sorry especially to the people who have emailed me recently; I let that get away from me during the Ghostwater process.

Speaking of which, Ghostwater sold about twenty thousand units in June! That counts ebook sales, paperback sales, and Kindle Unlimited reads. I know the number doesn’t mean a whole lot out of context, so here’s some context: that’s a lot of books.

Thanks so much, everybody! These books are a joy to work on!

Speaking of which, I’ll be revealing the rest of the Elder Empire covers soon! All six paintings are complete, all by the talented Micah Epstein, and they’re just waiting to cover some books!

Thanks for reading, as always, and I’ll be back soon!

-Will
105 Comments
Faris
7/6/2018 01:30:45 pm

Wow, great sales. Like a great many people, I'm looking forward to Underlord, but it'll be great to get OKAK.

Reply
Wolfbrother
7/7/2018 12:58:42 am

I do not know how many more times I can read Ghostwater, and I know it has only been a month since release, but what is time to an addict. #cravingUnderlord

Reply
Tievel1
7/6/2018 01:52:50 pm

I've only read Ghostwater three times so far, so I'd say it was a mixed success. That reminds me, I should re-read Ghostwater.

Also, maybe an update on the OKAK Progress tracker?

Reply
Bill
7/7/2018 01:50:34 pm

Or maybe several progress bars, like Sanderson does?

We know you like to secretly work on other projects instead of OKAK Will.

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:52:10 am

If I added a progress tracker to a secret project, then it wouldn't remain a secret project for long, would it?

Bill
7/10/2018 05:53:16 pm

Well, it wouldn't be a secret in that we we wouldn't know you were working on a secret project. With a secret project tracker bar we would be privy to the secret that you would currently be working on a secret project, but we wouldn't be privy to the secret of the secret project itself.

Sanderson still has "Secret Project second draft" listed on his project bar. We know there's a secret project going on, but we have no idea what it is. Just that the second draft of the secret project has been completed and the secret for the secret might soon be revealed to us.

Bob
7/23/2018 12:29:28 am

Yes. Let us in on tier5 of the secret... the fact that the secret even exists... i like this idea.
Ps - just finished another re-read of ghostwater. Secret: it's really great. Bonus secret: wtb underlord, stat!

TransEmo
7/6/2018 02:44:43 pm

Congrats on the successful launch!

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Vorstus
7/6/2018 03:01:14 pm

Glad to be at least 4 of those after some friends finally listened and got into the series.

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Arti
7/6/2018 03:25:28 pm

Need more Lindon, where is Underlord????

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Kyle
7/6/2018 03:50:32 pm

It was a great book, looking forward to Underlord and the rest of your books. Keep up the good work!

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Extesian
7/6/2018 05:27:43 pm

Will, I was one of those clamoring for EE more than Cradle. But Ghostwater...oh it was so so damn wonderful. Easily my favorite Cradle and now my favorite Will. Thank you mate.

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:52:48 am

I'm glad! This one came together well, I thought, so I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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JR
7/11/2018 05:41:19 pm

You got several from my house as well Will!! Speaking of that my wife is currently very frustrated with you! She cussed for a good hour after she finished Ghostwater and realized Underlord does not yet exist.. That being said you are now her favorite writer!! And she is going through your other series while she waits for Underlord to show itself. Great work in all your series!! We can't wait to read more.

Will link
7/17/2018 02:37:29 pm

Clearly, your wife has excellent and discerning taste.

JR
7/17/2018 03:06:07 pm

Of course she has excellent taste!! That is why she picked me!! 😁

TheLastReader
7/6/2018 11:15:54 pm

Love all the books you put out. I am really excited for OKAK! And although I think it was already mentioned maybe an a
Update on the progress bar.

Reply
Caleb Chamberlain link
7/7/2018 08:08:25 am

This one was my favorite yet! I can't wait for the next one!

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Sword Immortal Darknorth
7/7/2018 09:43:00 am

Congrats Will on being a successful self published author (I assume this counts as successful? I don't know how many sales you need a month to count as successful.)

Reply
Will link
7/9/2018 08:53:15 am

This definitely counts as successful.

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Sword Immortal Darknorth
7/13/2018 06:37:22 pm

Then congratulations! Celebrate your victory! Through your years of toil you have built a throne atop the fallen corpses of countless lesser writers and cultivated your way that much closer to the Apex of the publishing world!

Will link
7/17/2018 02:37:00 pm

Now I will burn their sects to the ground and salt the ashes! They did not give me face.

Alex Jeffries
7/7/2018 12:48:24 pm

Question: Which of the 4 eligible Cradle books would you prefer your readers support for the Dragon Awards? I would nominate Unsouled, but its publication date falls 3 weeks too early.

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Bruce Almighty
7/8/2018 01:49:15 pm

I voted for ghostwater for best fantasy novel.

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:53:36 am

I don't know what the Dragon Awards are, so...Ghostwater?

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Walter
7/7/2018 03:01:40 pm

I’m just one reader of many, and I absolutely loved ghostwater, but I feel like with all the pressure to keep moving forward the little things are missed. Even just the small details of blackflame compared to ghostwater truly stand out like the crabs on the wall, the little apartments in the bones, the details of the training dummies, the furniture orthos eats at the end, the scene where we see the Aurelius family’s.. distribution centers?, the inner conflict of cassias and his own small side story, the rankings and small side plot of the other golds in the empire compared to yerin and Lindon, the description and way we were introduced to the caverns orthos was in, the descriptions for the techniques just for even traveling the long trek between the black flame trials and the city- small worldbuilding details that really added up together to the substance of blackflame. I reread blackflame five times and got something new from it each time, but for ghostwater my second run through I didn’t as much at all. And while i’m hungry to know what happens next, this one would ask that you flesh out the next cradle book further instead of advancing quickly. Sometimes longer isn’t better, but I think in your case your writing truly shines when you take time with the details. If you feel as though you did, please scratch all I just wrote. I only think that ghostwater was potentially a massive story arc, compared to even the sacred valley or blackflame, and I want to emphasize I really really loved it, I just wish it was thicker.

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:56:10 am

In terms of the little details, I don't think there's a terribly great difference between Ghostwater and Blackflame. However, I do suspect Underlord will be closer to Blackflame in length.

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Walter
7/9/2018 09:41:25 am

Truthfully, I regretted my post as soon as I pressed submit. I probably just feel that way because I’ve read blackflame so many times, and I didn’t take enough time between iterations of ghostwater to get something new. I’m starting an unsouled-through-ghostwater read through with my significant other today (I’ve been trying to get her to read it forever) and I’m sure I’ll feel differently by the end. I apologize for my hasty critique.

Chris N
7/16/2018 08:34:45 pm

@Walter I get a little bit of what you're saying but I think Ghostwater will grow on you more in the future. I think that difference in detail is probably more a difference in focus and not actually a difference in detail. It feels to me much more like Blackflame has a wider focus and begins introducing Lindon to the wider world of Cradle and so has more world-building details and a wider focus and feel. It's almost like a Trek or external journey story of growth. In contrast Ghostwater is almost like a focused retreat, and so a more internal story of growth. In Blackflame I felt like we learned much more about Cradle and the larger story, but in Ghostwater I felt like we learned a great deal more about the path of advancement and what it means, in personal ways, to be a sacred artist. There's enormous detail and amazing facts there in terms of that internal path of a sacred artist, so just different type of detail than the externally-focused detail in Blackflame.

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Chris N
7/17/2018 02:16:51 pm

I should clarify when I say Blackflame above, I actually probably meant both Blackflame and Skysworn. Those two have started merging together for me, haha... Skysworn has a bit more external focus than Blackflame but both have more world building than Ghostwater which is much more about the sacred artist's path imo.

Walter
7/18/2018 12:50:19 pm

Now that you say that, I completely agree with you about internal vs external, thank you 😊

I Need an Idiot’s Guide to the Willverse
7/8/2018 06:34:39 am

I know this has been asked before, but I feel a pressing need to ask it again: when you update the EE covers, will previously purchased editions on Kindle be updated as well?
I seem to remember reading somewhere that it depends on how fickle Amazon is feeling at the moment you update books as to whether already-purchased books get the update, but still...I like the new cover style, and so I want to know more definitely what to expect.

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:57:12 am

>it depends on how fickle Amazon is feeling at the moment

Unless they've changed their policy recently, basically that's the answer. I've made updates that they've immediately reflected in old versions of the novel, and I've bought novels where they updated things like the cover. And I've seen instances where they haven't. So I honestly don't know.

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The Questionable One
7/8/2018 09:50:53 am

So Will,

I was very curious reading through Ghostwater the second time. How do Sages get their titles? Are they always based on their paths or does it have to do with their accomplishments or both maybe???

Reply
Will link
7/9/2018 08:57:33 am

Can't tell you, but it will be revealed eventually!

Reply
PharmakoHeris
7/9/2018 12:03:55 am

Hi, very engaging series [Cradle]. When can we expect Underlord available for Kindle? Can't wait to learn what happens next to Lindon and the crew.

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:58:28 am

Don't know, but I'll update when I make some progress!

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Ethan
7/9/2018 08:37:59 am

He got a *presence*?!

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Will link
7/9/2018 08:58:04 am

Just a baby one.

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Diego
7/12/2018 11:58:42 am

Yeah configured dross was like the weaker version of a presence. He doesn't have enough information stored like how Suriels one does. he probably also doesn't have all it's functions.

Nick
8/19/2018 06:29:42 pm

But that baby Presence is something even a Monarch doesn't have!

Dross better be a regular now like Yerin, I love the lil guy! An original personality to complenent the team.

Blue
7/9/2018 01:29:44 pm

Hey, I just finished Ghostwater, it was pretty good, but the first part was a bit frustrating to read, because it felt like you (the author) weren't satisfied unless every step that Lindon took was walked barefoot on broken glass.

This is also something I had disliked in previous books so I wanted to mention it.

Basically, when I read the first part of the story I was disturbed by the fact that after only a short exchange in the pocket world, Lindon is instantly super tired, empty of madra, channels burned up, etc, to the point of falling asleep the moment he's safe, even though he was in top form like 15 minutes before that. And I feel like in previous books, he was also in a wretched state half of the time.

Then I was paying attention to that it struck me as I read the next part with him waking up, that you were definitely laying it extra thick : when cycling "It dug at his spirit like he was trying to drill a hole in his own heart, and it felt like metal bands were tightening around his lungs" and then instead of just being thirsty, "his thirst weigted on every thought, his stomach growled, and even this short walk had left his legs soft and trembling"...

Now let's remember, at this point he is a lowgold with a bloodforged iron body. He was fine and rested, stepped through a portal, had a short scuffle, escaped, killed a fish, walked to safety and collapsed, all in what felt like less than 15 minutes. Then he wakes up feeling super weak. That's not a lot of stamina.

The second part of the book was fine though, with all the power ups, so I hope that he won't have it as bad in the next book and that he will be able to use more that 2 attacks before being drained of madra. I'm also glad that he finally got a storage artifact instead of carrying that damn backpack everywhere.

And btw it's not like I want the hero to never suffer, but I think it's better not to overuse it, this way it has more impact if it happens at critical moments, like at the end of a boss fight.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents, thanks for the book, I can't wait to read what happens next !

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Will link
7/9/2018 01:37:47 pm

>it felt like you weren't satisfied unless every step that Lindon took was walked barefoot on broken glass.

Accurate!

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NotThatGuy
7/9/2018 10:20:49 pm

Have you not picked up on how London is constantly, almost laughably forced into situations where he has to punch way above his weight class? Fate itself is now literally forcing him to grow beyond Cradle or die. I don’t know how you expect him to not struggle mightily given the odds against him on the reality of his situation.

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Kris
7/15/2018 12:22:20 pm

<Now let's remember, at this point he is a lowgold with a bloodforged iron body. He was fine and rested, stepped through a portal, had a short scuffle, escaped, killed a fish, walked to safety and collapsed, all in what felt like less than 15 minutes. Then he wakes up feeling super weak. That's not a lot of stamina.>

I didn't get the impression he was well rested at all. As near as I can tell, it was only like 5 or six days after Ethan pulled them from the cellar. And that was like only a week or so after he lost his arm in the duel.

Remember at the beginning, Mercy was judged too injured to go on the mission he went on. And yeah, he had 3 days on the cloud ship to recover, but without Ethan to help fill his pure core, he has to be sparing with forging scales, which limits how much Little Blue can help.

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Ingvar
10/5/2018 01:35:21 am

Well, the purification wheel feels horrific by design. If you don't feel horrible, you're doing it wrong.

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Jeremy Jacks link
12/6/2018 12:32:27 am

I think you forgot the part where he was dragging a dragon turtle the entire way to the new bubble.

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manty05
7/9/2018 01:43:19 pm

Hey Will.
I liked the new EE govers very much especially the new 'Of Shadow and Sea' one. So anychange you could also post textless versions of the covers.
Thanks for ordering these new awesome covers, they'll be fun to see with or without text.

P.S.: How is the The City of Light audiobook going.

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:23:24 pm

I probably will soon, yes!

As for the audiobook, I can guarantee that it will be out before the end of the year. Frankly, we'd probably be finished with it this month if my sound engineer and I hadn't had conflicting vacations.

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Niraj
7/9/2018 10:39:26 pm

I have loved everything Cradle and Travelers Gate but not sure how to start the other series. Is there a "right" perspective to start with?

Also, audiobooks? I've got an infant and a toddler and NEED to multitask...can I give you more money to make an audible version of these stories? I'll buy you a delicious mexican martini if you do.

kkthanks!

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:24:02 pm

How delicious?

We hired a reader for Cradle, and he began recording last night! Not sure when the release will be, but I'll keep you posted.

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Chris N
7/17/2018 02:29:56 pm

Nice! Which reader for Cradle?

Will link
7/17/2018 02:36:04 pm

I don't think I'm ready to announce his name yet, but soon!

One with a desire to see the covers
7/9/2018 11:25:13 pm

Could we SEE these covers, by any chance, before the book(s) come out?

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:24:25 pm

Of course! Soon...

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Contrad
7/10/2018 04:25:05 am

Will thanks for introducing me to this wonderful world of cradle, not just cradle but the whole Willverse. If i could, i would put so much intent (OKAK style) into this comment so you could hurry up and give us something to hold our thirst at bay. Thanks man.

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:24:50 pm

I do wish there were two of me, so I could continue writing all the time.

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Diego
7/18/2018 12:06:02 pm

I wish u had a dream well.

Luke
7/10/2018 03:27:39 pm

Well I think I read the series for the fourth time after ghostwater came out in preparation, then I read ghostwater like three times, then I read through the whole series again twice so I would say a resounding success, if there is any way you can release underlord early pleeeaseeeee do. #cravingUnderlord

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:25:09 pm

I have to write it at all first!

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Madeline
7/10/2018 07:09:26 pm

I still want the book about the ex detective prostitute and the city of London murdered

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:25:33 pm

That was basically me mashing together random words, but tbh it sounded pretty intriguing. I'd read it.

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Walter
7/18/2018 12:51:43 pm

Isn’t that greywalker?

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Peter
7/14/2018 04:36:55 pm

I would love to see Lindon fight at his weight class a bit more. Just a series of fights where he easily crushes his opponents “One Punch Man” style

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Walter
7/16/2018 07:14:12 am

I think that’d be fun, especially if he gets used to it and thinks he’s tough stuff, then gets slapped down really hard getting lippy with Eithan.

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Walter
7/16/2018 07:23:55 am

It’d also be really interesting/fun to see and go back to that inner competition within the blackflame empire. Especially with the competition coming up, people will probably be skeptical of his ranking and demand him to prove himself, or consider his advancement too quick and think he’s lying, then forcing him to prove himself. I’d also love to see more variance/creativity in lindon’s applications of his moves, since that’s been his defining trait since the beginning: cunning and resourcefulness with a limited amount of resources.

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:26:44 pm

I don't know how you feel about Underlord spoilers, but this much will probably be revealed in the book description:

This upcoming book will be Lindon, Yerin, and Mercy competing with other Truegolds for a spot on the Blackflame Empire's tournament team.

Chris N
7/17/2018 02:33:23 pm

Ooh! So that means Mercy then will finally fully advance to Highgold and then Truegold? And why hasn't she already fully advanced? I get the that she has access to higher levels earlier with her path, but is it part of her path then that she doesn't advance as fast? Is there a reason she's advancing slower than others?

Will link
7/17/2018 02:35:26 pm

>Mercy then will finally fully advance to Highgold and then Truegold?

Maybe, maybe not.

>why hasn't she already fully advanced?

THAT will definitely be addressed in the book!

stephen eric
7/20/2018 10:57:33 am

Yaaaaaay

Asterion
7/18/2018 01:50:08 am

Well, there is that moment in Skysworn where he defeats the... the grey dude?... with one punch. It happens right before Lindon meets Mercy. Technically we have been shown Lindon fighting in his "weight class". They couldn't handle him. Hilariously enough immediately after that he gets his ass kicked by the admissions test (which I'm only a little sure is because of Orthos).

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Sherbs
7/16/2018 09:39:44 am

Tremendous enjoyment our of this series so far. I wanted to wait until it was complete to start it, but I enjoyed OKAK so much, that I ran out of reading material. Buzzed through the first three twice while waiting for 4.

Thank you very much for your work!

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:27:03 pm

Thanks for reading!

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David
7/16/2018 03:15:00 pm

I started reading this series a week ago thanks to prodding from my son. Now that I have finished the first 5 I am going to practice patience in waiting for #6. Such great books I am pushing them on my friends already. Thank you so much.

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:27:23 pm

Hey, thanks for pushing them on your friends! And thanks for giving me a shot!

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DesperateFan
7/16/2018 09:12:18 pm

Hmm, it seems Will has gone silent again. No sign of him on social media or on this blog, or even on discord. Which means he isn't even gaming.

This probably means he's cranking hard on writing. On the one hand this is nice because it means he's probably going to be able to release the Elder Empire in a few more months.

On the other hand, it's sad because we can't annoy him on fan stuff.

I think the simple solution is we just need to increase the number of Will Wight's. That's clearly the bottleneck in this situation.

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:28:39 pm

Ordinarily I do only go isolated because I'm writing, but in fact I just spent the last week hanging out with my friends. I'm back now, but I'm leaving for a conference in St. Louis on Thursday, after which I do have a cabin booked for a no-holds-barred writing marathon!

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JR
7/17/2018 03:13:15 pm

Where can we get an invite to your discord?

DesperateFan
7/17/2018 04:35:49 pm

0.0

Having fun when you should be toiling away in the word mines!? Thirty lashes for you! We need to start pulling three novels a year from this mine!


Now to try and distract you from your work further:

Next time you're on a break though you should try reading The Iron Teeth by ClearMadness. It's a web novel on royalroadl.com and the authors blog. I know you like webnovels and I thought that one was pretty fun. Worth the Candle is also a great web novel.


Also,

Does renting a cabin in the woods actually work? I always thought that was just a Henry David Thoreau thing.


@JR
It's a fan discord server. Will just makes the occasional celebrity appearance. We can however use it to spy on him whenever he's online and comment on why he constantly picks Udyr.

Join Link:
https://discord.gg/rEjYXEY#btn

Walter
7/17/2018 09:44:51 am

Oh my goodness!!!! I just realized that the mini presence could function a little bit like Eithan’s power and there could be a really funny interaction between the two if he keeps quiet about it and let’s Eithan figure out himself!

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Will link
7/17/2018 02:29:33 pm

Honestly, if Eithan ended up with a mini-Presence like Dross, he'd be way too overpowered.

I know that's not what you were suggesting, it just made me think.

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tobin
7/25/2018 07:14:43 pm

I hope he gets one anyway. When he becomes a guardian. Yeah, I said it. I don't want spoilers or hints or anything - I'll take the comedy, or tragedy or brilliance as it comes.

I really do hope the Teenage Sacred Dragon Turtle gets to Underlord before Lindon, because... well... he's fricken kickass. I still don't know why Lindon was shocked that he could swim. Because... turtle.

I also can't wait to see Dross let loose in the library section of the skysworn, or Eithan's family stock. Although, he probably has quite a lot of knowledge already.

Also, Dross becomes a librarian. Or, because he has madra and a core actually does decide to follow some of a path. One with tentacles, obviously.

I'm a little goofy on the "wanting to see people get more and more powerful" side of things... but I actually really do want more Orthos. I want him to grow more powerful, and more grumpy, and teach Lindon more about being a dragon, and meet a nice girl and have some turtle kids.

I don't know why I like the crazies, I just do.

And I still owe Will an email back from a long time ago, when I wrote him about loving this Kai character. And then he WENT AND BROKE MY HEART. ;)

Deadnettle
7/18/2018 10:50:30 am

Just wondering when we'll get another blog post and/or progress bar update. I'm jonesing for some news on the Will front!

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DesperateFan
7/20/2018 07:42:12 pm

Probably after Will gets back from his no-holds-barred Henry David Thoreau style writing session.

Right now he's probably a guest lecturer at the Saint Louis youth writing convention. That's the only thing I could find using all my fan-girl stalking skills that fits with the info he's mentioned.

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Bob
7/23/2018 12:39:26 am

I appreciate the fan girling stalking skillzzz.. although will may not

Walter
7/18/2018 01:04:38 pm

I’m not sure if I even want to know, but will we see Elder Whisper again? Is he disguising himself as a fox, but is something else? Sacred Valley’s past coming back? IM SO GLAD IM REREADING UNSOULED AGAIN, AH!

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Walter
7/18/2018 02:12:32 pm

After this I’m just going to save up all my questions for the next blog post, but why don’t we see lindon try to make any deals with remnants again like he did with the wasps? It seemed like his primary go-to when he had very little madra, with the ancestral tree too, but now he has a lake of pure maxes compared to before, and binding remnants to pacts and keeping them as servants/backup seems like something he’d almost prefer to cutting them up and using their parts (not that he’d turn down a super awesome soulsmithing gig).

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Carl
7/18/2018 06:55:32 pm

Hi! Loved the book so much, went back and reread traveler's gate and cradle twice to prep for it. A couple of questions about Eithan. Has he been working on advancement at all during the series? And how come he isn't the top ranked underlord? He seems to have so much more power than literally everyone!

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Rogue9
8/3/2018 12:47:57 am

My take on Eithan is that he doesn't care about being ranked #1 underlord because he has goals. The responsibilities that come with the top rank would take up time and resources that he wants to focus on advancing with people that would be companions on his journey through the sacred arts. Remember when he revealed himself to Lindon and Yerin the first time he explained how lonely it was because as you advance you leave more and more of the the people you know behind. The path of a sacred artist is only 1 person wide

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Travis
7/19/2018 09:20:28 pm

I am eagerly awaiting any news on when Underlord will be released.

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Sword Immortal Darknorth
7/20/2018 07:49:59 pm

Probably not until the OKAK books are published. But that's fine by me. After all, the OKAK books tie into the Abidan storyline, which we kind of missed out on in Ghostwater. Not that I minded. It was somewhat refreshing to have a structurally simpler book that was focused on Lindon's personal growth.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Will had simply made the book entirely Lindon, and then wrote a 5.5 novella book between Ghostwater and Underlord to deal with Yerin, Mercy, and Eithan issues.

I'm a pretty relaxed fan about story structure though. I don't really care if the books are broken up in different packages or sizes, or even if they've got typos that are still being fixed after the story goes live. As long as it's engaging and the pacing is reasonable I'll keep reading. The trappings of the publishing industry such as having a series of books all of a certain size each with their own miniature self-contained story arc isn't a huge deal to me, though people more accustomed to traditional novels might get upset if Will started getting weird, as evidence to the fact that nobody bought the Elder Empire books, despite it being a creative concept and well written.

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Bob
7/23/2018 12:43:40 am

I really loved okak actually, bought them when they were first written. It was a very cool concept that helped with worldbuilding / pacing / perspective (to me).
Also seems (to me) incredibly hard to execute well... almost needed to 'merge' the books for a bit just prior to final publishing to check for continuity.. :)

kris
7/27/2018 09:41:12 am

I agree that the series is just impressive as hell from a pure writing standpoint. I cannot even imagine how difficult it is to keep the two concurrent storylines going. The problem is that it was just as difficult for me as a reader to do so. I had an incredibly difficult time keeping the two seperate. Especially as the 'tone' of the whichever character was the antagonist varried based upon which viewpoint the story was in. Or rather our perception of the character changed I should say. If Will does another series like this in the future, he might consider doing several books totally from one characters point of view...then several from the others viewpoint. Then make the last book in the series a combination of both...switching back and forth between viewpoints within one story is a normal technique. *shrug* Although I'm not the kick-ass author, so what do I really know? :)

fred
7/20/2018 11:14:52 pm

Does the website look different?

Reply
Deadnettle
7/21/2018 06:58:39 pm

Yes. Yes it does.

Reply
DesperateFan
7/22/2018 12:02:04 am

WoahWoahWoah

Will Updated his website.

Reply
Shady Upvote Dealer
7/22/2018 12:08:08 am

I claim complete credit for all of this. I left a positive review on Will's Gateways product listing during his giveaway complimenting his blog.

Will must have read it and thought "Oh, I'm doing something good. I'd best make sure I'm doing it even gooder!" (Can I use gooder in this context? Not a real word, but it works better than better. Idk the rules. I'm illiterate.)

Kinda sad that I was the only one who left an additional review for the listing though. I thought the whole point of giving something away for free was so that all the people who pirated your novel and liked it can get a legit copy and write you a good review.

Reply
Walter
7/23/2018 04:15:41 am

The significant other loves it! She started unsouled and is up through 15% of blackflame in one day! 😈 The fanbase grows; she said she had a dream about cycling her core.

Reply
Will link
8/1/2018 07:54:07 am

A dream about cycling? I should be the only one so deeply immersed that I dream about cycling. All the time. Why can't I stop?

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Chris N
8/2/2018 01:22:37 pm

ha, you might be dreaming of cycling because that's your body telling you it needs something, which I'd suggest is taking up Qigong and Tai Chi, which is the actual basis for these cycling techniques. Not sure if you're aware but several of these cycling techniques in Wuxia novels have real-world counterparts in Qigong, such as Embryonic Breathing, Small Circulation Breathing, Grand Circulation Breathing, etc.

A good book to start with is The Root of Qigong by Dr. Yang Jwing Ming. Would be kinda cool to reference actual Martial and Qigong techniques in your novel for more advanced methods.

Wagner
8/1/2018 07:36:03 am

OMG I can't believe I missed the launch of this book by an entire month. Just finished it now though, tried to hold my self back to not devour it in just a day :D Whoa, chapter 18 was truly awesome! Will, please keep this series coming as fast as u can and we'll keep buying! Love it! :)

Reply
Will link
8/1/2018 07:53:02 am

Hey, glad you enjoyed it! I'm writing hard as we speak!

Reply
Phlinn
11/1/2018 02:31:16 pm

So, did anyone else mentally hear Dross's dialog in the voice of Wheatley from Portal 2?

Reply
Sam
11/27/2018 11:04:15 am

Wow. I listened-to/read your House of Blades series over a year ago and decided to go for Cradle since the second book came out on Audible. I ended up finishing the entire series (audible and then kindle for the rest of the books) in 3 weeks.

Take your time Will and make the books good. I love the dynamics of Cradle. (Mmm... not "too much" time.)

Also consider a sequel series for House of Blades. I just feel there should be much more to Valinhall. Secret skills/powers in sections never discovered, other people lost in there for years trying to conquer levels only to show up suddenly out of no where, and maybe even a door-link to Cradle.

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Jeremy Jacks link
12/6/2018 12:45:58 am

Hey Will, fantastic story so far. Read a book a day and then found out this was the last book out and had to waste time on here reading comments from other readers!

I may be way off base here, and i know I wont find out until after a few more books come out, but it seems to me that the entire series is leading Lindon to become powerful enough to change the system from the ground up to stop the strong from feeding on the week and to teach everyone that might does not make right. It feels like he will have an impact on "The Way" and with his changes has a chance to prevent iterations from falling to chaos. Just me thoughts.

Great series so far, 4 stars on good reads for every book, would be 5 but have to see how it goes first.

One of the things that makes it hard to find new series is the risk of wasting time and money on serial writers, those who write quickly and put out a less than their best story just to make more money on amazon, writing a book a month or more. Due to your being self published, I did not start cradle until i was well and completely bored with other series but I am glad I did. I wish there was a way to easily tell if someone is just putting out trash or if it is a worthy read but i guess that will always be a problem :)

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