March Update: Lots Happening (Even More Than Usual!) (Patreon)

Hey everyone, big update this month. There's a lot to cover, so let's get into it.

Path of the Paladin

Book 2 has officially been submitted to Aethon, and Book 3 is underway! You may notice a gap between when Book 2 finishes posting and when new chapters start showing up here. I had to rewrite 16 chapters at the last minute, and the backlog took a hit because of it. I'll be posting updates as we go so you're not left in the dark. I wouldn't expect too large of a gap, and I may be looking for another beta reader or two. If you're interested, drop a comment here or get in touch!

Rivera's Repairs

Okay, here's where things get a little difficult, and I want to be upfront with you all.

I'm contractually obligated to finish Path of the Paladin Book 3 as quickly as possible, and with Baby #2 due at the end of May, my runway is shrinking fast. My writing hours are about to get seriously slashed. So what does that mean for Tess Rivera? It means after Issue #3, I'll be pausing the series for a while.

Before anyone panics: no, I am not abandoning it. In fact, a graphic artist has just signed with me to do covers and character art for the series. That's not cheap, so trust me when I say I'm invested in this story's future.

Issue #2 will finish posting on Royal Road and then go on hiatus there for now. I'll be posting a similar announcement on Royal Road to let those readers know what's going on. Issue #3 will finish posting here on Patreon in full. Chapters will keep coming until it's done. If time permits over the summer, I'll post Issue #4 chapters as I get the chance to write them, though they won't have much of a set schedule. Any work Daniele (our artist) does on covers and character art will get posted here for patrons, along with anything else that comes up along the way.

A Note From Me

I know this isn't ideal. I bit off more than I could chew writing two books at once—though it was a lot of fun. Having to rewrite those chapters for Path of the Paladin really threw a wrench in the plan. I understand this may lose patrons. I hope you'll be back when things pick up again for Tess, but if not, thank you so much for the support since November. It means the world to me.

Issue #3 is about the same length as Issue #1, which puts us around 25 chapters, so we've still got a good stretch of content ahead. I'll be pausing my writing on Path of the Paladin for a week or two to really bang out the rest of this issue and get it posted for you ASAP.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out. I'm always happy to talk.

M.S. Davidson