Howdy, folks!
We are just weeks away from the release of my new book. I just received the cover from Andrew Tell, the narrator of my audiobooks and the the cover art designer for the Kindle edition of Noose Jumpers. He has done fantastic work here. It’s not the complete finalized version. He has a few more tweaks to do, but he gave me permission to post it here.
Now for those of you who have not been following along, Tallow Jones: Wizard Detective is the first book in a new series.
I wrote about the process behind the book as well as answering a few questions about it in an earlier post last month, but I’ll re-post that info with updates below.
I originally started writing Tallow Jones back in the summer of 2011. This was before I published “Eye of the Moonrat”. I was halfway through writing “Hunt of the Bandham” and felt the need for a change of pace. I had this idea burning in my mind of a wizard who used magic to solve crimes.
I started outlining a novel about a wizard from the world of the Bowl of Souls who ends up in our world. I didn’t know where I was going with it at first, but then an idea came to me and it was a big one that tied together many of the concepts that I had been growing in the Bowl of Souls world already. I grew really excited about it and began to write. I got about eight chapters in before I began to hit a bit of a wall with the narrative. That was also when I first heard about Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files.
I was really ticked at first. I thought my wizard detective idea was a new one and wondered if the concept had already been done. So I hesitantly picked up some of the Dresden books and started to read. To my relief, they had very little in common other than that the main character was a wizard in a modern day world. I did end up enjoying the Dresden books by the way.
Nevertheless, I put the story to the side. I turned my attention to the Moonrat Saga and hoped that one day I would get back to Tallow’s story. Well, now, after the completion of the Jharro Grove Saga and before starting the Dark Prophet Saga, I thought, “Why not? The story is already partially written.” So here it comes and it’s coming quickly.
Without giving away too many spoilers, the story of Tallow Jones deals with a named wizard who uses the same magic from the Bowl of Souls world. He is trying to help family members solve a missing persons case while tracking magic that is being brought into our world from the world of the Bowl of Souls.
Some of you may recognize the name Tallow from the Bowl of Souls books and that is because I mentioned him a few times to lay the groundwork for this series. I’ll let those of you who are interested look it up. (Hint:In Troll King) At any rate, let me tell you a few things to built up anticipation and perhaps assuage the fears that some of you may have.
- The events in Tallow Jones will not directly affect or change the Bowl of Souls characters and the world that you already know. Justan and Company will not show up in this book and weird modern things are not going to begin leaking into the Bowl of Souls world. (There is a reason behind that which will be explained.)
- It will have an all new cast of characters but it will very much have the flavor of humor and characterization you have come to expect from the Bowl of Souls novels, just with a more modern flair.
- This book deals in part with how the magic from the Bowl of Souls series could affect our world.
- This book will be canon and part of the wider Bowl of Souls universe.
- The Tallow Jones series will help to answer questions about the world of the Bowl of Souls and where it is in relation to our world.
- The expected arrival date for the Kindle version is by the end of September. I am getting close to finishing it and will keep you informed.
- Andrew Tell will be doing the narration for the Audio edition. He has already read the first half of the book.
Thank you very much! I hope you are excited about this story. I am excited to share it with you! Don’t hesitate to post questions in the comments. I will answer anything I can without giving away spoilers!
I did two character previews on Facebook over the last week and I’ll repost them here. There are more to come.
Tallow Jones character preview #1: Reginald Rockingham III.
Reginald is a sentient earth elemental bound to what appears to be a regular river rock. The palm-sized rock he abides in is painted with a crude face that changes expression depending on his moods. His powers are great and mysterious. How Tallow came to possess him is unknown . . .
Tallow Jones character preview #2: Agatha Ann Jones
Agatha’s parents named her after famous mystery novelist, Agatha Christie. She is eight-years-old and fiercely smart. She has curly black hair and a mean knitting addiction. She has an acerbic wit and doesn’t trust people easily.
Agatha’s mother died when she was seven. She lives with her father, Detective Douglas Jones, and her 17-year-old brother, Asher Jones, who has gone missing.
You can read the first two chapters here: http://trevorhcooley.com/a-two-chapter-preview-of-tallow-jones-wizard-detective/
Please give it a chance. I think you’re going to love it.
Trevor H. Cooley