The seasons shift from summer to autumn, and the Embers Edition of A Sanctum of Swords was released, too. After many months of passion, voice narrator Marcus Freeman and I produced an audiobook that culminated in that launch.
Yet as we turn away from the looking glass of the past, we see new horizons to journey toward and new narratives to craft.
A few months have passed since we’ve heard any news about Whispers of White Sapphire. The last thing announced was that this was no longer a novella collection. Instead, one of the novellas is becoming a full-fledged novel.
I am happy to announce that work continues well for Whispers of White Sapphire. The manuscript’s rough draft has reached 70k words, and I aim to have it completed and revised a few times by the year’s end. That means I aim to start the editing process in early 2025 and continue onward from there.
Applying some lessons learned from the production of A Sanctum of Swords: Embers Edition, I aim to craft an audiobook that will be released alongside an ebook, paperback, and hardcover version. When will this release happen? My goal is sometime in Q2 2025, but that will depend on the length and speed of the audiobook creation and editing process.
I am confident that both will have a smooth production phase to completion. However, never say never!
Many changes have happened to Whispers of White Sapphire as the Autumn Realms of the Old Myrian Empire become fleshed out in much more detail than I think anyone might be expecting.
As the Sanctum of Swords rages across Khios continent’s mainland, the Autumn Realms north of the Alabaster River continue to enjoy peaceful times. Yet no land, whether kingdom or empire, can be spared from war forever. Dikran, the Royal King Sarkis of the U’skar Qi, and the Grand Empire of Xura have consolidated their hold over most of the U’skar Qi Steppes.
Suffering from years of long defeat, the traditional nomadic tribes of the U’skar Qi seek an escape from eradication. For years, they have combined their resources into a grand coalition and have built great fleets across the shores of the Opal Sea to set sail for western lands.
A sudden conflict arrives in the Old Myrian Empire as the Great Exodus begins to land on the eastern shores in great numbers that do not end, but continue to spiral higher. Several dominant powers control the hordes, who quickly seek out conquest before diplomacy. Quickly overran and hard-pressed to halt the invasion, the defenders of Cressa’s Lantern prepare to make their final stands when the narrative truly begins. As word reaches farther westward of the empire, a sleeping beast begins to awaken as diplomacy fails, and new war arises from the ashes of the Great Exodus’ arrival.
Whispers of White Sapphire is written from the perspective of three main characters overall:
Ara Zakarian: the son of a once commoner who slew a God King on the battlefield to become a martial legend among his kinsmen. When the novel begins, Azat has already passed, and Ara finds himself attempting to fill a void in his life while preparing to command and lead in war as a ranked officer.
Sagra of the White and Vermilion Wolves: born from a briefly lived family amid a clan of exiles, Sagra learned fast to become a warrior to survive the harsh winter forest of her homeland. A skilled warrior and leader amongst her kin, Sagra’s crux is her spiritual war for her soul, as her kindred wolves reave and slay across the Autumn Realms without mercy or remorse.
Esche, Child of the Sun and Priestess of Khorothir: Banished from the Golden Valley in her early adulthood for her devotion to Khorothir, God of the Hunt, and the White Sapphire Sun-Esche became a priestess among the disparate tribes of the U’skar Qi, spreading her message of Khorothir’s wisdom wherever she journeyed. None of the U’skarite tribes quite accepted her teachings as the White and Vermilion Wolves have, who already idealize the Tatar Wolves and are well versed in the Hunt, Wilderness, and Survival.
Ara is not necessarily the hero of the narrative, but he is not an antihero either. Neither are any of the main protagonists. They are more witnesses to a tragic war unfolding before their very eyes. Each of them has moments of heroism and also moments that force them to make decisions that they would usually not in any other circumstance.
These three characters not only play roles on the Whispers of White Sapphire battlefields but also fight their wars of the spirit. They fight their demons as well as the enemies defiant before them.
These characters share their narratives with a moderate cast of support characters and often with each other as the storyline progresses. Yet the main chapter perspectives remain divided between these three characters, who have their tales and perspectives on the Great Exodus and the conflict expanding between the nomads of the U’skar Qi Steppes and the Old Myrian Empire..