Happy Birthday USA

Hey Gang,

Here we are, July 2026. I don’t know about you, but this year is flying by. For some reason, I feel like I just released TRESSELL 113 a few days ago, but that was way back at the end of November of last year. I think I have been in a time warp ever since. Not only that, but I then got right to work over the Holiday period, cranking out DEMETER-9. That was released on Memorial Day. As I sit here and write this update, it has been barely a month since.

To peel back the curtain a bit, I wanted to walk you through some timelines and what I have been doing lately. Let’s get in the “way-back” machine to catch up. I started writing VEHO: A BACKSTORY in September of 2023. The original version of that story was hard fought. I knew nothing about writing, even though I had always secretly dreamed of doing it. I look back on that original story now and really cringe at it. I have written about that process before, but to catch new folks up, the entire point of that story was a proof of concept to see if I could write the story and use it to learn how to set up a book for sale and learn marketing. I wasn’t brave enough at the time to commit to an entire novel. I made quite a few refinements to that story as I learned to write and edit. The original story was about 12,000 words; I think it is just over 6,000 words as it currently stands. I used it to set up everything needed to get started with a writing business and project. You have to have a story before you can set up an Amazon KDP account to publish a book. I needed something to give away to start creating an audience for future work. So VEHO gave me all of that. I am very thankful for it. VEHO was released on Amazon in December 2023.

In December of 2023, I started working on DEAD STATION. It was my first full-length novel. I still knew nothing about writing. My real goal for DEAD STATION was to see if I could create the feeling of combat's intensity. I wanted it to feel intense, dark, and tight. I think I achieved that. DEAD STATION was released in April of 2025. It took me the better part of sixteen months to write it, and I have to say, when I read it now, I do cringe a bit. I didn’t use an outline for it; I didn’t even know how to do that at the time. I just wrote what came to mind. I read a ton of stuff about writing and editing during this time. I had to stop and learn every little part of the process and, in doing so, create my own process. That took some time.

Within a month of releasing DEAD STATION, I began laying out TRESSELL 113. With a process in hand and one full-length novel under my belt, I figured I would see how diving into a second novel would be. The intention was to always write a series. I love science fiction and horror. I also love zombie movies and books. It took me six months to create, edit, and release TRESSELL 113. The first thing I did was create an outline for the second book and an overarching outline for the series. Working from an outline helped keep me on track. I had the story done in October 2025. I held it just a bit because I was focusing on getting the Audible audio books going as well. I had never really intended to do the audio, but thankfully, I found Anthony Aiello, and we have been working together ever since. Getting all of that going took a little time.

TRESSELL 113 was released in late November 2025. I figured I would take a bit of a break after that, but as we got into the Holiday season, I really started to feel the itch to get going on the next story. Some really positive reviews started coming in on TRESSELL 113, and that made me feel like I had made a little progress on my writing. Creativity has always come in waves for me. When it is there, it's almost like I can’t ignore it. I dream about what I am creating, and it won’t leave me alone. Outside of that, I rarely remember my dreams. I also get a bit fixated on it. My wife says she becomes a book widow when I am writing. It’s probably not healthy, but whatever. I did force myself to get through Christmas and then hit the road running on laying out the outline for DEMETER-9. The outline felt really exciting, and I was eager to get going.

I had DEMETER-9 done by mid March 2026. I started to dedicate a little more time to writing, and the story really flowed. I think I was gaining a little confidence as well. It felt good. I put it in the hands of some trusted advance readers for feedback and stepped away from it while we visited our son in Spain for a bit. When I got back from Spain, I spent a couple of weeks digging through the feedback, meeting with the advanced readers, and incorporating the changes I felt best served the story. It was ready to go by the end of April, and I wanted to launch it on Memorial Day, so I let it sit and released it on May 25, 2026. Reviews have been good, and that is encouraging. I love where the story is going.

Again, I figured I would take a break for a bit after the release, but I started working on the outline for book four in the series right away. I had that done pretty quickly and was going to let it sit for a bit, marinating in my mind. I basically gave it a week and then started writing book four. I don’t have a title yet, but I do have 45,000 words written. I don’t know if any of those words are any good, but so far, they are following the outline. I feel good about the story as it continues to develop. It picks up about a month after DEMETER-9 ends and moves forward from there.

My plan is to have it done and released as we end summer and head into the fall. Part of me really hates putting that out there because it becomes a deadline. I think I can make it happen, though. As I get closer to finishing it and move into advanced reader feedback, I will put it up on Amazon for pre-order, as I did with DEMETER-9.

If you have any interest in joining the advance reader team, just reply to this email and let me know. I am always looking for more feedback. I do ask that you have read all the other books in the series first. You will receive an advanced digital copy of the book, along with a Google Form to complete that asks for feedback. I may even ask to meet with you to discuss your feedback if you are open to it. One thing to keep in mind is that this is unlikely to be the same story released to the public. This has literally happened each time I have had advance reader feedback for the story. My wife is one of my advanced readers, and she has expressed how she feels a bit cheated when I tell her what changed for the final release. So, being an advanced reader is not for the faint of heart.

On another note, I am waiting for Anthony to finish the Audio version of DEMETER-9. That will be released within the next few weeks, hopefully. As he finishes up, he has already committed to recording the fourth book in audio. I am excited for that.

One last thing, and then I will let you go. In writing this fourth book, I played around with a sex scene. Talk about super uncomfortable… I even doubled down on the super uncomfortable and had my wife and daughter-in-law read it and give me feedback. They giggled their way through it and said I was a twelve-year-old boy. I am not sure if that was positive or negative feedback. As I am still in the first draft of the story, I don’t know if it will even see the light of day by the time I finish editing, but it was a stretch to write. I think it is good to challenge yourself a bit and embrace uncomfortable things.

I hope your month is awesome. I know here in the United States, we will be having a bit of a 250-year celebration of the American experiment. It’s hot here in Tampa, Florida, and I am already looking forward to winter.

If you have not read any D.J. Molles, check him out. He is probably one of my favorite authors in the military and zombie genres. His Remaining Series is great.

Shamon

P.S. The image is my office. Watching the World Cup while writing has not slowed me down… I promise!