BIG ANNOUCENEMENT! My Next Book, Cover Reveal, and a Way YOU Can Get a FREE COPY!
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This is an exciting moment in the world of superhero fiction! Pivotal and historic!
Bigger than the first appearance of Wolverine in The Incredible Hulk #181!
Bigger than The Death of Superman!
Bigger than Invincible getting greenlit for Amazon Prime!
It’s time for the birth of a new superhero universe!
Many of you have read The Adventures of BLUE EAGLE and I’m infinitely appreciative of that. Even more so for those who bought the book.
But if you’ve followed me on this blog, social media, or Royal Road before that, you’ve probably heard me refer cryptically to my “main series WIP” for some time. Or you’ve looked at the links in the site’s header and saw a bunch of books that don’t yet exist.
Well that ends now. My main series, my main Herald City continuity, is more than just “coming soon”. It’s a reality, and it’s imminent.
I want to talk about my upcoming book, SWITCH and Blue Eagle: A Superhero Sidekick Story!
A Short Start to a Big World
Wow, I like that. Could you imagine if that were the title?
Seriously, though, what does that mean? “A short start to a big world”?
It means what each half of that statement is supposed to mean.
I plan to create a very expansive shared universe. In this book, Herald City isn’t just where the Father-Son Duo of Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet patrol. It is very much like New York City in the Marvel 616 Universe. It is the hub of superhero activity. Giant mind-controlled dinosaurs and armies of robot death droids being taken down by heroic masked men and women in tights is a common sight. Everybody remembers where they were when the city was dragged into the nega-verse, or shrunk down and put on the city-collector’s shelf, or attacked by the army of space banshee psychics.
And in this world, Blue Eagle isn’t the top superhero. Though he is in the top 5 of unaffiliated superheroes (meaning heroes that aren’t part of a superhero team or working for the government), which still means he is near the top of the social hierarchy. He and Switch are two of Herald City’s most respected heroes.
With a world like this to play around with, I can tell all types of stories in all types of genres geared to all reader age ranges.
My main series will be a Teen Titans inspired series spanning seven books. It’s going to be a long while before that is out as I want to have a big backlog as it will be episodic Patreon releases, but rest assured I have a lot of it written.
I want to also write horror and mystery novellas, side story miniseries, one-shots fleshing out my main characters, all that stuff. Very ambitious, I know. It’s a project that will be spanning years.
So it’s a big world.
But it’s a short start.
This is a short novel. Short based on the generally agreed upon classifications of stories based on length.
It comes out to a little over 55,000 words. Which is perfect for a YA superhero urban fantasy aimed at readers aged 12 and up.
It’s also a prequel. Sort of. I’m not sure if it counts as a prequel if it’s released before the story it chronologically precedes. Is The Empire Strikes Back a prequel to Return of the Jedi?
Either way, it takes place before my seven-book main series. It is a stand-alone but pivotal adventure in the chronicles of Blue Eagle and Switch.
Consider this Book 0.
I actually planned for this to be a novella originally. It’s a novella in spirit; a short, simple story that is far more character-focused than plot-focused.
I guess this is my chance to tell you more about it.
The sidekick, the hero
You might have noticed that the book is called “Switch and Blue Eagle” rather than “Blue Eagle and Switch”. That’s like reading a comic titled “Robin and Batman”.
What gives?
The answer is that, unlike The Adventures of BLUE EAGLE, it’s Switch who is the focus character rather than Blue Eagle.
Like the subtitle says, this is A Superhero Sidekick Novel.
When I first conceived of this whole project, it was when presented with a Tabletop RPG called Masks.
My gaming group decided to play this for our Tuesday night gaming, and on looking at it, I immediately fell in love with it.
And immediately created Switch, Blue Eagle, Queen Venus, and one other character who shall stay unnamed for now because I loved how the game made the various Ages of comic books canon.
I figured that Switch would be a Modern Age character, with his father being a Silver Age superhero.
So from the beginning, Switch was supposed to be the main character.
I love the dichotomy between the different superhero eras due to the different potential takes on the same character, and I like teen superheroes due to the power dynamics associated with being young. The protagonist should always be on the back foot, be the underdog.
And that’s the story I want to tell here; the story of a modern superhero who wants to do things his way, but can’t because he’s only the teen sidekick. It’s a story about learning to grow and become independent, about taking responsibility for your actions and doing things yourself.
It’s a part of growing up.
And it applies to adults, too, as Switch’s story is mirrored in the story of my other POV character, Jasper Clemens, a down on his luck supervillain henchman who needs money fast and has to learn that he is his own man even in a city filled with gods.
There’s not going to be much more I’m going to say now. No spoilers here. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.
The last thing I’ll say before I reveal the cover and how you can snag a free copy is that this isn’t like The Adventures of BLUE EAGLE. That is a set of standalone short stories inspired by the old Hanna-Barbera and Filmation cartoons of the 60s and 70s. SWITCH and Blue Eagle, on the other hand, takes itself a little bit more seriously and tells a story with much higher stakes and deeper character exploration.
The Adventures of BLUE EAGLE is not canon to this story or my main series, as all my other books will be. Don’t worry, though. There will be a second volume, so there’s more goofy goodness and painful plant punnery to come.
Okay, I’ve kept you waiting long enough. It’s time for the big moment!
Cover reveal for SWITCH and Blue Eagle
It’s time for the cover reveal for SWITCH and Blue Eagle!
Drum roll please. Aaaaand……
Now, damn, that looks nice!
And that cover art is brought to you by FujiFingerZ. This is the same artist who did most of the work you see in my Gallery section.
What more can I say? A picture is worth a thousand words, and there isn’t anything to write that says more than what that cover already says.
But you wanna know the way you can get a free copy, don’t you?
A Way YOU Can Get a Free Copy of SWITCH and Blue Eagle
So what is this mysterious way that you–yes, you–can get a free copy of SWITCH and Blue Eagle?
That, my dear friend and fan, is by being part of my ARC team!
ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy. It is a copy of the finished manuscript that is sent out weeks or months ahead of the scheduled release date to a select group of readers in exchange for a commitment to leave an honest review.
Having reviews acts as a social proof that signals to other potential readers that the book may be worth buying. It also signals to the Amazon algorithm that this is a book that people want, and so they should prioritize it in their search results.
An ARC isn’t just sent out to anyone who asks. I’m not just giving away free copies of my book. Like I said, it will be available to select readers only.
But you could be one of those select readers!
If you are interested in receiving a free copy of SWITCH and Blue Eagle ahead of release date, then fill out this form and I will reach out to you if you are selected.
Remember, though, that there are limited slots, and receiving an ARC copy comes with a commitment to leave an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, and whatever other platforms you review books on.
Don’t feel too bad if you aren’t chosen. I’m prioritizing people who’ve shown a history of well written, honest reviews.
But definitely take a few minutes to fill out the form if this is something you want to do. It costs no money, and your only two commitments are to read a short superhero novel and review a short superhero novel.
The final question, of course, is when is the release date?
When is the release date for SWITCH and Blue Eagle?
The release date for SWITCH and Blue Eagle is set for September 29, 2025.
The date is subject to change if need be. I’m a novice author and have never done a “real” book release before, so I’m expecting everything to go horribly wrong at the worst possible moments.
But September 29 is the release date. Obviously, I will let everyone know immediately if the date changes.
The digital version will be a mere $2.99, far less than comparable books. Paperbacks will cost $11.99.
Of course, seeing the creation of a new superhero universe in real time? Priceless.
So mark your calendars, folks. I hope you’re all as excited as I am! This short novel starring our favorite power-limited sidekick is a precursor to a massive and ambitious project, one that you’re going to fall in love with!
Don’t miss SWITCH and Blue Eagle: A Superhero Sidekick Novel, available on September 29 on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited!
And don’t forget to sign up to be an ARC reader today!
For exciting superhero fiction written by me, be sure to check out the BLUE EAGLE Universe!