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Looking Back and Looking Ahead

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2025 was a tough year. Not as bad as 2020, but did anyone else feel like it was about five years crammed into one?

It was a rough year professionally for me as well. I had things set up very nicely. I was in the middle of an urban fantasy trilogy for a publisher, really finding a groove with the work, and was very excited about doing more stuff by working on passion projects as serials while the books for the publisher would be for the more commercial stuff.

That old maxim comes to mind — if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

It first began with real life interfering with the writing side. My workload had increased quite a bit this past year, so a lot of time I would have had for writing got eaten up by prepwork, teaching, and grading. Then there were the illnesses — I went through a period when practically every month either one of my kids or me ended up getting sick and having to be laid up for a few days.

Pre-schools should have biohazard warning signs at the front entrance. I will die on that hill.

There was also a family trip back to the States for about a month. And while that was very enjoyable, I couldn’t find either the time nor the headspace to get any writing done.

The little writing time I did have ended up being focused solely on the work for that publisher. I figured that was the more commercial stuff, so it had to take priority. My cowriter and I finished our planned trilogy and we were just beginning to lay out a new spin-off series when everything went upside-down.

I’m not going to get into all the drama involved there, but the long and short of it is I fulfilled my end of the contract, the contract was abruptly canceled through no fault of my own, and to date they have still failed to fulfill their contractual obligations. Not only did they not provide the support to the trilogy they had committed to, I wasted months of work on them and have nothing to show for it. Including the rights as it was a work-for-hire arrangement.

The fallout from all that put me in a fucked-up headspace. I had respected the man I was working for, and to find out that respect proved to be a one-way street with only contempt coming from the other direction was a massive blow. When I did have time to write, I wasn’t able to focus on anything.

Fortunately, things have started to level off now. My cowriter and I have landed in a new place with much better arrangements and people who have proven can be trusted. We’ve begun work on a brand-new urban fantasy series, of which I’m about 10,000 words into the first book on. And I decided to launch my planned serialization ideas through Substack and Patreon (and later, things will also crosspost to Royal Road).

So, what’s on the docket for 2026? A few things:

  • Former Horsemen – This is the new urban fantasy series I’m working on with my cowriter. We’re dong the Community thing of six seasons and a movie. But it’s books and not TV, so I guess that actually translates to six books and (don’t hold your breath for) a movie. The idea behind this is the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are no longer the Four Horsemen. So what are they doing now and what happens next? As I said, I’m already 10K into the first book and really enjoying it. We’ve got a nice mix of humor, heart, and character, plus the familiar urban fantasy tropes people love. We also chose to set it in Chicago, a setting I haven’t revisited since I did the Morningstar series several years ago. And after having just spent my summer vacation there, it’s very fresh in mind. The plan is that the first book won’t be published until the second book is written, so this may not come out until the summer at the earliest.
  • Corsairs – Here’s the currently-active serial I’m doing. If you haven’t read about the background of Corsairs, you can find out more here. It’s a pulpy space opera adventure, focused on a group of mercenaries operating in a corporate-controlled galaxy. Free subscribers get one episode per week, while paid subscribers get two episodes, and about a month or more in advance of the free episodes. You can subscribe on either Patreon or Substack.
  • Pulse Domain – This is a working title. But as I posted recently, I’m going to be mining some stuff from the public domain, specifically a number of superhero characters, and using them to build a new interconnected universe of superhero stories. Most of this will just be for world-building purposes as I don’t want to overextend myself. But I’m planning to create different stories and serials set in this world. I’ve already gotten a few stories written featuring characters like Cat-Man, the Arrow, Wonder Man, Golden Girl, and Lady Satan. And I’m planning to take advantage of other characters as well, including Spider-Queen, War Eagle, Hell-Rider, the Avenger, Captain Battle, plus a lot more. Right now, I’m having a blast finding my own entry points into these characters and thinking of new ways to utilize them. Right now my focus is on the superhero side of things, but there are also some other public domain characters in different settings that have caught my eye, like Crom the Barbarian and Spacehawk.
  • Paragons of Earth – Another public domain project. This began as a comic that I worked on with Thomas Deja and Eric Johns, but unfortunately it didn’t do well enough to fund the production costs of a second issue. Still, it was a story and characters I really dug working on, and after I mentioned something about it on Substack, Tom emailed me to let me know he’s onboard with doing more with the concept. We’ve still got to talk about that, but it’s something that’s in my mind as well.
  • Other Stuff – What I’ve just listed above is going to be my priority for 2026, but who knows what other things may come along? I did a Power Rangers-inspired serial called Omega Knights for Royal Road last year, and I have plans to hopefully revisit for a second season. As of now, it’s only available in serial format on Royal Road or you can get the ebook through PayHip, but I’ll be releasing the ebook on Amazon in the near future. I might hold off until there’s a complete second season, though. I also still have to complete the third book in the Mark of Cain urban fantasy series, but that’s taken a low priority since the first two books didn’t do very well. I’d also like to revisit some other past stuff, and the serial format might give me the place to do that — things like more stories featuring my Luther Cross or Elisa Hill characters.

And of course, I’m going to continue podcasting. Superhero Cinephiles continues, now with over 200 episodes. I’ve also added a sub-show, Superhero Bibliophiles, to the feed where my guests and I talk about comics and graphic novels. Japan On Film is gearing up for its fourteenth season and we recently passed the 100-episode mark on that.

That’s what I’ve got shaking out this year. How about you?

Omega Knights is available free!

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I’ve been living with the Omega Knights in my head for well over a year now, and seeds of this story have been lingering even longer. And I’ve decided to do something different with it this time. Rather than release it all at once, I’ve serialized it on a few sites, including Royal Road.

Best of all? The price of admission is $0. You can read the episodes completely free!

As you read this, the series has not finished yet. And there is an option to purchase the entire story as an ebook if that’s more your speed.

The idea behind Omega Knights was to do a Power Rangers-style story, but to approach the concept from a different angle. I started asking questions about the concept, like…

“What is the history of this organization”

“Why do they only choose young people?”

“What are the motivations of the villains?”

“Where do they get all their resources?”

“What sort of effect does this life have on the heroes themselves?”

And in all that, I came up with the beginnings of an idea that I expanded on. The result is Omega Knights, which I’m pretty proud of. And I hope you enjoy it, too.

Again, you can read it for free on Royal Road, or you can get the entire book now.

Omega Knights

Omega Knights

Author: Percival Constantine
Series: Omega Knights, Book 1
Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Superheroes
Tag: Serial
Publisher: Pulp Corner Press
Publication Year: 2025

Five against the universe!

Read free on Royal Road
Buy the whole book now
About the Book
When portals begin opening between worlds, Earth is threatened by terrifying forces from other dimensions. The Omega Knights are our last line of defense. They are an elite team bonded to powerful Titans—living spirits of ancient mythology and overseen by the shadowy Quantum Group. But their latest mission has left the Omega Knights shattered. After a catastrophic battle, inexperienced recruit Tom Stone is now their acting leader. With most of his experienced teammates dead, can Tom forge the broken remnants of his team into a cohesive fighting force in time to face their deadliest threat yet? Inspired by Super Sentai and Power Rangers, don’t miss this exhilarating new superhero adventure from the author of the Vanguard and Luther Cross series. Read free in serial form on Royal Road, or get the whole book now!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Omega Knights are here!

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I’ve made no secret about my love of superheroes. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the superhero concept. I first became exposed to superheroes likely through the 1978 Superman film, though I don’t remember the first time I watched it. From there, it was the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, Batman (1989) and then Batman: The Animated Series. And I give a lot of credit to the X-Men animated series from the same era as BTAS (and quick sidenote: how awesome was the first season of X-Men ’97?).

But another superhero show also grabbed my attention in the early 90s, and that was Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. If you’re too young to remember (or if you were too old to care at the time it launched), the Power Rangers was a hoot and a half for a young kid. Taking footage from the Japanese Super Sentai superhero show, they then spliced in footage of American actors and had them dub over the Japanese action footage. Teen heroes using pseudo-magical powers and martial arts to fight off monsters, and then they would transition to giant robots based on dinosaurs when the monsters were enlarged.

Yes, it was campy as hell and cheaply produced. But kid Perry didn’t give a damn. I watched the show every day after school and forced my family to spend a small fortune on the toys (including the transforming robots, because of course).

As I grew older, that fire of Power Rangers fandom faded in a way it never did with other superheroes. But the concepts of the Power Rangers is something that always stuck with me, and for years, I’d thought of doing my own take on something inspired by them.

And now the time has come. Enter the Omega Knights!

When thinking of how I would approach this series, I knew I wanted to do something that was cleary inspired by Power Rangers, but also its own thing. And so with that in mind, I started to think of questions I’d have about this type of concept: what’s the history of this organization, how dangerous is this kind of work, why is it always young people who are chosen, how do they deal with the sudden changes in membership?

These types of ideas and more are things I wanted to explore. And before I knew it, I had a wealth of story ideas that I’ve now begun exploring as a serial on Ream.

So that leads me to the next point: what is Ream and why am I on there?

Ream is a site where people can subscribe to their favorite authors and support them. Omega Knights will be serialized on Ream and the basic subscriber level will have access to two new episodes per week. I have several different subscription tiers available, but the basic tier gives you access to all new episodes of whatever serial I’m currently working on. The basic tier also gives you access to each of my first-in-series books through the Ream platform.

Other tiers have other perks as well.

You can read the first four episodes of Omega Knights for free. But starting with episode #5 (just released), you’ll need a subscription plan.

However, I am offering a free trial: all you have to do is go to https://reamstories.com/percivalconstantine and complete the following steps:

  1. Click the “Join Ream” button at the top of the page.

  2. After you create your account, go to my Ream page (https://reamstories.com/percivalconstantine) and click the button under the “Starters & Serials” tier.

  3. You’ll be taken to a check-out page. Enter your payment info, but don’t worry, you won’t be charged yet.

  4. Under promotional code, enter “NEWBIE” (without the quotes). This will give you one month of free access to the Starters & Serials tier of my page.

Check out the video below for a walkthrough of the process:

Now, what if you aren’t interested in another subscription? That’s fine, I don’t begrudge you that. Omega Knights, like every serial I do, will be eventually published in print and digital formats. But this way, you get early access to the episodes far in advance of when everyone else will.

Again, you can check out the first four episodes for free right now, then you can access further episodes with a one-month free trial. Click the button to get started.

Check out Ream now!

Dark Crossroads Black Friday Sale!

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Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! Here in Japan, we don’t have it, so it’s just a regular work day. But we still have Black Friday, and I’m participating, too.

From today, I’m running a massive sale on all the Dark Crossroads novels! You can get the first two books in both the Luther Cross and Morningstar series for absolutely FREE!

And that’s not all! The other books in both series are discounted up to 80%. This means you can pick up all eleven books in the Dark Crossroads universe for under $10! That’s less than the cost of a movie ticket, and you’ll get hours more content.

Head over to https://books2read.com/rl/dcblackfriday to get access to all the books that are part of this sale. And have a safe and happy holiday season!

Help me decide my next series

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I wanted to give you a head’s up about the progress on Lucifer Forever. And here’s where the bad news comes in—you’re going to have to wait just a little bit longer for it. My family and I have just moved to a bigger place to prepare for Baby #2 (due in July) and with Kotono being pregnant, that meant I had to handle the physical aspects of moving. This also coincided with the new university semester beginning in Japan, so I’ve been preparing for and teaching classes.

This unfortunately meant a delay in production of Lucifer Forever. But now, we’re pretty much finished with the move, I’ve got my new office almost completely set up, and I’m ready to get back to writing! Although I originally promised spring as the release, it’s looking more like summer at the moment. I’m sorry for the delay, but I’m sure you’ve been through the experience of moving and how stressful it can be. It gets even more stressful since Helena is now walking and wants to test every single boundary we put in front of her.

As I mentioned before, Lucifer Forever will be the final book in the Morningstar series. So what comes next? I want to know the next Dark Crossroads series you want to read. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey to help me decide how to give you the best books you want to read.

Take the survey here

Lucifer is back … in Hell?!

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The wait is over because the latest book in the Morningstar series is now available on Amazon!

This book is unique in that it takes Lucifer out of any sort of urban (or even earthly) setting and drops him right back into Hell. And if you’ve been paying attention over the past few books, that’s not a place he really wants to go back to.

Here’s the book’s description:

Return to Hell!

After his previous adventure, Lucifer’s powers are completely exhausted. At first, the Morningstar sought to restore his abilities, but then he realized that he’d finally found the freedom he’d sought for eons.

Yet the forces aligned against him aren’t willing to let him retire quietly. A failed attempt on his life makes Lucifer realize that he must find a way to revive his lost power.

But the only path requires the Morningstar to return to the one place he vowed to never set foot—Hell. And not everyone is happy to see Lucifer back…

This book starts off in a pretty fascinating place. If you remember the end of Lucifer Bound, it seemed Lucifer was ready to jump back into Hell. But when I sat down to plan this book, I realize that that’d be too easy and if all Lucifer wanted was retirement, then he should be happy to be free of the burden of power and responsibility.

And I decided to work that into the first part of this book. I think more than any other, this story really delves into Lucifer’s complicated feelings about his legacy and his responsibility.

The book is available now on Kindle and in Kindle Unlimited with the paperback following soon!

Enough talk, I want to read this!

Enjoy the book and remember to leave a review!

The Morningstar is back!

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The Dark Crossroads universe continues as the former King of Hell enters the next phase of his journey!

Powerless!

Lucifer has left Hell and retired on Earth. At least that was the plan, until he learned that his abdication enabled some of the most dangerous creatures in creation to escape. Now, he’s been forced to take responsibility for his actions and clean up his own mess.

At first, a zombie attack in a New Orleans suburb seemed like it would be simple. But when Lucifer finds himself powerless for the first time in eons, he must do the hardest thing he’s ever done—rely on others for help. Yet can he truly trust a pair of agents working for a supernatural government agency?

The Dark Crossroads universe first established in the popular Luther Cross urban fantasy series continues in this thrilling new novel!

Available now in print, digital, and Kindle Unlimited!

RONIN BORN is available now!

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I’ve had ideas on this title for a while. I wanted to write another book set in Japan, and influenced by some different movies (in particular Battle Royale and Ghost in the Shell), I came up with the idea of Ronin Born, a new cyberpunk superhero novel.

The setting is a futuristic version of Japan. Technology has advanced to an incredible degree and Japan is a powerful player on the world stage with military strength to add. After serving in the armed forces, Erika receives a promotion to the Tokkei, the nation’s top intelligence agency.

Equipped with cutting-edge armor, Erika has the opportunity to prove herself to her superiors. But the case she’s been assigned has a darker element. One in which government, business, and criminal interests all converge, profiting off the suffering of those who cannot defend themselves.

It forces Erika into a difficult situation. Will she preserve her career or her soul?

I’m really excited you now have the opportunity to read this book. I feel like it’s set in a very interesting and intriguing world, one I’ve spent a lot of time craft.

You can purchase the book as an ebook or paperback through Amazon, or read it for free with your Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Lucifer Rising

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The Luther Cross series may have come to an end, but the world lives on! Lucifer Rising not only begins the Morningstar series, but also leads into a larger world, which I’m calling the Dark Crossroads universe. I plan to set all my urban fantasy books in this world. So while each series will be limited to 3-6 books, they’ll connect together to a larger tapestry, and characters that appeared or starred in one series could just as easily end up in another.

The Devil is real and he’s on Earth

Everything you know about the Devil is a lie.

Lucifer did not rebel from Heaven out of hatred, pride, or envy. Instead, he learned the greatest lie in all of creation—there is no higher power, and not even the angels know the truth. After being cast into Hell, Lucifer gave up, isolating himself from his followers and responsibilities.

But recent events have provided a new opportunity to experience free will for himself. With Hell under new guardianship, Lucifer has come to Earth. However, Heaven won’t let him off that easy. And to make matters worse, when Lucifer learns that there are other more dangerous consequences of his abdication, he will have to decide what is more important to him—freedom or responsibility.

From the world of the popular Luther Cross series comes Morningstar—expanding the world and mythology in exciting new directions!

Lucifer Rising is now available in print and digital formats. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read it free with your subscription.

End of the line…or end of the world?

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The final book in the Luther Cross series is now available! How does the story end? Will Luther be able to stop the angel and save the child, or will he have to make the decision he’s been dreading for the past year? And what will he have to sacrifice in order to accomplish his goal?

Find out in Devil’s Finale, the exciting final chapter in the Luther Cross saga!

End of the line…or end of the world?

My name’s Luther Cross, and by now you know my story. Half-human, half-demon, and Chicago’s sexiest paranormal investigator. Now I can add “recently returned from the dead” to my long list of accomplishments.

Except my resurrection was just the beginning. See, a year ago, I uncovered a plot by a rogue angel to launch the apocalypse ahead of schedule with the help of a supernatural child. And he’s got everything he needs to start the fireworks. Now it’s up to me to convince the leaders of Hell—who have never exactly liked me—to follow my lead and put a stop to this.

Some say I can’t avert armageddon and save the kid, but I’m determined to try. The question remains—just what will I have to sacrifice to save the world?

And though this is the conclusion of Luther’s story, it’s not the end of this world. By the time you get to the end of this book, you’ll learn who is starring in the upcoming spin-off series! And I’ve got some other stuff lined up that I’m really excited about.

But until then, what are you waiting for? Don’t you want to see how Luther’s story ends?

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