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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?

Cain returns in Killer’s Prey!

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The latest book in the Mark of Cain trilogy is now available for sale on Amazon!

Cursed…Hunted…Unleashed

Cursed to walk the Earth for eternity and with a millennia’s worth of blood staining his hands, Cain now finds himself in an unusual position—that of savior. Innocent supernatural beings are prisoners of a human supremacist group and held on a private island. Their ultimate fate—victims of a disturbing hunt to please the wealthy and powerful.

Now, Cain and his allies in the Black Lodge must infiltrate the island and rescue their friends. But the island is teeming with threats and Cain himself feels the temptation of his infamous Mark. Can Cain rescue these innocents or will he succumb to the Mark and embrace its thirst for violence?

Written by Percival Constantine, readers will not want to miss the latest thrilling adventure in the Dark Crossroads urban fantasy universe!

Free on Kindle Unlimited
Purchase on Kindle

Paragons of Earth #1 is now for sale!

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As anyone who’s known me for more than five minutes can likely attest, I love comic books and I’ve always loved them. Comics more or less taught me how to read and my desire to become a writer first stemmed from my desire to work in comics.

But producing comics is a lot more difficult than producing novels, so I focused my efforts on my prose career and comics remained something that I’d love to do if I had the opportunity. And though I have worked on comics in a variety of capacities, these were mostly short stories or lettering jobs.

Now though, I’m happy to announce that my own full-length comic book is available!

This comic began as a simple exercise in the Public Domain Heroes group on Facebook. Someone posted the challenge of recreating Zack Snyder’s Justice League with public domain characters. I came up with a list and then thought that would be it.

But the idea stuck with me and soon I was cobbling together designs in my sketchbook and making notes about how I would reinvent these characters. Around the same time, I’d been talking with my friend Thomas Deja about working on something together. I sent him what I had and he came back with even more notes and ideas. It quickly became obvious we had the makings of something really cool on our hands.

There was one big problem, though. Although I’d come a long way as an artist, I haven’t yet developed the skill to do this concept justice. That’s when we reached out to another friend of mine, Eric Johns. Eric has done comic work in the past and has a really cool style. We sent him the script and he jumped at the chance, coming back with designs that blew mine out of the water.

We tried to crowdfund the comic through Crowdfundr and then Kickstarter. While those campaigns didn’t succeed, we did manage to complete the first issue and it’s available now in digital formats on Amazon, GlobalComix, and DriveThru Comics (print versions will shortly be available through IndyPlanet).

View the Standard Edition
View the Special Edition

The Special Edition contains a lot of special features, like character bios and a behind-the-scenes look at our design process.

As of now, this comic might just be this one issue. But if we’re able to generate enough interest through sales, we might have the potential to do more with these characters in the future. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

What’s Ahead in 2024

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So this is Twixmas, that strange limbo between Christmas and New Year. Here in Japan, we are on the verge of everything except convenience stores shutting down for about three days and I will be eating nothing but junk food during this time.

But I thought I would take this time to look back at the year so far. 2023 was an odd year for my productivity. This was one of the least productive years for me in terms of output. Not that I wasn’t busy, but it was a lot of setting things up for the future. 

A good chunk of my time was devoted to the Paragons of Earth comic book, which has now been completed. During that time, I released Killer’s Quest, the first book in the Mark of Cain series and the third series in the Dark Crossroads universe. 

But unfortunately, that was about it. With two toddlers constantly vying for my attention and an increased workload at my day job, I was burning the candle at both ends and not able to be as productive as I’ve been in years past.

That’s all set to change in the new year. For one thing, a big chunk of my day-job workload was preparing lesson materials for a return to in-person classes, but those materials are now prepared and can be used in years going forward. That’s going to free up a lot of time. My kids will be starting pre-school in the spring as well and my wife will be going back to work, also freeing up more time. And since Paragons of Earth is complete, I won’t have that significant workload on my back, either.

So what can you expect from me in 2024? Let’s break it down.

  • Mark of Cain – I’m working on the second book right now and I hope to have it out in early 2024, possibly by February or March. 
  • Subscription Service – I’ve signed up with Ream to launch my own subscription service. There will be multiple tiers and include things like rotating serials, access to the complete back catalog, reader community, exclusive short stories and comics, and the ability to view raw chapters as they’re written and also to contribute ideas for books. As for these serials, I have a few planned that will rotate season-by-season:
    • Omega Knights – This is a science fiction serial inspired by the likes of Power Rangers and Pacific Rim. I’ve already got a good number of episodes backlogged for this, so when the subscription launches, several episodes will be available right at the jump, with additional episodes to follow.
    • Steampunk Samurai (working title) – A steampunk fantasy set in an alternate version of Meiji Japan and following the adventures of Tetsuo, a wandering ronin with a mechanical arm and the cursed Muramasa Blade. Currently in the planning stages.
    • The Chronicles of Etherium – A serial inspired by JRPGs like Final Fantasy VII, set in a fantasy world where ancient magic and advanced technology exist side-by-side. Currently in the very early planning stages.
    • Corsairs – My sci-fi space opera serial inspired by Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy has been on an indefinite hiatus, but it will be coming back. I’ve got several new episodes written and hope to start releasing this on Kindle Vella again.

There’s also something very exciting that’s in the works for 2024. I’ve just signed a contract for something very cool, but I can’t talk much about it right now. What I can tell you is that I’ll be working with some creators that I’ve admired for years. It’s something I’m extremely psyched up for and I can’t wait to tell you more.

In the meantime, if you haven’t backed Paragons of Earth #1, I would love your support. It’s an exciting book featuring several reimagined characters from the public domain going up against a Lovecraftian apocalypse. There are rewards for as little as $2 and every little bit of support you can give will help me out a lot. Even if the campaign doesn’t meet its funding goals, the comic is complete and rewards will start going out in January.

Best of luck to you and your family over this holiday season. Whatever it is you celebrate (or if you celebrate nothing at all), stay safe, get some rest, fill up on junk food, and I’ll get back to you in 2024 with much more exciting news.

NEW RELEASE – Killer’s Quest (Mark of Cain Book 1)

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I’m pleased to announce the release of the first book in the MARK OF CAIN series, the third series set in the Dark Crossroads universe.

What makes this series special is that Cain is the character readers said they wanted to see a series based on. When I created the reader poll for the next series, I had a number of characters to choose from. Although Cain was in there, I wasn’t expecting him to be the top vote-getter. In fact, I thought he might get the least.

So imagine my surprise to learn that he’s who readers wanted to see more of. So I got to work crafting a story for this first book and a premise for the character. And what I came up with is something that I think will expand the universe and resonate with readers.

Here’s the description:

Cursed with immortality for fratricide, Cain now yearns for solitude. But when a clandestine society entreats him to aid, his reclusive life is shattered. What he uncovers is a chilling plot devised by a fanatical cult hell-bent on eradicating all things supernatural.

Thrilling action, dark secrets, and a race against time weave together in this pulse-racing tale. As Cain grapples with his identity and battles forces bent on his destruction, the timeless question of belonging reverberates through every page.

Don’t miss your chance to embark on an electrifying journey through a realm where shadows hold unimaginable power. Immerse yourself in the latest addition to the Dark Crossroads universe!

I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of this new book! It’s available now on Kindle, in paperback, and for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Click here to start reading!

Corsairs – A New Sci-Fi Serial is Now Live!

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This week has seen the release of Corsairs, my brand-new sci-fi serial published exclusively through Amazon’s Kindle Vella program! And in this post, I’d like to tell you a little bit about how this came to be.

Even though I’ve been writing novels for the past fifteen years, that’s not how I got started in writing. What got me started was actually serialized fiction. Specifically, serialized fiction published in regular installments online.

My biggest reading influences when I was a kid were probably different from most novelists of my generation. I didn’t grow up reading Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Ender’s Game or any number of books many of my contemporaries are likely to cite as their influences.

For me, my biggest influence was comic books. And comics are historically a serialized medium.
So when I began experimenting with writing as a young kid, I mimed the kinds of stories and structure that I was most familiar with, which meant I wrote serials.

Unfortunately, the publishing market hadn’t yet caught up with my style. While there were some people experimenting with serials in publishing, there wasn’t really the mechanism to support it, so I had to transition into writing novels. I made an attempt to experiment with serials in the Kindle format (shoutout to my superhero series Vanguard), but the format and pricing scheme weren’t really suited for it. The few serial platforms that existed either provided no compensation, were invitation-only, or only catered to the romance genres (no disrespect to romance writers or fans, but that’s a genre I have neither the talent for nor the interest in).

Enter Kindle Vella. I’ve been watching this platform since it was announced and I’ve decided to finally dip my toes into the water.

Many years ago, I came up with the character of Elias Starr. I had the itch to do a pulpy, space opera story and this was the name that popped into my mind. I’d written about a quarter of a novel, tentatively titled Elias Starr and the Prometheus Engine, but it petered out.

Like most ideas, that character stuck with me. I always knew I wanted to do something with him and the idea of doing a space opera in the vein of Firefly and Cowboy Bebop really appealed to me. I just didn’t know when I’d really find the time to jump into it.

Kindle Vella has finally given me that opportunity. The concept has evolved a lot from what I originally wrote, and all of it for the better (I hope). And that’s how Corsairs was born. Here’s the description on Amazon:

Earth is gone and humanity has moved to the stars. In a galaxy where corporations are the new governments, the crew of the Corsair must find their own way to survive by taking on odd jobs–sometimes legal, and sometimes not so legal. Join Elias Starr and his crew on their adventures in a universe filled with space pirates, synthetic cultists, genetically engineered monstrosities, and more!

This serial has been a lot of fun to write so far. The first five episodes are now available on Kindle Vella, and you can read the first three for free. I’ll be publishing new episodes weekly for the time being.
But if you’re not into the serial format, then I’ve got you covered, too. Once the first season is complete, those episodes will be collected in a book available both in digital and print formats.

I hope you’ll give this format a try, though. I’m really enjoying it and would love to hear your feedback.

Read the first three episodes on Amazon for free!

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.

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?

[mybooktable book=”devils-finale”]