I've been doing a few side projects to keep me primed while I plot and begin to write the third book in the Powder Mage Trilogy. One of those projects is to write and put out a short story (and possibly more than one) from the Powder Mage universe. The goal of this is two-fold:

To give my current fans something else to read while they wait for The Crimson Campaign. To give new fans a way to discover the Powder Mage universe.

It's a bit of an experiment for me, as this will be my first "self-published" story. It's been an interesting journey while I figure out everything that goes in to publishing any kind of fiction, and has definitely given me a new-found respect for my publisher and for people who self-publish entire novels. Considering the work that I put in to this story of about 8000 words, I can't imagine trying to do it with something that is 100K words or more.

"The Girl of Hrusch Avenue" will be out next Saturday, June 29th, and available worldwide through Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple.

It tells the story of ten-year-old Vlora, an orphan that spends her days on the rooftops above the gunsmithies of Hrusch Avenue, and her friendship with a boy named Taniel.