I’ve been making good progress on The Unknown Sea, and now expect to finish it before the end of June—which surprises me, because before I passed the 2/3rds mark on the rough human draft, the numbers simply didn’t add up. But they do now, so I think there’s a very good chance I’ll have the final draft finished by the end of next week, and ready to send off to my editor. Here is where everything is currently at:

• Final polished draft: 47%
• Revised human draft: 54%
• Rough human draft: 67%
• Final AI draft: 84%

I’ve written enough books to notice this pattern: that whenever I’m between the 35% and 65% marks, it feels like the book is taking longer than it should to write. The numbers don’t just add up, and every day, it feels like I’m falling further behind. But then, around the 2/3rds mark, things turn around, and suddenly I’m in a sprint to the finish, with everything falling into place quite nicely. Which just goes to show you that the way to climb a mountain is to take one step at a time, and the way to eat an elephant is to do it one bite at a time.

We’ve got a lot going on this next week, with family in town, but I think I can carve out enough time to make good progress on this book. Which means I need to get to work now, but I’l leave you with this flash sale I’m currently running on the Sea Mage Cycle, exclusive to my online store. For the next week, Omnibus I is available for just $4.99. That’s four books for the price of one, in the same series as The Unknown Sea. Check it out!

This omnibus edition contains the first four books of the Sea Mage Cycle:

RESCUER’S REWARD
All Jason ever wanted was to sail the Azure Sea as a merchant ship’s captain. But money problems have him up to his eyeballs in debt, and if he doesn’t return to port with the gold, his dreams will be dashed forever. So when the princess of a far-off kingdom is kidnapped by pirates en route to her wedding, Jason merrily takes up the chase, staking his future on the reward for her safe return.

THE WIDOW’S CHILD
Elara left everything behind to raise her magically gifted daughter in the isolated safety of a lonely homestead. But they can’t stay hidden forever, and it’s only a matter of time before evil men find them and seek to exploit her daughter’s gifts. To find someone to help her, Elara must open her heart, even if it means risking everything she has sacrificed and worked for.

THE WINDS OF DESOLATION
All Alex ever wanted was to be a sea mage like his father. But though he is gifted with magic, the wind and the waves refuse to answer his call. So when a storm shipwrecks his crew on the barren shores of the Lands of Desolation, Alex must unravel the dark mysteries of this forsaken land, discovering its connection with his own latent powers. But will Alex master the magic within him before the curse upon the land consumes them all?

THE CALL OF THE TIDE
After dropping out of the King’s Fleet, Samuel didn’t think he would amount to much. But when an ancient and secretive cult comes after him, he learns that his particular kind of magic set him apart. An ancient artifact known as the Tidecaller’s Amulet is the key to unlocking a great evil, and Samuel is one of only a few people who can use it—or destroy it. With the help of a flamboyant privateer captain, he sets out to find the ancient artifact before it—or he—falls into the wrong hands.