Kaivervi's final art is in and part of the image glossary! She is in the bonus chapter for Kings or Pawns second edition called The Hunted.

"The sky over the frozen north of Darival was a coiling mass of dark grey.
The clouds churned over one another in their greedy sprawl across the tundra,
expansive swathes of slate that swallowed the lesser bulges into the belly of
the coming storm. Tucked between the mountain peaks, sheltered by her
fortress of ice and stone, the city of Kaivervale within saw only the shadow of
the beast."

+ Her wolf, Husakai, was Nazra’s brother.
+ She is a magnificent painter. Her favorite things to paint are the Turmazel crystals.
+ Once got put on Tower Watch because she puched an officer in the face for harassing her during drill time.

Through the next month ('til Halloween), any Kings or Pawns Second Edition (paperback or hardback) book purchased from the website (HERE) will be signed, include a bookmark of your choice, ANNND include a special bit of insider information on a character or plot point revealed for the first time FOR YOU (you can make a character/plot request by sending an email to JJSherwood@StepsofPower.com)!

The Kings or Pawns Second Edition is officially available! (It actually came out right around Gen Con, but I was sick and didn’t get a chance to share the great news!)

Through the next month ('til Halloween), any Kings or Pawns Second Edition (paperback or hardback) book purchased from the website (HERE) will be signed, include a bookmark of your choice, ANNND include a special bit of insider information on a character or plot point revealed for the first time FOR YOU (you can make a character/plot request by sending an email to JJSherwood@StepsofPower.com)!

The second edition of the book has an alphabetized glossary with almost 100 people/places/things, an image glossary of eighteen of the Kings or Pawns characters, AND a bonus chapter that reveals what shit has been going down in Darival since Jikun was there last! (The book also has some polishing to word choice to match it to Heroes or Thieves standards).

Unfortunately my phone does not do them justice, but you've probably seen them at the conventions! If you want better photos, let me know! <3

Omigosh do I love this picture of Nilanis! Not only are his infamous "vulture" like qualities captured, but so is his arrogance and attractiveness. When I sent out the brief to the artist, I though, "damn, he has his work cut out for him! An attractive, older looking elf with a beak of a nose."

Damn, this is perfect! <3 I can just feel Sellemar's repulsion! xD

I was particularly excited about Hairem's artwork! Not only did we only have a side-sketch from the Kings or Pawns cover art, but with Silandrus' art out as well, boy is there a fun contrast of characters! What I particularly love about this rendition of Hairem is the day-dreamer youth captured in his expression, and yet there is a hardness lurking behind his gaze that says ambition, too.

Yet, contrast that with Silandrus and I know whose side I'd take! While Hairem's WIP captures the dreams, youth, and naive hopes of the new king, Silandrus' art screams raw ambition and sheer will: a king who knew what he wanted and how to get it.

Now you can finally put a face to the legendary True Blood King who led the Royal Schism! I know we've had Darcarus' art done and a chibi of Hadoream, but I hope to have Sairel completed soon. Silandrus will be getting a large role in a future novel (likely the novel I will address right after The Kings series).

Erallus' sketch from Upied is in! It was hard to decide what to choose for him. At first, I was going to go with an apathetic look--that is what he usually wears, after all. Ultimately, however, I decided on giving him one of his rare smiles. </3

Wew, so this has been in the works for a while, but I can finally talk about the details!

So the second edition of Kings or Pawns has a tentative release of next Spring--probably April.

It will include the following:

-A gorgeous image glossary featuring a variety of character art-- from your primary PoVs: Jikun, Alvena, Sellemar, etc... to your supporting cast: Nilanis, Saebellus, Ilsevel, etc...

-By your request, a glossary with quick references to people or places-- such as Tuserine, Jekum, Cahsari, etc...

-Minor alterations to chapters-- not the heart of the content, but you may notice an occassional change in the choice of narrator words.

The cries that had died briefly rose once more, growing louder and more
frantic as the cause of their fear drew nearer. Soldiers scrambled aside, the
clean marching line scattered like thakish before an avalanche. A body sailed
high into the air before it vanished into the mass of elves fleeing the carnage.
“The Beast.” Jikun’s pale skin grew as white as a Lithri’s, his composure
lost. He swiftly drew his sword, aware of how naked the troops around him
were. “Captain, get the army north!”
There was no fighting this time.
Jikun swung away and rushed through the ranks of disarray and fear: he
ran toward the beast. He could glimpse a shadow of the creature, even as the
nearest males vainly attempted to block its path. The beast tore through them
like a blade through water, dispersing their bodies to the side. Jikun was
painfully aware that the chainmail on his body was more than all the armor his
entire army had left.

-A bonus chapter titled The Hunted. The Hunted will take you back to Darival at the time the final events of the book are coming to their climax--aka, what has happened since Jikun left?

-And as a planned Kickstarter bonus-- an EXCLUSIVE special edition cover for those who purchase the book during the next Kickstarter (also planned for April)!

Kaivervi's sketch is in! She is in the bonus chapter for Kings or Pawns second edition called The Hunted.

"The sky over the frozen north of Darival was a coiling mass of dark grey.
The clouds churned over one another in their greedy sprawl across the tundra,
expansive swathes of slate that swallowed the lesser bulges into the belly of
the coming storm. Tucked between the mountain peaks, sheltered by her
fortress of ice and stone, the city of Kaivervale within saw only the shadow of
the beast."

Hey Soplings!

It's been a while since I've updated you on the blog itself (and even my social media-ing has been somewhat scarce), but boy do I have a lot to share! It may come in bits and pieces as I find time, but it only does not find itself to you sooner because I have been quite busy with it all! And it it all quite exciting!

Firstly, I know you all demand an update on Gods or Men, and who am I to deny that? ;D Gods or Men is going absolutely marvelously and I am damn stoked to share the next saga! However, for those of you who follow me on social media, you may be aware that last year I saved the lives of 70 abused cats from an extreme neglect situation. They have all found their way into loving, nurturing homes now. :) While I was honored to take on the task, this did set me back substantially on Gods or Men and its release date is now penciled in for early 2019 (April, if I had to take a stab at it).  

The book is currently in draft phase and I estimate it will be a very large book—around 750 pages (or 250k words). This will be the largest installment yet and you will get to see the manifestation of some absolutely awesome character story-lines. This includes the trial of Alvena before Ilsevel, poking deep into Eldaeus, Darcarus’ karma, threats on Adonis’ life, Hadoream’s PoV adventure, and so much more I dare not say for fear of spoiling too many things!

Secondly, the WIP update of Darcarus by Omupied.

Thirdly, I’ve been renovating my kitchen (it was so outdated that the counters were a blue, easily stained laminate and the floor was a matching, flowery blue linoleum). Each year I intend to undertake some grand remodeling project on my house in order to one day bring about my dream estate. I will update you will all the juicy details later.

Fourthly, there will be a second edition of Kings or Pawns released later this year or early 2019. I’ll update you with more details later, but it is going to include a special edition cover, pictured character bios, glossary (I know, I know, you’ve been asking), and a bonus, exclusive chapter!!!