As I look back on 2022, I realized, though I’m very active on social media, I’ve neglected using my website as a means of connecting with readers.

I hope to change that this year.

2022 was a very difficult year for my household. We spent the bulk of it trying to discover the source of my wife’s rather mysterious Illness. After tens of thousands of dollars, closer to $100k than $0, we are still in the dark.

Due to this, as well as buying a new home, moving, raising two kids under 10, and all the struggles that come with those things, I’ve found it more and more difficult to answer the many emails I get from readers like you. For that, I apologize. 2023 will be different. So please, continue writing. I read each one even if I don’t respond. I will also be making an effort to sift through older emails and offer much deserved responses.

Okay, housekeeping aside, let’s talk books.

2023 is looking to be flush with new releases. Despite the trials, I completed 7 books in 2022 and they should see the light of day in 2023.

First, and probably of most interest to the majority of you, Vein Pursuits (Black Badge book 2) is scheduled for May. Let me tell you, I loved working with Rhett Bruno on Cold as Hell, and I’m even more excited to share Vein Pursuits.

Once more, Stephen S. Gibson delivers a cover beyond my expectations.

In Vein Pursuits, James Crowley, along with Rosa, Bram, Harker, and Irish, travel to Crescent City. As usual, James is unaware of his assignment and soon finds ancient secrets to unravel.

The great and talented Roger Clark will be returning to bring the audiobook to life.

Additionally, I finished book two of a yet-to-be released series with my good friend Andy Peloquin.

We are beyond stoked for you to step into the world of the Dragonblood Assassin.

Kullen is the Emperor’s assassin. The sharp hand of justice. The Black Talon.

Gifted a soul-forged bond with his dragon, Umbris, Kullen is tasked with hunting any and all who oppose the Empire.

But when the secretive Crimson Fang murders two noblemen before his very eyes, Kullen must discover the truth of who they are and what they want. What he uncovers is a web of lies and deceit spiraling into the depths of Dimvein.

Natisse, a high-ranking member of the rebellion known as the Crimson Fang, has no greater goal than to rid Dimvein of power-hungry nobles. Haunted by her past, fire, flames, and the death of her parents, she sets out to destroy the dragons and those who wield them as unstoppable weapons of destruction.

Until she, too, finds herself buried beneath the weight of the revelations her investigations reveal...

The Empire is under siege from within, and one man, dressed in black like the night, stands at the epicenter of it all.

Black Talon is the first book in Dragonblood Assassin from #1 Audible and Washington Post bestseller Jaime Castle & Epic Fantasy legend Andy Peloquin. It's perfect for fans of the Forgotten Realms, Joe Abercrombie, David Dalglish, and Kel Kade.

Book one, Black Talon, drops in April. Audiobooks will be free for Audible Plus listeners, narrated by the dynamic duo Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.

Raptors fans, rejoice! The series will pick up where Scions left off just a couple of years later. As Sawyer William Vincent gets older, the stakes get higher. CJ Valin and I just finished book two of the new series and can’t wait to release them in 2023. Jackie Meloche will be returning to narrate and as always, the cast will grow.

If you never read Raptors, think “What if Peter Parker was Robin.” With this series, we aimed to give Marvel and DC fans something they’ve never gotten before: a series of well-crafted superhero novels that feel more like older comic books than new money-grabs.

Though there are a couple more surprises, including my first middle-grade series , I’ll leave those for a time when I have more information to share.

However, let me leave you with this. The one and only Marc Thompson, narrator best known for countless Star Wars audiobooks, will be narrating Purgatory (Rogue Stars book one), coming to ebook, audio, and print in the fall.

Until next time, keep reading!

—JC