First off, happy fourth of July! I hope you all are up to something fun this weekend!
As an update, AO: Inferno is “almost” content complete (currently 130K words). Ember was 140K for reference. My goal was to be content complete by the end of June, but I’ve been feeling under the weather for the last week or so which cut into my productivity slightly. However, I should have these last few chapters written pretty soon.
In the meantime, I’ve moved a bunch of early chapters to my editor and the cover is already underway (and looking super cool). I’d guess we’re about two months out from the launch of Inferno (give or take). And before someone asks… after this book, we’re switching back to Jason!
The first 19 chapters of Inferno are also available on my Patreon if you want to get a sneak peek. And I’ve made the first 4-5 chapters FREE. Just keep in mind that these are unedited rough drafts. You can click on the “AO: Inferno” tag to sort them easily.
And… that’s all for now! Have a wonderful weekend!
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Please do get back to Jason. I enjoy his story more.
Thanks for the Update, you’re a machine 😀
Really enjoying the side story, looking forward to #3
I am glad you’re getting back to Jason, but I have loved both Ember and Flame. I have greatly enjoyed the books and cannot decide what I want to see more, Jason and Finn teaming up against Alex or Jason and Finn as rivals.
Either way, Jason’s next book should hopefully be a hell of a ride. I have an ambitious plan… so I guess we’ll see if it pays off!
You’re an excellent writer. Thank you for pushing out quality books at a rapid pace. Looking forward to how you’re going to merge the storylines.
Not a problem at all! And thanks for the kind words!
Thanks for the update and the hard work you are putting in. Hope you are feeling better. I am really enjoying the world you have created, also the side story rocks!!!
Thanks man! I’m back up and running and I’ve been sprinting along to finish up Inferno. I should hopefully have another update here in the next few days, possibly with a tentative release date!
Good Afternoon!
Just want to send a thank you for your time and effort with the Awaken Online books. Being a new Austin, TX resident, my job furloughed me not long after we got settled and your books have been an outlet at a time of stress and uncertainty. I am currently running through a second round on Jason’s series, catching the side quest stories this time around, since finishing Finn’s recent story. Having the opportunity to mental escape my door walls have been a Godsend!
Thank you!
I’m glad the stories resonated with you — and that they could make all the craziness this year a bit more palatable.
I can’t wait till Jason and Finn inevitably meet up with eachother! Definitely excited and can’t wait for the next book from both views!
It’s going to be epic!
Can’t wait to see the conclusion to Finn’s story, the side stories you’ve done at least for me have been hit or miss but between Frank’s side story and Finn’s they’ve both been really well done and I can’t wait to see what other tales you have to tell in awaken online
Glad to hear it! The side stories are fun in the sense that I get to branch out a little — although, I suppose that means they won’t always resonate with everyone…
I actually have a new spin-off that’s simmering in the back of my head once I finish up Jason’s book five!
I never thought I’d get as invested in Finn’s story as I had with Jason, but I’m all in now. Both stories are great in their own ways.
Love the psychological aspects in all of them, the character building and ‘invisible enemies’ that each character has to deal with in their own ways.
Looking forward to more! Your books have quickly become my favorites.
Glad you’re enjoying them! Hopefully not too much longer to wait on Inferno!
Hey Travis, I enjoy the Inferno/Flame/Finn series and I love your style of writing and storytelling. I just feel like this series is in complete isolation from the world of Awaken Online. I understand the focus is far removed from Jason et. al., but just a simple inclusion of the universal system messages that get broadcast for the claiming of Twilight Throne and Crystal Reach, etc would make this feel like it was a part of the same game. All of the side stories tie in subtlety, but really well with the Original Sin / Alexion big picture storyline, it’d be nice to see subtle hints that Finn is actually in the same game as the other AO books you’ve written. I don’t know if you ever read these comments, but thanks for you time and consideration if you do.
I get it — and the point has been made by others.
The problem with notifications is that I could ‘show’ them (putting aside that Finn’s clearly disabled them), but why would Finn care? We haven’t really reached a point by the end of Flame where Finn would have any reason to be invested in Jason or the other avatars and my concern is that having those prompts pop up would just feel contrived/weak. Better to save them for times when they actually feel impactful to the narrative. That being said, Inferno will pull all of this together. There’s actually quite a bit of crossover with the other books as I set up Jason’s book five and Finn will be given a compelling reason to care about the other avatars (staying vague for fear of spoilers).
Travis, keep up the good work. I have enjoyed all your books including this Flame series. At first I was sad to leave Jason but now I am just looking forward to your next book no matter who it is centered on.
Just one minor (and hopefully constructive) wording quibble for you. The word “prone” has come up multiple times in the series and is often used to mean a character lying down in any of a number of positions. Prone specifically means lying face down (it’s an anatomical positioning term), whereas supine is its opposite and means lying on your back. Just a minor thing, but I thought you’d want to know.
Your series is fantastic and I’m stoked to see what Finn gets up to next, but I’m also excited to get back to Jason and the rest of the crew! I’m eager to see how Frank reintegrates with the team after his side quest book. Thanks for writing such cool stuff!
I’ll definitely keep that in mind re the word “prone!”
And I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the stories! I’m also eager to get back to Jason. I have such a cool idea for his next book…
Travis,
Awaken Online is by far my favorite litRPG, but really it’s one of my all time favorite fantasy novels. Right up there with “Name of the Wind”. I’ve recommend the book to basically everyone. I love both Jason and Finn. Thanks for creating something so wonderful.
I hope you are feeling better!
I was run over by a truck last month and your books really helped pass the time while I just laid on the couch for a month. You really do inspire me and I appreciate the work you put into this. Thanks for weaving the web of stories. Can’t wait to see things heat up in upcoming novels.
Ahh, thanks for the kind words!
I’m glad my stories could make your recovery a little easier. Stay safe and healthy!
I am starting to feel like a deranged stalker due to the number of times I have checked back on this site to see if the third ‘Flame’ book is out yet.
Ha. Totally fair. I’m getting pretty close to finishing up and editing full time.
I’m actually hoping to post another update here in another couple of days.
im waiting with baited breath to read the next jason pov. (finn is amazing and i love him too…just not as much) i love the premise of the bad guy and fell in love from first read, your writing has just continued to get better and better and i just keep falling in love with the characters in AO
Ahh, thanks man! Hope you enjoy Inferno! And I’m hoping to have Jason’s next book out early next year (fingers crossed).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Hope all is well?
I am wondering if there is a time line for the next JASON book. I am having serious withdrawals from missing Jason and his crew. I have to be honest and say that I did not enjoy the books on Finn. I am so invested in Jason and his friends that I am really not interested in anything involving them…yes I know they are apart of the story you are telling. I feel more for Jason because he is a young man who has suffered greatly. Finn is an adult and has suffered the loss of his wife, but he lived a life, whilst Jason hasn’t. Jason life IS through the game; which in turn affect his real world. I feel for Jason and his friends, more so Jason. While I feel Finn’s pain (I lost my beloved grandmother and that loss will NEVER go away), he did live his life. I hope I’m making sense here….hahahaha. Anyhoo, just wondering. Thanks for your lovely story! Stay safe and healthy out there!!!!
I’m hoping to have Jason’s next book (Hellion) out in May — so not too much longer.