2025 Progress Report!

“G.R.R Martin writes too slow…”, I hear you cry. “Hold my beer George!”, says I.

As communicated back in Dec 2025, I’d written more in the first nine weeks since moving jobs in September 2024, than I managed in the previous 19 months when I transitioned from military service in February 2023. Now, speaking Damien Larkin, noted Irish Military Science Fiction author, just yesterday, I was pleased to be able to report to him that the first 40 chapters of the complete re-write have been brought to a point where the Alpha Reader can been to read them. The remainig 22 or 23 are also very close.

Today, Saturday 8th March, I’ll be re-reading from Chapters 40 to 50 to check the flow. A lot has changed, names, scenes, but the central story remains the same. As this draft heads out north of 105,000 words again it’s nearly there. “The Winds of Winter” this novel shall not be. It’s getting done and it’s getting done this year.

I’ve been working on the #StormSeries for several years. Frustrating isn’t the word for it. Having gotten an epiphany of a real tone/direction error I’ve had to rewrite Book 1 since 2023, and Book 2 is has also gotten that treatment.

Book 1 had even began the process of working with an Alpha reader, in preparation for engaging the services on an Editor once that process has concluded. However, post epiphany, I halted that and given my major life changes with leaving military service and entering civilian employment, I basically didn’t make any progress whatsoever over the first19 months post-service as mentioned above.

I was tinkering with it, but no actual momentum could be achieved.

I did receive some highly positive feedback from a potential agent in 2023, so if I can present Book 1 early in 2025, then I just might be able to bring this long running saga into print. This was based on the first three chapters, and with the novel now been in a much better place, I have some confidence that this story might continue to meet with that posistivity.

It feels like it has the potential to be a cracking tale, so while it’s an immense amount of work, it is extremely enjoyable to be able to finally see where this is going.