The start of spring was huge for me, as I published The Sins of Steel and Shadow, launching the start of my brand new fantasy series. As always, releasing “book one” of anything almost immediately prompts the question: when is the next one coming out?
Well fear not, because I had both pre-empted such a line of questioning and enjoyed writing the first one so much that I was already deep into book two of the series, even before TSOSAS hit the shelves.
The Turned series
In fact, I completed the first draft of Book 2 of the Turned (working title) back in March, leaving me with a 200k word manuscript that I could let breathe while I worked on (and enjoyed) the launch of the series itself. I even kept a log of how that draft progressed, primarily as I wanted to measure (and therefore better understand) my own writing timelines. For those interested, that progression is visible in the chart below, as I updated the total word count on a daily basis.
Cards on the table, I impressed myself with how committed I was to this draft. I wanted the first pass of Book 2 finished before I released Book 1 and I managed it, completing the draft in around 3.5 months. As you can see, some days were incredibly productive (I think the best day of writing saw more than 13k additional words put down on the page) and some were less so (week-long plateaus for both the Christmas holidays and a half-term spent with my family).
But, all in all, I was incredibly proud of this. I went from nothing to 200,000 words in the space of just a few months.
So what now? Well, I’m now editing those 200k words to make sure that the story is right, the characters (both old and new) are well-rounded and the writing is as sharp as it can be. Editing (for me) is an arduous process, as it means reading as well as writing, and it’s always the trickiest part of how I operate. However, all being well, I would expect to see Book 2 of the Turned out for release in the spring of 2026.
Timelines for any subsequent books in the series are, as yet, too far out to tell.
What about other projects?
I like to keep as focussed as possible when I’m midway through a writing project, but the harsh reality is that—as creatives—we authors often need something else to keep us from getting bogged down or burned out. These are often side-projects, but they have the potential to become major players in their own right. One of mine is an idea for a novella that will release alongside Book 2 of The Turned. The other might interest readers who have engaged with my work since my debut, The Hunter’s Lament, back in 2023…
A sequel to The Hunter’s Lament
I know from speaking to readers that there is appetite for a return to war-ravaged Pratia, and those readers are in luck, as I actually have 50% of this book already written! I won’t spoil anything here, but fans of The Hunter’s Lament can rest easy, knowing that this is being worked on in those moments when I just need something different to write, and I expect to be able to publish it either alongside The Turned series (or at least shortly after its conclusion).
It’s safe to say I am looking to….expand on things in the next instalment. If you call me nothing else, call me ambitious.
What about other genres?
For those of you not in the know, I took the decision to self-publish The Turned series under an imprint, Broken Hilt Publishing. I did this to future-proof my work, as I both hope and expect to grow my catalogue of published novels (for as long as I’m able to) and I wanted readers to be able to quickly associate with a particular genre/style, should I ever decide to stray out of my preferred genre of gritty/grimdark fantasy.
Essentially, anything I write in the “gritty/grimdark fantasy” space will exist under the BHP imprint (I may also decide to re-release The Hunter’s Lament under this imprint at some point, as it suits the vibe) as it then gives me room to manoeuvre should I ever decide to write outside of this genre. There are no concrete plans for doing that just yet, but I am intrigued by the idea of writing horror or thriller novels, or even something of a more “genre-bending” nature. Watch this space, eh?
In conclusion
There’s a lot going on!
It’s all very exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next – I always said to myself that I would only do this (write books, document the process, commit to the marketing, generally open myself and my creative work to a wider audience of people) if it was enjoyable to do so.
And it hasn’t disappointed yet!
📚✌🏻 SP
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Steve Pannett is an author and designer based in Yorkshire, UK.
He writes primarily in the fantasy genre, combining character-led storytelling with epic, gritty world-building to create dark tales with plenty of action and lots of twists along the way.
He has self-published multiple books and is active online.