I try to live life with minimal regrets.
For starters, they are usually tied to a past we cannot change or alter in any way, shape or form. And even if we could step into a time machine, there's a very good chance we'd do precisely the same thing.
Why?
Because we tend to make decisions based on the information we have at the time, meaning we believe our actions to be justified or, at the very least, permissible.
So why bother dragging these "coulda, shoulda, woulda" weights around into the future?
I personally don't see the point.
Now, does that mean your Overlord & Saviour floats through life like a hippy without regrets?
Of course…
NOT.
I most certainly do have them.
I just learned to stop carrying them around in my rucksack a long time ago, that's all.
But of the ones that do occasionally taunt me during those rare and precious lulls (usually when the kids are down for the night), they centre around The Divided Region for no other reason than I am currently working on it.
And given I'm now filling in the final gaps of Book 7's outline, I figured now is as good a time as any to rattle my three biggest ones.
Starting with:
Regret #1:
Not writing them quicker.
Between penning Books 1-4, I must have taken three extended hiatuses (life, work—all the boring cop-outs you can muster, I mustered 'em), and this cost me untold quantities of pain when I did finally plop myself back in the writing chair.
You see, stories are like gardens.
The longer they go untended, the more of a forest you have to cut down when you do.
The characters, the banter, the plot lines, the series arcs… they wither like any plant starved of light and water.
Regret #2:
Not writing them sooner.
If you think I'm treading on old ground here, you are wrong, my faithful whippersnapper.
The series slipped into my consciousness during the pandemic times, and it took another year to flesh out the world map and unearth the seeds of the story.
But what this wholesome origin tale omits is:
I doubted that people would read shorter, epic fantasy works.
In a genre choking with tomes, I wrestled with this notion for months before finally cutting it out with a scalpel and writing the bloody thing.
Perhaps if I had done so sooner, the series would be complete by now?
Hmm…
Is that regret I smell? I think not! 😉
Alright, last one:
Regret #3:
Not releasing all formats at the same time
I cannot tell you how much calmer my inbox is now that the series is up to date in all of its respective formats.
When they weren't, oh my.
You might as well have addressed me as Fireman Dan, given the sheer volume of infernos I had to stomp out.
That's why, as soon as the final draft of Book 6 (yes, the title will be dropping soon for those who didn't pick up the Book 6 Outline flash sale I ran a few weeks back) lands on my lap, I will be processing it in ALL of its respective formats.
It will require a little more patience from Legionnaires, but in the long run, everyone is happier for it and Lord Loco benefits as he'll be a little less, well…
Loco.
There is, however, a small sect of people who won't need to exercise such patience…
The Patrons who plopped down the coin for that flash sale I ran recently, as well as the outline and title, will also be getting the ebook, audiobook, and a private link to order the paperback BEFORE Book 6's public release.
If there is any part of you that's deflated to hear that, all I can say is:
Better luck next time, buttercup.
All is not lost.
I'll probably run a flash sale for Book 7.
Anyway, this email is perhaps one of the longest I've pounded out in a long time, and I really must preserve my pretty little digits for the critical task of plugging the gaps in Book 7's outline.
Stay classy,
DJJW
P.S. Whether you're an ebook reader or audiophile, I still think there's merit in owning the paperbacks.
Not only are they of a superior quality to the ones found on Amazon…
They also make for an awesome collectable of a series reaching its ultimate conclusion.
To grab 'em while the grabbing's good, go here: