Had to rewrite this several times - hope it makes sense - enjoy friends.
Daniel
The workbench glowed faintly as Daniel adjusted the calibration node. Thin filaments of light traced lines across the surface, forming a spiderweb of diagnostic glyphs. Ethan’s old tech was still functional—barely—and was actually really clever, based on his explanation of both the...
2025-06-25 20:52:56 +0000 UTC View PostSomewhere between the Empire of Luminaris and the Kingdom o...
2025-06-23 21:37:37 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel
The Imperial College looked less like a school and more like a sanctum built to withstand time itself.
Vaulted gates rose above him, carved from pale spiritstone veined with gold and laced with mana-etched runes. The entire front plaza was a performance of legacy—statues of sages, fountains that bled charm-fed mist, and banners that shimmered with illusions of the Kingdom...
2025-06-23 17:30:28 +0000 UTC View PostHey there friends — quick favor to ask 🙏
If you’ve been enjoying The Foundation of Smoke and Steel, it would mean a ton if you could drop a review on Amazon. Apparently, reviews help summon the algorithm gods (or at least get the book in front of more readers).
Here’s the link:
📖 2025-06-22 12:52:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
Daniel
The table was older than the main house of the Lis—older than most of the estate, even. It stood beneath the observatory dome at the top of the library wing, in a room dusted with spiderweb runes and disused enchantment coils.
“Alright. Time for some old-fashioned learning,” Ethan said. He sounded way too excited.
Daniel...
2025-06-21 17:12:29 +0000 UTC View PostMight not matter to most of you, but I felt like sharing—
I just finished writing the final chapter of Volume 2 of Foundation of Smoke and Steel.
Still processing. Still slightly feral.
Volume Two—chapters 37 to 75—is officially complete and now heading to beta readers and content editors.
The last line?
<... 2025-06-21 05:10:39 +0000 UTC View PostAlright friends be kind my beta readers aren't available.
Daniel
The lab lights pulsed low and steady, the air thick with stored mana and old invention. Crystal strands hummed faintly beneath Daniel’s boots as he crossed to the main worktable—a wide, rune-etched slab surrounded by relics of half-completed theory.
He stood over a boxed array of spell...
2025-06-19 06:39:32 +0000 UTC View Post
The next chapter
2025-06-18 17:13:28 +0000 UTC View PostI know most of you are here for The Foundation of Smoke and Steel (and yes — I have a special announcement coming soon for my Ascendant Flamewrights at the $25 tier, especially related to Threads of Flame and Starlight 👀),
but I wanted to take a quick moment to highlight something close to my heart.
The House of Grey was...
2025-06-18 05:24:22 +0000 UTC View Post
I have no idea if anyone is even listening to this but I am already in for a pound.
2025-06-17 23:45:56 +0000 UTC View Post
This chapter drops tomorrow. Alright you beautiful bastards. I am looking for feedback - we are changing gears in the story as the plotline expands. Part of the benefit of the top tiers is this. Let me know what you think. (I know nothing about computers)
Daniel
Daniel sat cross-legged on the floor of the surprisingly equipped Li Family resea...
2025-06-16 19:38:51 +0000 UTC View PostHey friends — quick ask. I’ve been running some click tests through Meta (Facebook/Instagram ads) to try and find the highest-converting ads for one of my book series. Good news: they are working… kind of.
I’m getting people to the sales page — but not many are actually buying or signing up once they land. And honestly? I’m not sure why.
So here...
2025-06-16 17:00:24 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 37
Daniel
“Ethan,” Daniel said, his voice flat, his expression unreadable, “I know you think you’re funny, but you’re going to have to explain this one.”
He paused, just long enough to let the weight settle.
“First—why, exactly, would I need to seduce an imperial princess? And second—and more importantly—what makes you t...
2025-06-16 06:16:20 +0000 UTC View PostHey everyone!
Still figuring this out (for my benefit and yours), but I wanted to share a quick reference on how chapter access currently works for Foundations of Smoke and Steel. Since I’m juggling a few projects (and more coming soon), this should help clear things up if you're wondering what your tier gets you.
So I am adding my other series to Royal Road because of the great support and feed back I get. Since you guy are part of my support now you need get the first couple of chapters before the others. Thanks for being here.
PROLOGUE
They built what could not be constructed: a weapon lightyears
ahead of its time. A weapon so superior it de!ed the
<...
2025-06-10 13:30:18 +0000 UTC View PostTHE FOUNDATION OF SMOKE AND STEEL is officially out and ready in all its printed glory!
You’ll find the story is still the one you know—same heart, same journey. My editor and I polished things up a bit, added some flow, clarified a few turns... but the core? Still intact. Still Daniel. Still the rising storm.
If you’ve been waiting t...
2025-06-09 00:27:31 +0000 UTC View Post🎧 A New Channel for Stories I Love (and New Experiments!)
Hey everyone!
I’ve just launched a new YouTube channel where I’ll be experimenting with audio content—both for my own work andfor stories I really enjoy.
👉 Fiction, Fantasy, and Fantastical T...
2025-06-07 21:52:05 +0000 UTC View PostCurious about what you guys think…
So I was talking to my editor yesterday while wrapping up the first volume of The Foundation of Smoke and Steel, and we got on the topic of how different publishing feels compared to 10–15 years ago.
Back then, I was doing a lot more writing and focused heavily on online sales—and at the time, eBooks were everyt...
2025-06-07 11:17:47 +0000 UTC View Post🔥 Advance Chapters Are Here! 🔥
Hey everyone!
I’m getting ready to upload the advance chapters of Threads of Flame and Starlight (Chapters 15 through 26) right here on Patreon—but if you want to get ahead of the curve and read them right now, I’ve got a special offer for you:
👉 G...
2025-06-06 16:27:34 +0000 UTC View Post📚 Thank You, Patrons – Here’s 50% Off My Other Series!
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for all your support—whether you're reading The House of Grey, Foundations of Smoke and Steel, or just cheering from the sidelines.
As a token of appreciation, I’m giving you 50% off the first book in an ent...
2025-06-05 00:01:39 +0000 UTC View PostSo one of the things I forgot to do is upload the REWRITTEN Chapter 36 that I did for the book. You all need to read this its not a big deal for the first 20 chapters but it becomes more important. Enjoy.
The lift hissed open, revealing a narrow corridor lit with mana-threaded sconces. Soft amber light pulsed along the baseboards—warm, but functional. At ...
2025-05-31 17:21:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe gates of the Li estate opened before dawn.
No ceremonial send-off. No dramatic speeches.
Just a line of pale-cloaked riders, a hovering supply cart, and the soft rhythm of hooves over dew-slick stone.
Vivian rode at the center of the formation, flanked by Mei and four elite handmaidens. Each of them was armed, robed in silence, and alert—not for...
2025-05-31 16:49:51 +0000 UTC View PostThey stayed two more days.
They probably should of left earlier, they both had things to do.
But, somehow, it didn’t feel wrong to stay.
Vivian and Daniel—still separate beds, still sharp edges—but the awkwardness had faded. Their silence was less brittle. Their interactions less guarded. No fights. No speeches. Just a kind of… coexis...
2025-05-31 16:46:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe dining hall had changed. Not in shape, not in size, but in texture. In tension.
The formal banners were gone. The projection sphere had dimmed. Even the servants moved differently now—quieter, faster, as if they were avoiding interrupting something fragile.
Margaret Zhou had insisted on hosting evening tea after dinner.
“For digesti...
2025-05-31 16:42:29 +0000 UTC View PostRyan sat on the balcony just outside the guest suites, the wood still warm from the sun. A soft breeze stirred the wind chimes overhead—quiet and precise, like someone had tuned them with a fork instead of fingers. Moonlight filtered through the garden trees in silver threads.
He leaned back against the post and exhaled slowly.
Everything was sti...
2025-05-31 16:39:36 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel
The walk back to the guest suite was quiet.
Not the cold silence of strangers, nor the brittle silence after a fight. No, this was the thick, waiting quiet of two people pretending they didn’t feel anything—just to see if the other would blink first.
Daniel opened the screen door and gestured her in.
Vivian entered like she was being announced. Her robes move...
2025-05-31 16:36:53 +0000 UTC View Post30 / CLAIRE
Claire sipped her tea with perfect grace.
She kept her spine straight, her eyes attentive, her mouth poised in a smile that had won over ministers and mothers alike.
But inside?
She was unraveling.
Across the table, Caleb sat in moody silence. Not unusual—he wore sulking like a second skin—but tonight, he wasn’t sulking at her.
He wa...
