Quick Update on Forged in Ancient Fire
With the final chapters approaching, reflections on writing, revising, and the evolving story of Jia.
If you’ve been reading this Substack for a while, you probably know that I’m serializing my first urban fantasy novel, Forged in Ancient Fire, here. It’s been a ton of fun, a lot of work, and now it’s getting close to the end.
The most recent chapter posted yesterday was Chapter 77 out of 92. At two chapters a week, that means the final chapter will appear in early May — almost a year after I started last June.
Over the past year I’ve heard a few comments from readers:
“I wish the chapters came more often. I’m really into Jia’s story!”
“I like it a lot, but I’d rather read it in book form. Are you going to do that?”
(short answer: yes)“A really fun and entertaining coming-of-age story… for a sorceress, no less!”
So yes, I appreciate the feedback, even if readership is still relatively small. It’s simply great to know that people are reading a novel I wrote.
Learning While Writing
About halfway through the project, I realized there were still some bits and pieces that needed improvement. I liked the overall arc, but as I revisited and cleaned up chapters last fall, it became clear that some story logic didn’t land with the punch I wanted. A few characters’ motivations also needed to be more clearly defined, more on a micro level than the overall big picture. Showing in the small moments what was going inside people’s heads felt more important, and critically, quite doable.
Whether you love it or hate it, artificial intelligence can sometimes do things quickly that might otherwise take more time or money. As I’ve experimented with AI in different parts of my business, I’ve also been learning how to use it properly — and ethically — as a writing coach.
For example, I’ve had ChatGPT review chapters one at a time and respond as if it were a professional writing coach, helping me with things like:
Exploring whether a character’s motivation is fully clear
Identifying redundancies or repetition
Checking the big-picture story logic of a chapter
Suggesting improvements to sentence flow and narrative beats
And so on…
Honestly, I’ve learned more about structuring a large story like Jia’s journey — from aspiring band founder and pianist to someone confronting the responsibilities of her magical heritage — than I did in years of writing courses or plotting workshops.
That’s not to diminish the value of those teachers and editors. I learned a tremendous amount from them. But having access to a 24/7 coaching tool that can answer specific questions and explore story options has been incredibly helpful.
And I believe it shows.
I started writing Forged in Ancient Fire almost three years ago, and the story has taken many twists and turns since then. The core themes remain the same, but the novel has grown stronger thanks to the combined influence of writing coaches, editors, and yes — AI.
What Comes Next
When I first began serializing the novel, I mentioned that a few things might follow: bonuses for paying subscribers, eventually a book version, and possibly even an audiobook.
So far I’ve managed to send paying subscribers a couple of bookmarks and post a downloadable character sketch of Jia. If you missed it, that PDF is still available (free!).
The next step is the book. An actual, physical copy.
I’ll admit I had hoped to be further along on that front by now, but life has a way of filling the calendar. Even though I’m 70 and like to try and convince myself that I’m at least semi-retired (ha!), I run a trade show marketing company, and last fall a new project came out of nowhere that demanded a lot of attention. I also do real estate photography, which had some busy months. And in my spare time I’m a DJ at KMUZ in Salem — where I was also elected to a second term as board president.
When five board members rotated off the board at the end of their terms, that added even more responsibilities. Not to mention that the smaller board has now taken on the organization of the 4X a year pledge drives. So yeah, busy.
All this to say that the time available for the book project got squeezed. Not completely, but enough that a few things had to move down the list.
One thing I have stayed on top of is the final review and revision of each chapter before it goes live. And that process has been rewarding. The story keeps improving, and I’m genuinely enjoying the journey.
I also have to admit something: I really like this character.
Watching Jia — a young sorceress — struggle through each challenge, adapt, and move forward no matter how difficult things become has been deeply satisfying to write. And she does change in profound ways as the story unfolds.
But here’s the kicker.
When the story ends, a lot of threads are still hanging in the air. Which means there really has to be a sequel, right?
Well, I’ve actually written five other Jia novels already. None of them are ready for prime time yet, but I am working on the follow up to Forged in Ancient Fire.
When I first seriously considered a series, I imagined each novel taking place about five years after the previous one. Jia turns sixteen during the first book. When the second novel begins, she’s a 21-year-old college student sharing a place with her best friend Zilly.
And almost immediately, things begin to go sideways.
Of course they do. If they didn’t, the story wouldn’t have much pizzazz.
What I will say for now is this: Jia and Zilly finally have the band they always dreamed of.
But it isn’t quite the bed of roses they imagined.
And before long, the sorcery that Jia hoped might fade quietly into the background begins to push its way back into her life.
Jia has always been, in my mind, a reluctant sorceress — someone who respects the ancient power behind her amulets but isn’t always ready for the responsibility they bring.
And that part of her life is not done with her yet.
Stay tuned.