It's been awhile since I've posted. I've been busy finalizing Bloodforged Dawn. The good news is that I've worked with my editor, the fantastic Evelyn Cammon, and finalized all the edits. I say 'finalized' loosely because although I'm done working with her, I still have one final pass of the whole book to do before I'm ready to submit it for publication. I need to make sure nothing slips through the cracks, but I also need to make sure the formatting is on point. The good news is that I'm close.
Next, I need to receive the final cover art. What I've seen has been fantastic, but I have not yet seen the final image. I'm hoping to have this completed by the end of August.
I've booked several podcasts for October/November which is when I'm hoping to release the book. I can't wait for you to read it.
(By Justine Castellon / for Just Reading Nook) Russell Carroll’s Relentless Blades is a visceral, expansive entry into dark fantasy built around a race to stop an ancient, world-altering prophecy. Knight Lieutenant Mathias Braunstone of the Valadian Order of the Cloak is sent to the lawless frontier town of Oxglen. His mission is simple on paper: secure a set of ancient Vragothian artifacts, chief among them the Scepter of Cymathu, a relic that draws power from long-dead dragon skulls. The job quickly draws him into an uneasy dynamic with Vigilanton, a disgraced knight now working the criminal underworld, and Grimlock, a half-skron ranger hired by the Vragoths as a guide despite carrying the weight of his own bloodline. As the Zoth’tolluz Empire and its fearsome Overlord Rhorghast close in on the same artifacts, the three end up on a collision course neither side wants, racing to keep the empire from waking “Mazzinoth’s Children,” a brood of dragon hatchlings whose awakening would give the Vragoths total dominion.
What sets this book apart is its character work. Carroll writes Vigilanton’s struggle with near-illiteracy with real empathy, giving epic fantasy a vulnerability it rarely allows. Grimlock’s quiet war with his own identity as a “frejinga” becomes one of the book’s most affecting threads. The combat is vivid and cinematic, particularly the ambush at Dromcroft Bridge and the desperate survival sequence at the Infernal Chasm. The world-building, from the translucent inkeli to the feline feliosians, is folded in naturally rather than dumped on the reader. The pacing stumbles in the middle stretch where a lengthy narrative digression through the Mayhem Arena of Vestraak (Chapters 27 through 35) temporarily shifts away from the main plot to focus on side stories and character development. This pulls focus from the central race against time. A few plot turns, including Priznak’s sudden change of heart and a late “Totem Warrior” transformation that heals what should be fatal wounds, lean too heavily on convenience. These are minor flaws in an otherwise remarkably clean, well-edited debut. Carroll has written a genuinely convincing case for inclusive heroism and hard-won redemption.
It is best suited to readers who want their dark fantasy grounded in real emotional stakes rather than spectacle alone.
I've completed all the edits from my Beta readers! Just sent the manuscript to my editor. Everything is progressing on schedule for a Fall release of Volume III of the Prophecies of Zarune. I think I've settled on the title, but am going to hold that back a little longer. I'll probably reveal it once I get the cover art going, so stay tuned.
I attended the 2026 Sacramento Book Festival and had a fabulous time. This is my second year as an author and this year's event was even better than last year. At the 2025 event I sold 19 books, which I thought was great since I only had Relentless Blades for sale.
This year blew me away! I sold 26 Paperbacks of Relentless Blades, and 5 Hardcover. I also sold 14 Ashbound Oaths Paperback and 3 Hardcover, so 48 in total!!! Additionally, I partnered with two fellow Indie Authors and sold 5 of their books. It was incredible.
The only downside is that I underestimated my sales and ran out of Relentless Blades Paperback books. I suspect if I had more, I would have sold at least 5 more. I left the event with an hour to go because of this.
I also sold 4 prints of my Ashbound Oaths cover and 1 of Relentless Blades. I couldn't have been more thrilled. I sold the paperbacks for $15 each or a bundle of the two for $25. I may up this slightly for the next event, not sure.
On a side note, book 3 of the trilogy is currently with Beta Readers. I've received feedback from one and am starting to make some slight changes as a result.
I'm so excited to announce I've crossed the 500-lifetime sales Milestone. I'm actually at 502 as I type this. I thought I had just hit 500 but must have miscounted somewhere along the way. This does not account for free book give aways or Kindle Page Reads. It does account for sales of paperbacks, hardcovers, eBooks and audio books, as well as in-person sales.
These are sales of both my books, Relentless Blades and Ashbound Oaths since 10/21/2024 when Relentless Blades was released. Here is how the sales break down for those who are curious.
I'm super excited to announce that the first draft of The Prophecies of Zarune, Volume III is complete as of today. It clocks in at 134,842 words. For reference, Ashbound Oaths was 118,600 and Relentless Blades was 116,400. I can proudly say that I've completed the trilogy and hope to have the book published by the end of 2026. Can't say for sure as there are so many factors outside my control, like Beta review timeframes, editing time, cover design, etc. That is my goal though.
I should also note that I edit as I go. It's not a deep-dive edit, but I do run spell-check and massage the prose so the finished product is something I could share and not be totally embarrassed. Of course, I need to do a full cover-to-cover edit next.
For now, I just want to savor this moment.
I've been keeping a strict count of my word count progress since November 2025. You may get a kick out of it. I'm definitely not one who writes every single day, but I tried to be fairly consistent.
