Lee Stephen

The website of author Lee Stephen

Epic

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Steady as She Goes

It’s been a little while since my last update concerning the progress of Epic 6: The Devil You Don’t, so I wanted to give you guys the latest news about the series’ next installment! The short answer is, it’s coming along. Nicely. But there’s still some work left to do.

Now for the long answer.

E6 has been a challenge for more reasons than one, not the least of which is the life stage that it’s popped up in. In my last blog entry, I discussed my growing role as a father of three sons, which is basically a job that no one can prepare you for. It’s wonderful, but it’s also exhausting, and when your time suddenly becomes as limited as it can be when raising children, then some things just have to give. Writing doesn’t pay my bills, so it had to give. Understand, though, that “gave” doesn’t mean “stopped.” It just needed to descend a bit on my list of life’s priorities, at least temporarily.

You see, I needed some time to learn how to find that fine, fine balance between being a responsible husband and father and being an author. Writing is hard. Okay, let me rephrase that. Good writing is hard. You’re tapping into your every inner emotion: excitement, anger, love, hatred, passion, desire, disgust, sorrow, mourning, amusement…the list goes on and on for as many characters and emotions as you’re trying to write. If I’m writing an angry Scott Remington, it’s not enough that I write about an angry Scott Remington. I need to write as if I am an angry Scott Remington. If I’m writing a brooding Esther Brooking, I need to write as if I am a brooding Esther Brooking. I’m not going to write about Esther while listening to this. No, I’m going straight for Ciara’s cover of Paint it, Black. You can apply that to every character who gets their own moment in a given book. Becan, Svetlana, Antipov, Archer, Tauthinilaas, Tiffany, Natalie, Jayden, Yuri. Add that all together, and that’s a lot of tapping into. The point is this: writing, at least for me, is extremely emotionally taxing. I have to prepare for it emotionally, execute it emotionally, then find a way down from wherever it’s left me. Let’s face it, Epic will never be confused for a feel-good story. There’s a lot of high stress and bottoming out in this beast.

What this all means for me is that I can’t “just write.” I’ve never been able to “just write.” Much like one takes a bite of raw ginger to cleanse the palette before eating sushi, I need my internal moment of zen before stepping onto this emotional battlefield I’ve created. I can’t write when I’m not at peace with that clean slate to build upon. And with three boys aged six-and-under running amok around the house, peace has become quite the rare commodity! I can’t tell you how many times my wife and I look at each other during the course of the day as if we’re both thinking, “My God, we live in a three-ring circus.” My boys bring me more joy than I ever thought possible. They also occasionally make my eyelids twitch!

Much of my focus lately has been learning to 1) take advantage of what little time I do have, and 2) physically remove myself from the chaos when possible or necessary. I want to give my wife major props for #2, because there have been many times when she’s said, “Lee, I’ve got this, go to the coffee house and write.” She’s amazing, I love her to death, and one day I’m going to surprise her with a trip to Hawaii—maybe even by herself, if she wants! Slowly but surely, I’m learning to find that balance to make writing an active part of my life without it being a detriment in any way, shape, or form to my role as hubs/daddy.

Fast forward to right now, and I have a routine that’s finally working. I write 10,000 words per week. It doesn’t matter how they come. In an “ideal” week, that might mean 1,500 each day with one “cheat day” of 1,000 words. But it also means that if I crush it for a couple of days and write past my quota, I can earn myself a day or two off. There are a lot of writers out there who would scoff at a 10,000-words-per-week schedule. Well, good for them. This is me, and this is what’s working at the stage of life I’m in right now. To each their own, as God made them.

So let’s take all of the above and apply it to the reason you probably decided to read the “long answer” in the first place! As it stands now, E6 is 121,500 words in length (somewhere between DOD and Hero). My guess—and it purely is just a guess—is that E6 is going to fall somewhere around the 200k-215k range (for reference purposes, between TGB and Enemy One). I am currently cranking out 10,000 words per week. The math can be done.

If you’re doing said math, though, resist the temptation to say, “this means Lee will be done in ‘X’ weeks!” It does not. First and foremost, E6 may end up being longer than I think. I don’t have a hard word count minimum or maximum. It’ll be finished when it’s the right time to be finished. I am also going to do, at minimum, two complete read-throughs before it goes into the hands of my editor, which may mean adding a scene/chapter or two if the need is there. I will then do, at minimum, two complete read-throughs when it returns from my editor. I am also going to re-read some of the prior books to ensure that there’s nothing I’m overlooking or leaving out/unaddressed. These won’t be fun read-throughs. These will be deep dives meant to maintain the harmony of the octology in the stage it’s currently in. I would implore you during this remaining stretch not to think, “man, this is taking forever,” but rather, “man, Lee really cares about getting this right.” I have never written a book that I’m not proud of. E6 will not be the first. May there never be a first!

The Devil You Don’t is an amazing book that has been very challenging to write for a variety of reasons. My aim is for you to never see those challenges while you’re reading it. The book you’re going to read will be a polished, red sports car. This blog entry is a peek into the garage with the car halfway built.

I’m going to be very transparent about this process as things continue to move along. I want you guys to know where I’m at, where things stand, and what’s happening. My hope is that, maybe, you as the reader might find that insight a little fun. But really, it’s being done to show you that your author is working hard. He is.

Your patience will be rewarded.

I look forward to sharing the stories of Svetlana, Natalie, Esther, and Tiffany with you. These are four outstanding women who are worthy of a book to call their own. They’re going to bring it.

Until the next update,

-LS

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“Delay-tion” with Causation

If you’ve been a fan of Epic long enough, then you no doubt have experienced more than a few moments of, “man, these books take forever to come out.” It’s true! A bolt of lightning behind the keyboard, I am not. The truth of the matter is, I’ve gotten a lot faster lately. Though it isn’t evident by the things you’ve seen me publish, I’ve juggled several projects over the past couple of years in addition to Epic, none of which have seen the light of day just yet but all of which have been monstrously time consuming. So even though it may seem like I’m in a neck-and-neck race with molasses, I’ve actually been working hard—just not on things that are quite ready to be seen. With that said, though, I would be remiss if I didn’t touch a little bit on Epic 6: The Devil You Don’t, which is going to push past its Winter release date into “To Be Determined” territory. And yes, the delay in E6 is also related to other things I have going on.

As we speak, I am knee-deep into the three largest projects I’ve ever undertaken. Larger than Epic. Larger than the Dawn of Destiny audiobook. Larger than anything I have ever attempted. And not only are all three of these projects are very, very long term, but they’re also happening simultaneously. Unlike the previously-mentioned projects I’ve had going on behind the scenes, these three, I can actually talk about.

In fact, I’m thrilled to.

These are my three boys, ages six, three, and one. They are boundless energy. Cacophonies of noise. Super-sport tricycle motors. Most importantly, they are the three littlest-biggest loves of my life.

The season of life that I’m in doesn’t allow me to spend as much time purely on writing as I’ve been able to in the past. This is something I’m okay with, because I know it won’t be long until those three little tykes are packing up and making the long drives to college, waving out of their truck windows at Mom and Dad in the rear view mirror. These are precious years that will be gone in the blink of an eye, and I don’t want to miss any more of them than I absolutely have to. And it’s for this reason that I’m asking…for patience.

Writing is important to me. Incredibly important. It’s what I was born to do and I can’t imagine ever not doing it. Epic 6 gets worked on all the time, and it’s making awesome, awesome progress. But there are many days when I’m faced with the option of either spending time writing or spending time with my wife and boys. I choose the latter 100% of the time. The truth is, I just have far less time to write than I’ve had in the past. And…I’m okay with this. I would never want to be a father who shoos away his kids to tap on the keyboard. What I’m trying to learn now is how to take maximum advantage of the time I do have. I don’t write every day. I can’t. But I write when I’m able, and I make as much progress as I can in those periods of serenity. It’s a balancing act that I’ve far from mastered, but I’m getting there.

Epic 6: The Devil You Don’t, is coming. So are some other projects, both that I’ve done and that I’ve set my sights to do. But please be patient as I play ringmaster to this three-ring family circus! I say it with every release, and the same holds true for E6: it will be worth the wait. I have some great teases for the book just waiting to get shown/released…I’m just holding off on them until a little more progress is made.

I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from you guys lately, particularly from those of you I met at Wizard World New Orleans! Keep that coming—getting those positive messages energizes me and helps me take maximum advantage of the free time I do have. Nothing gets my fingers flying like chatting with someone about something they loved in the books. I have more events lined up, so I hope to see all of you guys again, soon!

You guys are amazing, and I cherish every single one of you. Keep reading and keep rocking! The wait will be over before you know it.

God bless,

Lee

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Epic 6: The Devil You Don’t – Coming Fall 2020 (date updated)!

I am incredibly excited to reveal the cover art for Epic 6: The Devil You Don’t, as done by the amazing artist Kasia Słupecka! Traditionally, the cover art for Epic has shied away from showing individual characters, but in TDYD that tradition goes out the window as Tiffany, Svetlana, Esther, and Natalie take center stage. It’s time for a gear shift, as for the first time in the series, it’s the ladies of Epic who are driving the story forward.

This is a story that’s been in the works for a long, long time (think origin-of-the-series long), and I’m thrilled that the time has finally arrived for it to be told. There’s still a lot of writing to be done, but the target release time for TDYD is going to be Fall of 2020. Trust me, it’ll be here in the blink of an eye, and there will be things to help pass that time!

In the meantime, if you haven’t read Epics 1-5, you’re going to want to take the time between now and the Fall to catch up! The stakes have never been higher for the men and women of the Fourteenth and the unfortunate souls who have been swept up in the turmoil. As they say, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The scorned are about to have their day.

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Enemy One Drops TOMORROW!

Abandoned. Hunted. On the run. In the wake of the Fourteenth’s extraction then escape from the EDEN base of Cairo, the crew of the Pariah find themselves hanging onto survival by a slowly stretching thread. Where does one turn when the whole world is after them?

If you’re Scott Remington, you turn to Iosif Antipov.

The story of Enemy One is not one of heroism. It is a story of desperation. While Antipov and the Nightman remnant migrate to the crumbling husk of Chernobyl, Scott is instructed to flee to the mysterious mountain facility of Northern Forge, nestled deep within the valleys of Norilsk. But even Northern Forge offers no promise of protection, as staying there may prove more dangerous than being on the run.

 

Checking behind him, Scott confirmed what he’d already feared: there was a mound of rubble between them and the street. They weren’t going anywhere. “Change of plans! We’re going through!”

“Through wha’?” asked Becan, shooting a wide-eyed look to Scott and pointing where EDEN’s gunfire was coming from. “Through them?”

The yes was implied. Comming the Pariah again, Scott yelled to Travis. “Get off the ground! We’re going to try and fight our way out of here. If we don’t make it, head to Northern Forge!”

Esther’s voice cut through. “We are not leaving you, Scott!”

“We’re not the mission. You’ve got what we came here for. If you can’t get us, get out of here!” A bullet dinged against one of his shoulder guards. Scott stumbled backward then retreated for cover. “Never a vecking break,” he said off the comm.

As the crew of the Fourteenth fights to survive, the line between hero and villain becomes more and more blurry. No question has been more prevalent in Epic than, “do the ends justify the means?” Are all options on the table when battling for a greater good? Or are there some lines that one simply cannot cross? The harder the world pursues Scott and his comrades, the more innocent lives are put at risk. Moral questions such as these permeate Enemy One, which is as much an exploration into the nature of self and identity as it is a shell-shocking fight for survival.

For no two characters is this confrontation with self more perilous than for Svetlana and Esther. Though both women find themselves in vastly different situations, they both must nonetheless face their true natures, untainted by their own rose-colored glasses, as their lives and the lives of those around them hang in the balance.

 

Staring at Scott with an almost calculating glare, Esther set her hands on her hips as if digging in to the trenches of defiance. At long last, though—and when it became apparent that Scott wasn’t budging—her face softened. Sighing, she put her hand back down and walked past him. “Did you know that I struggle with things?” she asked almost nonchalantly.

Walking again, he followed behind her. “We all struggle with things. I struggle, Dave struggles, Jayden and Becan struggle. Everyone here is struggling.”

“Yeah, well there’s a big difference between ‘everyone’ and me.”

“And what is that, exactly?”

Pivoting to face him, the scout answered, “Because you’re all good people.”

 

Enemy One is not for the faint of heart – and as is the case with every previous installment in Epic, it is not a story you’ll see coming. Never before have the stakes been higher for the Fourteenth. Never before has the danger been more real. This is the one you’ve been waiting for. This is the one you’ve been fearing. At some point, we all must come face to face with our true selves and with the prospect of our mortality. For the Fourteenth of Novosibirsk, that time has come.

Run.

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The Finishing Touches: E5 Release Date Coming

As all updates must be when things are going fast and furiously, this one’s going to be short and sweet. Epic 5: Enemy One has finished the editorial stage and is beginning its final read-through. The final read-through is exactly what it sounds like: the final read-through. The novel is printed, in a binder, and being read by me from cover to cover for any last-second finishing touches. When this final read-through is finished, E5 will enter the last stage of the novel-creating process: design and production.

After four arduous years, the most ambitious installment of Epic is about to see the light of day.

Though I’m as eager as anybody to get Enemy One out there, I won’t be rushing the release date announcement. When I am fully confident that the release date can be met, it’ll be posted (and yes, there is a specific one in mind). If you’ve been intending to reread the first four installments…now might be a good time to start.

Get ready, friends. It’s on its way.