All across the Thirteen Kingdoms, they whisper his name. The Shadow at the Crossroads. The Red Reaver. The Bloated Leech. The Crimson Spider.
Prince Corbin came into this world a reject. Born with a grotesque spider-shaped birthmark taking up the right side of his face and accused of eating his twin brother in the womb, he was branded a cannibal and a kinslayer. His childhood was a miserable one. And it would have been unbearable, were it not for his only friend, his older brother, Prince Asterion.
After running away from home, Corbin spent the next ten years as a mercenary, leaving nothing but crows and corpses in his wake. But when Asterion is slain in battle, his shade appears to Corbin with a warning: an enemy horde—larger than anything the Thirteen Kingdoms has ever seen—is storming towards their home.
And now, as the horizon darkens with spears, Corbin must lift his sword to defend a city he hates, to protect a family that has never loved him—all to keep a promise to his beloved older brother.
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Production Timeline
December 14th, 2020: Started writing. Slightly more aware of what I was getting myself into.
January 18th, 2021: Had to stop writing—85,000 words in—due to a strange pain and stiffness in my fingers and hands. Was diagnosed with carpal tunnel and tendonitis later that month.
May 23rd, 2021: Resumed working on the manuscript, using dictation instead of my hands.
September 22nd, 2022: Finished the First Draft. 749 pages. 342,635 words. *confetti emoji*
November 20th, 2022: Had meeting with writing mentor about the first draft. Suggested some revisions.
November 27th, 2022: Began initial edits.
December 22nd, 2022: Completed initial edits.
January 9th, 2023: Began official Second Draft.
February 21st, 2023: Completed the Second Draft! 787 pages. 333,735 words. *drool emoji*
April 6th, 2023: Began seeking literary representation. Sent out first batch of query letters.
February 28th, 2024: Received offer of representation. Signed with Lane Clarke at Ultra Literary.
Now: Revisions! Preparing manuscript for submission.