Cwej Updates

​Full disclosure: I tend not to thank my loyal readers enough. Mostly because, like my disillusionment with long series’ being milked dry, I think more is less and less is more for thanks and showing appreciation. It will mean a lot less if I keep saying the same thanks time and again, while showing nothing for it. That being said: Thank you all. Thank you thank you THANK YOU.

Every delay, you’ve been patient with. You’ve been there, reading and waiting as we drum up fanfare for the excellent upcoming books. The patience of you all is unmatched, second to none. Every author, every illustrator, every reader. We’re in this together. Thank you.

Now, for the less sentimental (but equally important!) news. There will be many upcoming releases you can look forward to. We haven’t been sitting on them, we’ve been working tirelessly to give a product that we’re proud to share. And we’ve gotten far enough that I wanted to share some of them with you.

Cwej: Down the Middle’s recent reprint has art of Frey the Friend (which we previously mistook for Romana), the online-exclusive Ursine Brood artwork, and individual busts of the characters from the original cover art. The original front and back covers make a return as interior illustrations.

Minor tweaks to the original text were made, such as a few occasions of the singular use of Cwejen being fixed to Cwej, and editing mentions of P.R.O.B.E. to SIGNET, an organization starring in our upcoming series of adventures in the Doctor Who universe. The Aftermath’s title was edited to Aftermath, because I thought having so many titles starting with “The” at the very end of the book was aesthetically unpleasing on the table of contents. Sam’s story is no longer included, as I said previously. This is a volume doing away with drama, and starting fresh.

These admittedly minor tweaks make the book look, read, and feel all the more impassioned. You can pick up a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Cwej-Down-Middle-Hunter-OConnell/dp/B0BYR5F8CP/

Now let’s talk about the hardcover. The exclusive short stories are being wrapped up, which means I must tell you about them and the situation with printing them. If you have bought the paperback, you’re in luck! We’ve decided to collect all the initially-exclusive stuff into a paperback, which will come out at a later date. This as-of-yet untitled mini-collection, internally being called Book 1.5, is for those loyal customers who have already purchased one of the two editions, and want the chance to experience these new and incredible tales.

The hardback collects both Down the Middle and Book 1.5 into a single binding with colored illustrations, but if you’ve already bought the paperback, you’ll still get the opportunity to read the new stories in their entirety. The contents are as follows:

Foreword, by Hunter O’Connell (~5,000 words)
A Message to Panda, by Paul Magrs (806 words)
Burnyard of the Cryptopyres, by Tyche McPhee Letts (~4,000 words)
A Tour of La Kraw el Sol, by Hunter O'Connell (~4,000 words)
Ode to a Broken Appliance, by T Maynard Banks (807 words)
Untitled story, by Hunter O'Connell (~15,000 words)

ALSO: For those on a budget or who have more interest in certain arcs of Cwej than others, we’re splitting them up into three cheaper collections. All with the same content, but more affordable, and for people who want to experience the events in a different way!

Living Memory - All stories from A Bright White Crack to In the Loop. Read about the origins of Chris’ companions Larles and Kwol, how they came to meet, and their first few adventures in space and time!

Dying to Forget - All stories from Ring Theory to The Eternal. Experience Chris Cwej’s more self-contained adventures, from one end of the Totality to the other. His odd jobs for the Superiors are documented here!

Uprising - All stories from The Ursine Brood onwards. The lore-heavy interconnected epic you’ve always dreamed of! Deconstructing and reconstructing each character, over the span of a 50-year space battle.

Once these have been released, we’ll release the five novels of Hidden Truths as separate paperbacks, all to be collected in a huge hardback tome, with colored illustrations. Hidden Truths carries on from the Uprising saga, with Chris picking up the mess he made as more threats Loom than he could possibly fathom…

Finally, I’ll be attending Texas Author Con as a featured guest, autographing books for those who attend. I’ll be selling the books at a 25% discount, so be sure to join me and many other authors of incredible fiction at the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel for the convention, held on July 14th and 15th! Admission is FREE! Here’s the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/411782651997 See you there!

This should give you a good idea of the direction we plan to take this series in. The audiobook readings are still being figured out, as is the ultimate end of the story. There’s still a lot we have left to do, but we’re constantly chipping away at the little things, and we’re working to ensure a consistent release schedule which we’ll share with you all later. Things are looking bright! More updates to come.

And once again… Thank you!

~Hunter O’Connell