2024: The Books I wrote and related topics I published the first book in my Land of Exile trilogy, By Blood, By Salt on May 14 2024. I had been working on and off on this trilogy for nearly 2 decades. I had gone the traditional publishing route and would have held to it, exceptContinue reading “Quite the Year: a summary in 4 parts”
Category Archives: My Books
A Haunt for Jackals
Coming Feb 25 2025, Book 2 in the Land of Exile trilogy! And here is the cover by the artist Jeremy Adams: After capturing a jinn-devil and fleeing to the desert, Azetla has exchanged the threat of execution for the weight of high treason. Thousands of men are now under his command—for the Emperor’s brotherContinue reading “A Haunt for Jackals”
In the SPFBOX
I mentioned being in an indie fantasy book competition a while back, in this post. I set my expectations at: get a few eyeballs on the book, and maybe get a decent review from a judge. I did not (except in rare moments of what I would have called utter delusion) set my sights on:Continue reading “In the SPFBOX”
Dear Main Character
Dear (My main character), You might be wondering why I didn’t let you be as good and perfect and noble as I know you truly wanted to be. Why?–you might ask–did I not protect you from those moral dilemmas that you’re still not sure you dealt with the way you should have. Why didn’t IContinue reading “Dear Main Character”
Update in the form of a ramble, for no one’s convenience
I did not realize till yesterday that I had let a whole month go by since writing a blog post. Not that these are strictly necessary–they are a mixture of casual joy and helpful discipline–and certainly no one has been knocking at my door, demanding I explain why I haven’t written one in a while.Continue reading “Update in the form of a ramble, for no one’s convenience”
Update. In List Form. For Our Mutual Convenience
Book 1 Updates Book 2 Updates Book 3 Updates: Meanwhile I had my birthday last week and got a gift card and ordered some books. I am very excited about that too! Just in case you didn’t know (you did know) you can get my book on: Amazon and Barnes and Noble and you canContinue reading “Update. In List Form. For Our Mutual Convenience”
Send Your Fighter Into the Ring
My experience with competition has, until now, been limited to Jiu Jitsu. I train. I work hard. I prepare. I map out my fight in its ideal form, so I won’t hesitate. I put on my gi. I shake out my nerves physically, with jumps and arm swings and jogging and swaying. I shake outContinue reading “Send Your Fighter Into the Ring”
So What Color is the Morality?
Gray. Or black-and-white. It’s all so simple, right? Well, of course not. It turns out that discussing the complexities of how morality is depicted in fantasy is itself a very complex endeavor! The subject is wildly muddled and I’m going to tell you how I accidentally confirmed this somewhat obvious fact. Confirmed it to theContinue reading “So What Color is the Morality?”
Technical difficulties and a solution
I am working on a blog post about moral frameworks in stories (classic black-and-white, complicated black-and-white–yes that’s a thing–gray with hope? Gray with no hope?) but we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with both a technical difficulty and it’s most practical solution. Several people who pre-ordered the hardcover (just, specifically the hardcover) on Amazon neverContinue reading “Technical difficulties and a solution”
And then what happened?
Honestly, I don’t know. Watch, wait, and work, I guess. One week out from publication and trying to hold this process with open hands. With self-publishing you kinda know going into that it’s going to be an uphill battle. You’ll have an initial surge from friends and family, but then when that tapers off youContinue reading “And then what happened?”
J. L. Odom 