Tag: progression fantasy

60% Into Seeker’s Reckoning & Planning Ravenglass Origins | Author Diary, October 23, 2026

Jon Cronshaw reaches 60% of Seeker’s Reckoning, continues Clout Maxxing, plans Ravenglass Origins and finishes He Who Fights with Monsters Book 2.

This week, I’ve reached around 60% of the way through my draft of Seeker’s Reckoning, the third Ravenglass Guardians standalone, and I’ve continued working on Clout Maxxing alongside it.

That’s a big jump from 25% a fortnight ago. You can follow where every book stands on my Project Tracker. Clout Maxxing, my British LitRPG, is now running as a weekly serial on Patreon.

Planning Ravenglass Origins

I’ve also been outlining a potential future project called Ravenglass Origins. This would take the story right back to the very beginning of the kingdom of Ostreich and give me a chance to look at a much earlier period in the history of the Ravenglass Universe.

If you’d like the background on how Ostreich grew into an empire, the Ravenglass Universe World Bible covers the wider history, and The Ravenglass Chronicles shows the empire at its height.

What I’m Reading

On the reading side, I’ve just finished book two of He Who Fights with Monsters and I’m having a great time with the series. After bouncing off it earlier in the year, I’m now fully invested and keen to keep going. I talked about giving it a second try in last week’s Author Diary. If you want to try it yourself, Shirtaloon still releases new chapters on Patreon.

Plus, the usual thoughts on writing, reading and life as an indie author.

Listen, Watch and Read

Author Diary goes out every week as a vlog on YouTube and as an author podcast on Spotify. New to my fantasy books? Browse the full library, or grab a free starter library through my newsletter.

Nine Years of Author Diary & What I’m Doing With Clout Maxxing | October 16, 2026

Jon Cronshaw talks Seeker’s Reckoning, Clout Maxxing and Seven of Swords, celebrates nine years of Author Diary and revisits He Who Fights With Monsters.

This week, I’ve been working across a few different projects. I’ve made more progress on Seeker’s Reckoning, continued writing Clout Maxxing, and spent time editing Seven of Swords.

I’ve also finally decided what I’m going to do with Clout Maxxing. Rather than leaving it as a wacky side project, I’m going to run it as a Patreon serial, posting a new chapter every week.

There are a couple of personal milestones this week too. My wife and I have now been together for 25 years, and I’ve reached nine years of recording my Author Diary podcast without missing a single week.

On the reading side, I’ve returned to He Who Fights With Monsters after DNFing it earlier this year. This time around, something has clicked, and I’m really enjoying it.

Plus, the usual thoughts on writing, reading and life as an indie author.

30% Into Seven of Swords & I Finished Cradle | Author Diary, September 11, 2026

Jon Cronshaw reaches 40% of Seven of Swords, adds new chapters to Wyvern Academy, and shares his final thoughts on Will Wight’s Cradle series.

This week, I’m around 30% of the way through the first draft of Seven of Swords and talk about how the story is progressing as I get deeper into the book.

I’ve also spent some more time on Wyvern Academy, adding three new chapters to the first act and continuing to develop the story beyond the original Wyvern Rider novella.

On the reading side, I’ve finally finished Will Wight’s Cradle series.

40% Into The Hammer and the Crown & Returning to Wyvern Academy | Author Diary, September 4, 2026

Jon Cronshaw reaches 40% of The Hammer and the Crown, returns to Wyvern Academy, and shares his thoughts on finishing Will Wight’s Cradle series.

This week, I’m around 40% of the way through my draft of The Hammer and the Crown, book five in my Ravenglass Legends series.

The story is gathering momentum, and I talk about how the draft is progressing as I move deeper into Ragnar and Maja’s next adventure.

I’ve also returned to an older project, Wyvern Academy, a follow-up to my Wyvern Rider novella for Patreon.

On the reading side, I’m nearing the end of Will Wight’s Cradle series. I’m now on the final book and have been hugely impressed by how the series has developed.

Wight has done a fantastic job of building the characters, escalating the stakes and improving his craft across twelve books while keeping the story compulsively readable.

Halfway Through Six of Swords, Revisiting Old Stories & a Cradle Craft Lesson | Author Diary, August 14, 2026

This week: halfway through Six of Swords, revisiting The Hammer and the Crown, publishing Blind Sight, returning to Black Death and reading Ghostwater by Will Wight.

This week I’ve been making good progress on Six of Swords.

I’m 12 chapters into the draft, which probably puts me somewhere around the halfway point.

I’ve also been going back over what I’ve written so far for The Hammer and the Crown, continuing work on the next Ravenglass Legends novel.

One of the more satisfying things this week has been returning to older projects. I revisited Blind Sight, a prequel novella to Blind Gambit that I originally abandoned back in 2018. I’ve finally finished it and published it on Patreon.

I’ve also been working through another story from my open projects folder, this time set in the Black Death world, which should hopefully be ready next week.

On the reading front, I’m continuing with Will Wight’s Cradle series and have now reached Book Five, Ghostwater. I’m really enjoying the series, and I’ve also finally worked out why I struggled to follow parts of the second book, Soulsmith. It turned out to be a useful lesson in storytelling craft.

Preparing RAF Dragon Corps Book 3, Starting The Hammer and the Crown & Taking a Break | Author Diary, July 31, 2026

This week I prepare RAF Dragon Corps Book 3 for my editor, begin drafting The Hammer and the Crown, share my thoughts on Soulsmith and decide to take a much-needed break.

This week I’ve been getting RAF Dragon Corps Book 3 ready to send to my editor.

After finishing the draft, I’ve been working through the manuscript one last time, checking that everything is in place before handing it over.

I’ve also started drafting The Hammer and the Crown, the fourth book in my Ravenglass Legends series. It feels good to be back with Ragnar and Maja and moving forward with the next stage of the story.

On the reading front, I’m halfway through Soulsmith by Will Wight. I really enjoyed Unsouled, but I’ve found parts of the second book harder to follow. I’m going to keep reading for now, as so many readers love the Cradle series, and I’m hoping the story finds its footing again.

I also talk about feeling increasingly tired. I haven’t had a proper break since our trip to Rome in May, so I’ve decided to take next week off and give myself some time to recharge.

Finished RAF Dragon Corps Book 3, Back to Ravenglass Legends & Clearing the Backlog | July 23, 2026

This week: I finished RAF Dragon Corps Book 3, began The Hammer and the Crown, completed two long-abandoned stories, and enjoyed Unsouled by Will Wight.

This week I wrapped up my draft of RAF Dragon Corps Book 3.

I’ll be letting it rest for a while before coming back with fresh eyes, but it’s always a great feeling to reach the end of another novel.

With that finished, I’ve started outlining—and even written the first chapter of—The Hammer and the Crown, the fifth book in my Ravenglass Legends series. It feels good to be returning to Ragnar and Maja.

I also decided to tackle a couple of older projects as part of my ongoing audit of unfinished work.

I completed Family of the Wasteland, a novella I originally drafted back in 2017. It’s now available exclusively on my Patreon, where even free members can download and read it.

I also finished Threads of Wolfsbane, a Ravenglass Legends prequel starring Maja. That story will be landing on Patreon this weekend, and I’m pleased to finally cross another long-standing project off the list.

On the reading front, I’ve been reading Unsouled by Will Wight and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It’s my first real taste of progression fantasy. I’m still not entirely sure where the genre boundaries lie, but the focus on steadily developing the protagonist’s abilities gave it an almost anime-like feel.

A really entertaining read, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series.