Tag: Six of Swords

Six of Swords Finished & 25K Into The Hammer and the Crown | Author Diary, August 26, 2026

Jon Cronshaw finishes Six of Swords, reaches 25,000 words on Ravenglass Legends book five, and discusses Will Wight’s Cradle series.

This week, I’ve finished Six of Swords and sent it off for editing, bringing another Ravenglass Chronicles novella to the next stage of production.

I’ve also made good progress on The Hammer and the Crown, book five in the Ravenglass Legends series. I’m now around 25,000 words into the draft as Ragnar and Maja’s story continues.

I also talk about my ongoing readthrough of Will Wight’s Cradle series. I’m currently on book eight, Bloodline, and thoroughly enjoying it.

One of the things that has stood out is how much Wight’s craft develops as the series progresses, particularly in terms of pacing, character work and handling an increasingly large story without losing momentum.

Six of Swords & Exploring Arthurian Britain | August 21, 2026

This week I reach 17 chapters of Six of Swords, work on Arthurian prequel The Last Eagle, and visit Lammerside Castle and Pendragon Castle for inspiration.

This week I’ve continued making progress on Six of Swords and now have 17 chapters drafted. The book is moving along well, and I’m getting close to the final stretch.

I’ve also been working on The Last Eagle, a prequel novella for a potential new Arthurian Britain series. The idea is to take the legends of Arthur and place them in a grittier, more grounded post-Roman Britain, while still keeping the heroic and mythic elements that make the stories so enduring.

That project also tied in nicely with a couple of recent visits to Lammerside Castle and Pendragon Castle. Both places have plenty of history and atmosphere, and Pendragon in particular comes with its own Arthurian associations.

So this week’s diary is a mix of Ravenglass progress, new Arthurian ideas, and a bit of real-world historical inspiration.

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.

Finished Five of Swords & A Return to the Black Death World | Author Diary, July 10, 2026

This week: I finished the draft of Five of Swords, outlined Six of Swords, and planned a new Black Death apocalyptic thriller set in the UK.

This week I’ve been focused on bringing Five of Swords to the finish line.

The third draft is now complete! Before it heads off to my editor, I’ll do one final read-through to catch any lingering issues and make sure everything hangs together.

Looking ahead, I’ve also finished outlining Six of Swords, so I’m ready to keep the momentum going with The Ravenglass Chronicles.

One unexpected development came from looking through some of my old, unused book covers. That sparked an idea to return to the world of Black Death.

I’ve now outlined a second novel—an apocalyptic thriller set in the UK—and I’m excited by the possibilities.

It’s still early days, but it reminded me how ideas can come from the most unexpected places.