Newsletter June

A Message from Shawn

Ahoy and welcome aboard, !

A Ship, A Secret, and a Bestseller Start...

Whether you're a longtime fantasy reader or just stumbled into our harbor by way of sea spray and story magic, I'm thrilled you're here. This is the very first Starweaver Academy newsletter, and it means a lot to be writing to you as both a fellow adventurer and the storyteller behind this voyage.

I started writing this world for my grandkids to read one day. Stories full of courage, heart, and the kind of magic that lingers in the bones. What began as a family gift has grown into something much bigger.

At first, I just planned to self-publish it on Amazon relatively quietly. Maybe print a few copies and share with friends and family. Then, very unexpectedly within 72 hours of launching, that little book had a “#1 New Release” banner on Amazon. I thought, “Well, that’s kind of cool.” A few days later it hit a “#1 Bestseller” in its category, and my first thought was, “Oh no… I really should have finished editing that better.”

Since then, that original manuscript has been softly cleaned a couple of times without touching the heart of the story. And yes, it still has one more professional polish in its near future. Because even when a story surprises you with early success, it’s worth making sure the words live up to the world behind them.

A Free Story to Start With

Still waiting to begin the series? Here's a gift to help you set sail.

The Driftmoor Name - the origin story of Lena Driftmoor, one of the fiercest hearts in the crew.

Our Voyage So Far

Book One: Tidebreakers Call
Where it all began. A sentient ship. A boy with a forgotten past. And an academy where magic and danger collide.
Now available in Kindle, paperback, and just this week, the Audible audiobook narrated by Joshua Story and Katherine Grant-Suttie. You can listen to this on Audible.

Book Two: The Shadow Trials

Released just a few weeks ago and proud to say it held the #1 New Release spot in one of it's Amazon Fantasy categories. That ranking may not last forever, but the excitement has been unforgettable.

Secrets are rising. Friendships are tested. And one captain may not survive what the tides have planned.

Book Three, Legacy of the Abyss, is already written and now deep in editing. The tides rise higher, the stakes grow darker, and the next leg of Finn’s journey will carry readers deeper into prophecy and sacrifice. If you're waiting on the next audiobook, production for The Shadow Trials is also on the horizon.

The Author’s Journey

I’ve wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember.

And I tried. Believe me. My hard drive is full of abandoned outlines, scattered chapters, half-built worlds, and story starts that never made it to shore. I became great at building worlds but couldn’t figure out how to finish a full book. I had the heart but not the map.

That started to change when I discovered a writing class taught by bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson at BYU. The lectures are free online, and a few of his lessons made something click for me. I finally understood how to keep the story moving forward without losing the magic.

The next breakthrough came from studying structure. Once I started using a format that breaks a story into book, act, chapter, scene, and beat, with word targets for each part, it all made sense. That world of Finn and the Tidebreaker, which had been stuck in my head for so long, began to take shape on the screen. And once it started, I didn’t stop.

The world I’m building is vast, but I’ll admit something. My writing is a coming-of-age story too. Just like Finn learns to communicate with the Tidebreaker, I’m learning how to make the words on the page live up to the story in my imagination.

We’re growing together. Finn, the ship, and me. And I’m grateful you’ve joined the voyage.

There’s so much more to share about this journey. From indie publishing lessons to the colorful personalities behind the scenes, future newsletters will be full of those stories and a few surprises too.

On the Horizon

Without revealing spoilers, I can tell you that Finn’s story is outlined across five full books. The arcs are set. The storms are building. The Tidebreaker still has much to reveal.

Beyond this series, more stories are rising from the sea.

A standalone special project, set in the same world but apart from Finn’s crew, is already halfway written. If all goes well, it will be ready to release by the end of summer. This new tale explores a different corner of the Expanse, with its own characters and its own mysteries.

There's also another full series in development, softly outlined and waiting for its time on deck.

And once the Starweaver Academy saga is complete, I look forward to exploring new worlds that have been sitting patiently in my notes. A few of the ones whispering the loudest include:

• Dragon Touched — a story of legacy, elemental magic, and the cost of power
• The Hollow Crown — a dark fantasy full of cursed bloodlines and dangerous oaths
• An untitled sci-fi space adventure that mixes rebellion, artificial intelligence, and a fractured empire
• A fun short story that sits advancing to in a standard publishers contest, waiting for a world to be built around it.
• And several more I’m not quite ready to name

One more thing I’m working on behind the scenes: finding the right visual artist partner to help bring more of this world to life. From expanded character visuals to setting pieces and updated maps, my hope is to build a more vivid and consistent visual identity for the entire series. If you’ve enjoyed the imagery so far, just wait until you see what’s ahead.

For now, I’m focused on Finn’s story. But the voyage is long, and there are many worlds to come.