We are so excited to finally announce the release of the first audiobook in our Thread of Souls series. Phantom Five is out and available via Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. It was narrated by our very own amazing Dorian.
It has been a long process in getting to this point. From trying two voice actors that didn’t work out, to setting up our own booth, and to figuring out the ACX system to upload the book.
We actually had the book finished in December 2023, but the ACX review is a very long process and customer support isn’t the smoothest experience. Our biggest hurled was that they pulled our legal names over our pen names and could not fix it for us. Eventually we accepted it since we list all four names under Amazon, anyway.
We are so happy with the final product and so excited to bring it to you!
I have enjoyed drawing my entire life. I’ve never done it in any professional capacity and never had any training. But there is plenty of my art hanging around our home. So I’d like to take a moment to share some art with you.
This feature is art of Jade the druid, a major character in our Thread of Souls book series. Enjoy!
This is an autobiographical post. The names of people and places may be changed.
We decided to write autobiographical posts about the colorful life we have lived. There will be tales of sleeping in a campervan on the beach, of defending a bird’s nest from a snake, and of running away from wolves while sick with bronchitis. There will be tales of diagnosis with PTSD and ADHD and how it changed our lives, of meeting biological family, and of job loss. It’s a tale of overcoming challenges, of finding out who we are, of love, hope, cats, and of a marriage that’s gotten stronger through it all.
Autobiography Post 15
Discovering TTRPGs changed our lives. Ever since 2015, it has impacted our hobbies, our interests, and led to the launch of our book series. There is no way to minimize how it has shaped our future.
But it had very modest beginnings.
Critical Role
Dorian watched Critical Role long before I ever did. He would tell me about the stories and the characters. Seeing the rules played out before him made him want to learn how to play the 5th edition of D&D. He bought a rulebook and would read it frequently, learning the game. He invited me to learn but I was hesitant. It was so confusing to me when he would explain it. I didn’t understand how it was played.
Ending Up Involved
Once Dorian felt confident with the rules, he met up with his friends to have them make characters. He met with five different people and they scheduled a time to all play their first game together. But the week of, only two of them said they would show up.
“It would really be better with three players,” Dorian sighed. “I don’t know who else to ask.”
I hesitated, then offered, “I could play. It’ll be fun.”
He brightened and helped me through making a character. A chose a druid because I could do elemental spells and have an animal companion. That was when I made Jade and Foxy. I still didn’t understand, but I was willing to give it a try to support my then-fiance.
During the first game two of Dorian’s friends showed up. It was the person who played Brother Zok, and the person who played Sen. About an hour before the game Dorian encouraged me to call my adoptive sister to see if she’d be interested in joining us.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to learn how to play DnD,” she admitted. “I can’t tonight, but I might be able to join another week.”
So the three of us playing Jade, Sen, and Brother Zok sat down at the table. We had an incredible time playing through what’s ended up being the first two chapters (not including the prologue) of Phantom Five.
Learning More
Not long after that, I started watching Critical Role with Dorian. Seeing a game played out helped me learn and realize what a TTRPG could become. Though we started out with D&D 5e, over the course of the years we learned many other systems and ultimately forged a game more homebrewed than anything else. That’s our creative minds at work!
Back then, we only used graph paper for a map and some lego pieces for characters. Years later it led to a huge Dwarven Forge collection and an entire bookshelf worth of miniatures. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of the first games, but you get an idea of what we created in the following years!
We became so invested that it changed the course of our lives forever. And over the next couple of autobiographical posts, I am happy to share with you how it evolved and how it turned into Thread of Souls.
It was well over a year ago now that we decided to hire a professional book cover designer. We are both creatives and artists, but we didn’t have the tools, time, or graphic design experience to really create the covers we wanted. After many weeks of searching through freelancers on Fiverr, we found Vivien.
We have worked with her for all four books in Thread of Souls and are looking forward to continuing to work with her for the rest of the series and many books to come! We chatted with her about her inspiration, how she goes about designing books covers, and how she got started!
How did you get started as a designer?
I’m self-taught and got started with designing my own book cover nearly five years ago. I collect hobbies and am constantly looking for new ways to be creative. I’ve done pottery throwing, jewelry making, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, furniture repair, painting…the list goes on! Once I started looking into cover designers for my second book, I realized that digital design was a creative avenue I hadn’t pursued before. I love a challenge and I love learning new things so I jumped into the world of book design and haven’t looked back!
I love being part of bringing someone’s book to life. The design process is typically one of the final stages to publication and it’s fun to share in the client’s excitement to release something they may have spent years working on.
How do you begin coming up with ideas for a book cover design?
Every cover design project starts with the client brief. I like getting a list of several items important to the story—they may not all be included in the final design, but it gives me more options to work with. I also like to get some examples of covers that the client likes or thinks fits the tone of their novel well.
Mix that with market research and I typically have a pretty good idea of where to go for the concepts. I usually have a mental image of the concepts and then jump into compositing images. Some ideas don’t work at all and about half of my projects reach a point where I think “this looks terrible, I don’t know what I’m doing!” Much like writing a book, I have self-doubt, no matter how many covers I’ve designed. I’ve learned not to listen to that doubt though and look at each project as a challenge to improve my craft.
Do you have a favorite book type of favorite book genre to design for?
Fantasy books hold a special place for me since that’s what I got started on. My first client was a romantasy author I’ve known for years. I told her I wanted to get started in design and would design the cover for her latest book for free. I had a lot to learn at the time, but I’m so thankful for her! Fantasy books are the most challenging for me, but the most rewarding!
Are there any book covers done by others that you are a big fan of?
So many! I’m constantly looking to improve, and drooling over other designer’s work is part of that. I like to analyze book covers now in a way I never did before. Looking at ways images are layered together, how typography can be its own design element for the book, how other designer’s choose color and contrast to make a cover pop. Some designers I follow are Micaela Alcaino (Ig: @micaelaalcainodesign), Franziska Stern (Ig: @coverdungeonrabbit), and Lexxie (ig: selkkiedesigns).
Do you do any other design work?
I mainly provide interior design and formatting, and book cover design. I work across all genres, and can provide marketing materials as well (ad mockups, social media banners, etc.).
Happy New Year! We did our look back at 2023, and now we look ahead at what is coming for Thread of Souls in 2024.
The Books
The fifth book in the Thread of Souls series will be released this year. Right now, we are looking at the end of May, but it is still too early to set any date in stone.
The audiobook for Phantom Five has been completed! It’s currently in the official ACX review stage and out of our hands. We will post an announcement once it is published! Be on the lookout for the Ash & Thunder audiobook later this year!
The Merch
We have a fun lineup of a lot of new merchandise coming across the year. The official plan is to release two new items each month. We will keep you posted on our monthly check-ins with what is new in our shop.
The Website
You can expect more ongoing blog posts across 2024. We have three a week planned, but there may be more if we have more news, or less if we are on vacation. Things you can expect to read about:
More from our “How to Become a Writer” series
Book and game reviews
Updates, excerpts, and first-look reveals for the books
Song recommendations for your TTRPGs or other creative endeavors
It’s been a wild year for us here at Thread of Souls. Setbacks in being laid off and moving twice put multiple projects on hold for months. But we still have had plenty of exciting things get accomplished. Here is our 2023 Year in Review!
The Books
We had no new book publications this year since the most recent book, Asunder was released in December of 2022. As these books get more complex and the plot deepens, it takes longer than a year to get them together.
We are currently 80% of the way through the fifth book, and recently released an excerpt preview. This year has been filled with a great deal of writing and editing. It’s been exciting to see this new story come to life!
The audiobook for Phantom Five is also in the final editing stages. Ideally, we’d like to release it before the end of 2023.
The Merch
We added a handful of new merchandise items in our Redbubble shop. Two of our favorites are the Jade shirt and sticker, and the Ruuda-themed Blessed Brew shirt. You can find them here.
The Soundtrack
Our first Thread of Souls soundtrack was released! We’ve been working with the amazing Sean Gartner who has composed such incredible music for the books. You can find it anywhere that you stream music.
Game Sandwich
Dorian launched a new gaming news website called Game Sandwich this past spring. He brought together a group of people who had all been laid off from the same gaming website to create their own platform and promote the stories they felt people wanted to read, rather than what corporate bosses who don’t follow the industry think is “in”. It’s seen absolutely incredible growth this year. Check it out!
Our Lives
Definitely a time of change! After being part of a 50% unexpected company layoff, we moved from our rental house and helped take care of an old family home that turned out to be haunted. Once we got back on our feet, we moved to Chicagoland and have had the best time! We have visited the beaches, gone to museums, joined in on festivals, and even bought a new car. Despite the challenges, we have nothing but gratitude as we come to the end of the year.
What about you? What has been your favorite part of 2023?
Happy holidays! We love this time of year so much. We watch holiday movies every Friday, and we do 12 Days of gifts to one another. As you know, we moved into a new place six months ago with pretty much nothing (not even a bed or a sofa), and it’s been great to see the new home finally take shape.
I drew four holiday cards this year featuring characters from our Thread of Souls series. We have Taliesin with “Merry & Bright”, Jade with “Oh Christmas Tree”, Jasita with “Let it Snow”, and Ruuda with “On an Open Fire”.
It’s that time of year! We’ve already given our recommendations for gifts for the storytellers in your life, and the gifts for the TTRPG players in your life. A lot has been added in the world of Thread of Souls gifts across this year. Here’s our recommendations!
For the Readers
Thread of Souls is an epic fantasy book series. This is not a children’s gift, but is suitable for 16+ depending on the maturity of the adolescent. There is a good deal of profanity and adult themes and situations, but nothing too graphic. The books are available in paperback and ebook. Phantom Five is currently the only hardcover, and the Phantom Five audiobook is in the final editing stages. You can easily find all the books on Amazon, but Barnes and Nobles’ website as well as other online book retailers have them for sale. We have zero control over what goes on the shelves in brick and mortar stores, so we can’t say if they are available at your local bookshop or not.
In the Thread of Souls “Spider Octology”, ten adventurers are caught in a web of deadly secrets, warring cults, and untrusting alliances when they meet a cult runaway seeking freedom. They must overcome their differences in order to stop a god’s release from an abyssal prison.
Thread of Souls is an award-winning eight-book epic fantasy series based off a TTRPG campaign. These stories weave a world of deep history, cultures, and lore with a fascinating pantheon of good and evil gods. Adventure across the vast world of Corventos while diving right into the heart and soul of a diverse and colorful cast of characters whose passions, strengths, and failures drive the story.
Thread of Souls is a must-read fantasy epic that blends swords and sorcery, dragons and mythical creatures, and fully realized locations that take your breath away. From the desert wastelands of the Expanse, down the twisting caverns of the Deep Hollows, through the beautiful streets of the lakeside capital city, and all the way to the icy tundra home of the Citadel.
Thread of Souls series summary
For the Comfy Shirt Lovers
Our Redbubble shop features plenty of fun t-shirts inspired by Thread of Souls. We currently have a Thread of Souls logo shirt, a Jade shirt, and a Blessed Brew shirt. Many of these comes in various types, such as long sleeve, fitted, or tank top, so be sure to explore your options!
For Those Who Like Free Gifts
Give the gift of music! Our Thread of Souls soundtrack is available all places that music is streamed. Depending on what streaming service you use, you don’t even have to pay! Enjoy songs such as “Chill Tavern”, “The Utterer”, and “Jade’s Theme”.
As we look ahead to have some days off together for the holidays, we reflect on all we are thankful for across these past 12 months. It’s been a huge time of change for us. We moved twice, were unemployed, started new jobs, began a business, explored, and took on new adventures! It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the difficulties in life, especially when you have CPTSD as I do, but it’s important to also take time to be thankful for things.
Family & Friends
One highlight from the last years was meeting my biological family. This included my grandfather, Lonnie. Just after I met him he was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal illness. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with him. We lost him last year just before Christmas.
The Cats
We are thankful for our two kitties, Danaerys and Gamora. Dany’s super relaxed attitude, friendliness when you’re laying down, and clumsiness when she climbs is always endearing. Gamora’s high energy, outspokenness, and constant desire to be held always brings a smile to our face, even when she trips us during zoomies.
Our New Home
We are thankful for our new home and all the adventures it has provided. We’ve never lived in this region of the country before, and we’ll have plenty to explore for years to come! I also love being less than 30 minutes from the beach and right next to Chicago. It’s given us so much to see and to do, our wanderlust is very satisfied right now.
Our Jobs
You never know how thankful you are to have a job until you don’t have one. We made it through the ups and downs of finding a new job together, and are very thankful to have steady income once again. Our jobs have also given us great opportunities! Dorian got to interview WWE superstar Zoey Stark this week, which was such an exciting opportunity.
Our Marriage
We love each other more every year, and have gotten through every challenge hand-in-hand. This past year has presented unique challenges, but we’re both glad to have had on another’s backs. And most importantly, been there to hold one another when we felt weak. We are so excited for what is to come.
Excerpt of the upcoming fifth book of the Thread of Souls series!
We’ve been working on the fifth book in our Thread of Souls fantasy series since early this year. We expect it to be released in spring of 2024. As we draw ever-closer to its publication, we want to give you an excerpt from an early chapter as a preview! While this has been edited, it is still not in its final form and may be edited more.
Enjoy!
RUUDA
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Ruuda kept her head down and hood up as she trudged through the rainy Eleste’si streets. Flanked by Jasita, Wash, and Unolé with Teshuva, the group tried to move as quickly as possible without drawing the attention of the Thornguard.
Something else has drawn their attention, anyway, she thought sourly.
Even in the dark of the night, a glow lingered in the direction of the docks, framing the graceful silhouettes of buildings. And from it, a thick cloud of smoke. Ruuda knew what it was. The remains of the ship that was set ablaze. The trap sprung to catch Taliesin, and kill her.
But she was still alive. She had Jasita to thank for that. The healing elixir the crystalmancer had brought along saved her life.
“Where are we going?” Unolé asked. The tips of her horns, adorned with gold, stuck out from her hood.
“To talk to a smuggler,” Ruuda replied. “It’s the same woman that got Taliesin and I out of the city when we first left the Deep Hollows. She’s near the southern border wall. Her name is Zayra, and she’s not friendly.”
“We don’t need her to be friendly,” Wash said, “we just need her to get us underground.”
Wash had been all-business since the attack had happened, his usual dry humor and teasing gone. While Ruuda and Taliesin had been away at the docks, the rest of the group had been attacked by assassins of the cult of Aranese. They’d survived, though Unolé had been badly injured. With Taliesin gone, Ruuda knew the burden fell on her to guide the others. They’d never been to the Deep Hollows before, they’d need her knowledge and skills to survive and find their friend.
I’d be faster on my own, Ruuda reasoned. But she knew she couldn’t leave them behind. Taliesin had asked her not to.
Once they had recovered enough from their wounds, the group had packed as lightly as possible and left the Sanguine Vestibule. Ruuda had left her barrel behind. It would only slow her down. They had quickly spoken to Hwalla privately, away from his children, explaining that Taliesin had been kidnapped and they were going to rescue him. The dark gnome had been deeply worried, and wished them all the best. Ruuda felt sorry for Hwalla. His entire life had been uprooted because of Aranese’s influence.
Damn that goddess. I hate her.
As they hurried through an open town square, they passed a large and ornate stone fountain. Built atop it was a statue of a high elf with her hand on a mirror wreathed in ivy and leaves. There was something about it that made Ruuda sad.
“What does it mean?” Unolé asked Jasita, gesturing to the statue.
Jasita’s fair, angular face peered up against the rain to take in the fountain. “It is a symbol for passage into the Wilds. It’s in mourning of what was lost when the high elves were cut off from that plane of existence.”
Unolé paused for a moment, then said, “You work for the people who did this, but you’re a high elf.”
“The people who did this are long dead.”
They continued swiftly and silently through the streets until Ruuda recognized the area where she’d first met Zayra. Tall stone walls bordered them, and the alleys ran narrow and dark. The usual design of the city, all cherry blossoms and pinks and blues, was less present here.
Ruuda turned to her companions. “Stay in this alley. I’ll go forward and talk to her privately.”
“I can help if you need me to,” Jasita offered, fingering the moonstone ring along her finger.
“I know. But I’ve got this.”
Ruuda stepped out alone and pulled back her hood. Her wild hair, dyed all the colors of fire, hung drenched past her shoulders. She knew the roots were coming in white now. It had been a very long time since she’d dyed her hair with the enchanted dyes of her people.
White just like Taliesin’s hair.
Ruuda glanced around, steeled herself, and said aloud, “Zayra! I’ve come with a job.”
A long moment passed, and then a dagger flashed through the air. It sped by Ruuda and embedded itself in the wall near Wash’s head. The soldier flinched, and Jasita squealed in surprise.
A dark shadow dropped from a rooftop before Ruuda. A lithe woman in a dark cloak. Pulling back the cloak revealed the dark elf smuggler, Zayra. She looked just as Ruuda remembered, though it had been nearly two years. She was almost six feet tall, with her white hair tied back into a bun and scars marking her gray skin.
“I count four of you,” Zayra spat with her arms crossed. “Are there any more hiding?”
Ruuda sighed in exasperation and motioned for her companions to join her. “Just the four of us.”
Wash and Unolé strode boldly out and Jasita shuffled less confidently after them. Zayra’s red eyes took them all in. Ruuda noticed a barely perceptible frown pass Zayra’s face as she noticed the stained blood on their clothes and patched-up injuries.
“What services do you need from me?” the smuggler demanded.
“We need to be taken to the Deep Hollows. Unnoticed,” Ruuda answered.
Zayra tilted her head to one side. “I understand you going back home, little dark dwarf, but why would these Surface-dwellers wish to go underground?”
Wash was quick to answer. “We’re all adventurers seeking to hunt monsters and earn some gold.”
A scoff escaped Zayra. “The Deep Hollows is a dangerous place. You won’t return alive. Especially someone as petite as you, half-fiend.”
Unolé’s purple eyes narrowed. “I’ve fought plenty of monsters in the last year. I am not afraid.”
“You should be. I’m not keen to smuggle idiots, much less Surface-dwellers, down into my home.”
Ruuda felt hot, angry tears bite at her eyes. Taliesin could be suffering at his moment, and she was here wasting her time in negotiations. But before a furious retort could fly off her tongue, Unolé stepped forward and held up a pack that jingled with gold coins.
“How does one thousand gold per person sound to you?” Unolé asked in a tone that implied she already knew the answer.
Everyone looked to Unolé in surprise.
Zayra fumbled with her words a moment before asking, “Is that your money, or did you steal it?”
“Why would it matter to you?”
“I don’t want trouble coming my way.”
Unolé’s eyes narrowed further. “And we don’t want you to bring us into any trouble. We want to get safely and quietly down to the Deep Hollows.”
Wash spoke up, his arms crossed over his chest. “Why are you arguing with us about this? Isn’t your whole job smuggling?”
“I don’t like speaking to a man,” Zayra sneered.
“Enough!” Ruuda stepped forward, holding her hands out. She turned a fiery glare to Zayra. “A dark elf male was taken by another dark elf tonight at the docks. Do you have any information about this?”
For the first time a smile crossed Zayra’s face. “I might. If you up the price to five thousand gold, I’ll tell you what I saw.”
Ruuda leaned in toward the other woman. Despite the substantial height difference, Ruuda’s strong build was imposing and her expression like a roaring wild fire. Zayra leaned slightly back, hand hovering by the dagger at her hip.
Ruuda growled, “For five thousand you tell us what you know, and you get us to the Deep Hollows without trouble. Understood?”
Zayra’s tone had lost much of its bravado as she replied. “Agreed.”
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