Graphite and Turbulence Cover Reveal

I’m so pleased to share the cover for Graphite and Turbulence, the second book in The Elemental Artist series!

Graphite and Turbulence

Graphite and Turbulence is the “Air” book of the series. If you’d like to purchase the preorder, the ebook version of the book is up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Google Play. I’ll be updating the cover on all the stores today, and print preorders will be available in February.

He will need courage, resilience, and a bit of magic—to survive fatherhood.

Artist Matthew Sugiyama finally has a location to start his search for his birth family, but no one prepared him for the turbulence of a scowling, unhappy child. Not only is the depot is far away, his fledgling parenting skills are not cutting it… and everyone has plenty of advice to offer on fatherhood. Before Matthew can find his bearings, Akiko disappears. In a blink, Matthew’s priorities change. Time is running out and when old friends and enemies arrive in the depot, the situation leaves Matthew scrambling. He needs a plan—and he needs help—but who can he trust?

A profoundly moving father daughter story of the search for love and connection, Graphite and Turbulence celebrates the magic that transforms friendly strangers into family.

Who The Book is For:

Graphite and Turbulence is a return to the love, hope, and banter of a post-technology world created in Oil and Dust. Fans of The Goblin Emperor, The Language of Flowers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, and Quarter Share will enjoy this tale of adventure, mishaps, and family.

Who The Book is Not For:

Though technically post-apocalyptic, this is not a grim, survival-focused book. Like Oil and Dust, there are no cannibals, zombies, or marauding motorcycle gangs. However, if you enjoyed Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele, or Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton, and Wool by Hugh Howey, you might enjoy Graphite and Turbulence!

The Path to Graphite and Turbulence

I started writing Graphite and Turbulence while waiting for line edits on Oil and Dust in 2018, but after getting stuck on Oil and Dust, didn’t finish this manuscript until March of 2021. Like Oil and Dust, I used Fictionary’s Storyteller software to complete the heavy edits.

We have finished the line edits, and the book is currently with a copy editor. I’ve scheduled the proofreader for early February, just in time to meet the preorder date! If you’d like to join my ARC team for Graphite and Turbulence, here is the application.

Lessons Learned

Graphite and Turbulence is the third novel I’ve written, and the second book I’m shepherding toward publication. Even though it has been a smoother journey than Oil and Dust, wrangling the characters and story on the page was still difficult.

First, this is the only sequel I’ve written. The primary characters feel like old friends, which made the writing easier. However, balancing the story so Graphite and Turbulence didn’t feel repetitive, while keeping the characters consistent was tricky.

Although Andrew at Design for Writers did a terrific job with this cover, one mistake I made lesson I learned is the words used in titles should be about the same length. By itself, I love this cover. But when compared with Oil and Dust, the title on this book is tiny, which I find distracting. The title words for the next two books are shorter, which I think will look better.

I also found the preorder deadline stressful. Conventional wisdom says you should have the preorder link for the next book in the back of the previous book. However, if deadlines freak you out, I don’t recommend it.

Last, for several reasons, I needed to add new members to my beta team and my editing team. For each, I reached out to authors to ask for recommendations. Even with their recommendations, winnowing through the many, many options was daunting.

Even with all of that, I can’t wait to share Graphite and Turbulence and see what you think! For a signed copy of Graphite and Turbulence, please fill out this form.

Have you written a sequel? How did it go?