
May, 2025
Hey, crew!
Who is glad winter is OVER? This guy. Granted I got a lot of writing done in winter, but I’m itching to get outside in the sun. And with the season of rebirth, I thought I’d spend this month’s newsletter, giving you a glimpse into the future. I have a lot of things brewing, and thought I’d share some of the more recent developments.
New Lost Zenith covers!!!
Good news! I have covers to reveal! As my young-adult, multiversal fantasy series grinds its way forward, it has a been a delight to scheme out designs for the books. So, here they are!

The Traveler’s Kiss
Too early to spoil, but it’s filled with the same zany hijinks and thrilling adventure across the multiverse, but this time we see it from a different POV and higher stakes. Oh, and it’s a Victorian steampunk world filled with monsters and those that hunt them!

Beyond the Blue Sun
Still too early to spoil, but it’s very much more of the same multiverse shenanigans and adventure. This continues the journey started in The Traveler’s Kiss. Only now the action takes place across space in this science-fiction inspired tale!

The Lost Archer
Not going to spoil too much for Book 5. Only that the characters from Wicked Crow and Atlantis City join forces with the characters from Traveler’s Kiss and Blue Sun. They must find The Lost Archer in order to fix the contracting multiverse. But this time we’re going in the opposite direction from science fiction and into the realm of high fantasy!

Sundown for the Dead
Not going go into too much detail on the final chapter, but the multiverse is on the verge of collapse and only our heroes have the moxie to fix it! And in true western fashion, the epic showdown comes down to a 1 on 1 shootout in the last wild west realm of the Infiniuum.
Other books in the works!
So, my young adult titles have found a home at Skywater Publishing cooperative, but for my more adult titles, I wanted to switch things and move to another publisher, where I can have a little more control over the process…and bigger slice of the pie on the back end. I have several thriller titles in the works, see the Substack note below.
But the most immediate title is a mob thriller called Grayduck. Here’s a synopsis:
For twenty years, Jimmy the Grayduck worked his way up in the Chicago underworld. Expert wiseguy and bag man. Engaged to the daughter of the head of the family. And his loyalty had him in line for the top spot when Vikk Korsack retires.
But when a mark drops a name from his childhood, he knew someone had it out for him. Only two other souls knew the secret that cursed his family and hometown. His already dangerous life just got more deadly.
Now, Jimmy must navigate the Polish mob and its crew of wiseguys and psychopaths to do the right thing. But even that path requires blood and black deeds. Did Jimmy have enough time, cash, and gas in the tank to slip back into the gray? Or would he end up on a hook in the meat-packing district?

After that I have a passion project – a non-fiction memoir of deer hunting in the northern Minnesota woods—called Ponderosa Boys. Here’s a synopsis:
Deer hunting in Minnesota has always been the one thing my family looked forward to every fall. And from the age of twelve until my fifties, deer hunting amounted to not only a fun week with my father and brother, but a gift of solace from the Earth and the forests that cover it.
For years I learned the trade from my father—a Vietnam Marine veteran—and over the years, I acted as the would-be journalist of our hunting party. I took notes, wrote down tall tales and deer stories from all the fellas. But the older we got, the more I saw a story unfolding between us – a passing of the torch moment.
But when my twelve-year-old daughter asked to hunt, it brought a whole new perspective to hunting—legacy. Where I was once the student, transitioning to caretaker, I had a young mind to train in the deer hunting arts.
This is that story. A circle of life story about three generations of Minnesota deer hunters.

So, look for those coming out soon!
Catch me on Substack!
Another thing I am dabbling in is Substack. It’s a great resource for writers to get to new audiences and get new stories out. For me, I’m using it to test some of the work in progress (WIP) books I have brewing on the backburner. But I thought I’d share those too. Here are the three stories I’m serializing on Substack:

Zero Sum
Zero, a retired marine and long-haul truck driver, mourns the loss of his pregnant wife to a school shooting. Using his network of cross-country connections, he spends his time between hauling illegal cargo to finally do something that no one in America has the guts to do—fight back against the rich and corrupt politicians responsible for his wife’s death.

Cedarbones
When Shelley Skarstad is released from prison, the former award-winning journalist returns home to Grand Marais to live with her father. Having lost custody of her only son, Vee, she is here to rebuild her life and get him back. But when a former college sweetheart asks her to look into a missing person’s report from 30 years ago, Shelley finds that the quiet hometown she once knew, has hidden a dark, dark secret.
Below Chokecherry Bog
When Ben Tragen and his daughter, Rose, embark on their fall hunting trip, an unthinkable event takes place, and Ben takes matters into his blood-stained hands. With his family’s future at stake, Ben and Rose haul a dead body into the woods under the cover of night. There, beneath the sloshy murk of Chokecherry Bog, they sink the only evidence of their crime. For the next 15 years, Ben and his family live with the guilt and anxiety, hoping it won’t tear them apart.
So, if you want to read my rough draft concept stuff, head over to Substack and give me a follow. And if you subscribe, by all means chat with me there and tell me what you think. Let me know if its stinker, or if I’m on the right track. I want this to be behind-the-scenes experience for fans and subscribers. I’d love to engage with everyone!
Also, if you’re gonna engage with me on Substack, you might as well hit my socials below and follow me on those too. The more the merrier.
Until next month!
Well, that’s what I have for you this month. Hopefully it was a bit fun and interesting. I like to share things with readers and give them a good look at the processes behind writing and publishing a book.
Take care and don’t get into any trouble that I’d get into! Stay safe.
-W
The Ghost of the Wicked Crow

Book 1 of The Lost Zenith series. Multiverse, high school, trauma, pirates!
Escape from Atlantis City

Book 2 of The Lost Zenith series. Multiverse, mental health, superheroes!
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