Thank you for joining me through the ups and downs of 2025. I will reflect on the year (and the books I’ve read) in more detail later. For now, let me catch you up on what I’ve been up to during my blog’s hiatus these past few months.
Interactive Short Story: Little Bead in a Squall
This was the primary reason for my recent absence from my blog. Back in August, I was approached with the offer to contribute an interactive short story for the Unearthed Stories app. There were some learning curves involved and 3 original artworks for me to prepare. Everything had to be refined by mid-November. Little Bead in a Squall will release on the app as part of the Underwater Update on 5 December 2025.
There are 2 main plot lines to choose from in this story, with lots of smaller choices throughout. The reader can develop the main knyad character or explore his world in subtly different ways. The app is free (with an ad at the beginning). You can restart the story at any time to take it in a different direction. Little Bead features a new character with minimal connections to my main duology, so it’s a fun introduction to a small corner of Knyadrea.
I am grateful to Livia J. Elliot and Prowess Games for extending this exciting opportunity to me. Livia herself is a superb author who writes beautifully philosophical stories.
Beta Readers and the Sequel to Far Removed:
I have 2 brilliant new beta readers, Andrés and Audrie, helping me to polish my manuscript. Both are also editors (should you wish to enlist their services). I managed to send them the bulk of the sequel in early November, and am currently completing the last few chapters; hopefully I’ll be ready to send those off by next weekend. A cover reveal may also be on the way in the next month or two.
Commissions:
I usually end up sharing clients’ posts on social media before I update my Ko-fi (I’d initially planned to do this the other way around). I now have quite a lot of artworks waiting to be added to my portfolio. This year, I’ve been fortunate to work with some incredible authors like L. L. Stephens, Dave Lawson, A.J. Calvin, Timothy Wolff and more. A lot of the commissions are character portraits, but there are also some covers (yet to be revealed).
Take care of yourselves over the holidays. If you’d like more regular updates, you can find me primarily on Twitter or BlueSky.
C B Lansdell 