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Truancy City Cover, Manuscript Finalized. Coming Fall 2012!, posted 2012-01-28 by I.F.

Dear readers, this week I had the pleasure of approving the final Truancy City manuscript for the typesetters and I can announce that the book has finally been scheduled for release in the early fall of this year! I hope to be able to report a precise release date soon. In the meantime, I've also received the cover art for the book and I think it looks fairly amazing:

I hope that you all think it looks as great as I do. I have done my absolute best over the past few years to ensure that the contents are just as good and I'm confident that the end of the trilogy will be the best part of all.

Truancy City in Final Phases of Editing, Set for Early 2012 Release, posted 2011-04-05 by I.F.

Though I pop in on the forums every once in a while, I am aware that I have been woefully neglectful of this main page in recent years. This is mainly due to the fact that Truancy City has had a truly arduous editing process which is only now coming to an end, and I did not want to report too much prematurely. However, I can now safely announce that we are currently in the final line by line stage of editing, and that everything will be completely wrapped up within another couple of months. The manuscript has gone through considerable changes since its first iteration, but its finally at a place where both my editor and I are pleased. I'm looking forward to sharing the results with everyone.

Unfortunately, due to lengthy publication cycles, just because the manuscript is nearing finalization does not mean that it will hit shelves immediately. At this point you can expect the end of the Truancy trilogy to arrive sometime in early 2012. Until then, I will be sharing more details, excerpts, and some bonus stories in the coming months.

Truancy City First Draft Complete, posted 2009-08-17 by I.F.

Finally, after two years of work, the first draft of the final entry in the Truancy trilogy is now complete. If you have any interest in such things, you can view my entire Truancy City writing journal on the forums here--I've done my best to chronicle the process from start to finish.

This draft of Truancy City is 152,666 words long. In comparison, Truancy had a mere total of 107,557 words and Truancy Origins clocked in at 146,685. This makes Truancy City my most robust work to date by a substantial amount. Even though it has yet to be edited, I am very pleased with how this draft turned out. I hope you will enjoy it as much when it is released.

Truancy Origins Countdown: Day 1 - The Characters, posted 2009-03-03 by I.F.

The day has come. Truancy Origins should be available in bookstores starting today, and can be ordered online as well. For the final countdown entry, I've decided to give you something new: select profiles for characters in Truancy Origins. I've tried to refrain from spoilers, but nonetheless proceed with caution - especially if you haven't read Truancy yet:

Zen: As the Mayor's son, Zen has access to all sorts of luxuries, though lately he has become disillusioned with his lifestyle. Despite having a reputation for being brilliant and persuasive, his grades are poor and he is constantly at odds with his teachers. With his spirit yearning for freedom, he comes across a shocking truth about his father's regime, prompting him to leave his old life behind. Gathering up some like-minded individuals, Zen is prepared to change the City at all costs.

"Your schoolwork, your grades, all your precious achievements, all it proves is complicity!" - Zen

Red: A young vagrant who was expelled from school years ago. Living alone on the streets has blunted his naturally positive personality, and he does what he has to to survive. His life has become a routine of searching for food and shelter while fleeing from Rothenberg's Enforcers. He has recently joined up with a gang of other vagrants, unaware that the situation in the City around him is rapidly beginning to unravel.

"I don't need you. I did fine by myself for years." - Red

Rothenberg: A hardline Enforcer recently promoted to Chief Truancy Officer, he has been entrusted by the Mayor to clean up the City's vagrant problem. He performs this job with relish, possessing nothing but contempt for unruly children. Although generally respected by his fellow Enforcers, dark rumors are circulating about his needless brutality on the job and in his home.

"Those animals get more audacious every day." - Rothenberg

Edward: A resident of the District 18 Orphanage, Edward has earned a reputation for being hardworking and intelligent. This innocent facade hides a darker nature, an instinct for cruelty and dominance. He exercises these urges by causing trouble for foster parents, beating up older boys, and manipulating adults. However, he dreams of having the power to cause much greater mischief...

"If I feel like visiting an abandoned district, who's going to stop me? You? By all means, Enforcer, try it." - Edward

?: Something strange is walking the streets in the abandoned districts of the City. The vagrants whisper about an unearthly pale girl with a chain, appearing and vanishing at will. Some fear her as a spirit of malice, while others claim she's a force for good. Most dismiss the tales as lies or the rantings of the insane. Whatever the truth is, the whispers grow only louder with each sighting.

"I was just minding my own business, and bam! She appears out of thin air! Completely pale, with glowing red eyes and this living chain that coiled around like a snake!"

Truancy Origins Countdown: Day 2 - The Book Itself, posted 2009-03-02 by I.F.

I myself only recently received the final hardcover versions that are going on shelves. It's always a nice feeling to see your work in such a solid form. I originally wanted a white theme for the book, but blue ended up working really well. Here's what to look for when you enter the bookstore:

Truancy Origins Countdown: Day 3 - The Prologue, posted 2009-03-01 by I.F.

Well, it's almost time. Truancy Origins will be released in just two days now. To those of you anticipating it, I've decided to give you a little treat for each of those three days to help you get excited. Today I'm giving you a sizable chunk of the prologue, which should answer some questions left over from Truancy while raising others.

Warning: If you want to read the whole book uninterrupted, the following passage does have spoilers!

Truancy Origins Prologue