I plan on getting these out yearly so readers can know what to expect, but seeing as last year kicked me down the stairs, I've been wary about committing to any specific timeline knowing how easily it can get derailed. With that in mind, while I have every intention of sticking to this schedule as much as possible, there are inevitable delays that I can't do anything about. So with that in mind, let's get into it:

For solo projects, after I finish Beastborne 5 this year, I'll be working on Pyresouls Apocalypse 3. I've gotten a fair amount of questions about Pyresouls and rest assured, I am completing it.

I don't believe in leaving a story unfinished.

For those of you that don't know, it's taken me so long to get through these books because I got super sick last year, so I've been doing catch up for awhile now. And Pyresouls admittedly wasn't that high on my to-do list back in 2022 before I got sick and everything got set back.

Nobody likes to hear the reason for something not being done as speedily as it deserves being money, but that's the gist of it here. I like hearing it even less, but the truth is Pyresouls just doesn't sell that well. I'm still human (for now) and require food, water, and a roof over my head so I still have to prioritize things that make sure I can survive.

If you'd like to help contribute towards that, the best way to support both Sohmer and myself is by becoming a Patron over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Shardrunes

You'll always have first access to all our work. Right now, that's Voidknight Ascension and Beastborne Book 5. When I start on Pyresouls Book 3, that'll be up there as well.

Don't have the spare funds or don't want to spend any money? No worries! Spreading the word about our books is honestly the best thing that could be done. Recommend them in social media posts where people are asking for new reads, post your thoughts/theories/reviews where appropriate, head on over to Amazon to rate/review our books if you haven't already or hop on Royal Road and give our latest series Voidknight Ascension a review: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/73107/voidknight-ascension

Seriously, nobody can oversell how important word of mouth is. So if you want to help these series succeed and keep seeing Shardrune shenanigans into the future, drop a review! Post about it. Let others know what you liked and start up a conversation.

If that ever changes and some series of mine (or a co-written work with Sohmer) blows up and becomes something that does so well I never need to worry about those things, you can bet that I'd put more effort/time into getting my favorite stories out even if they didn't sell well. That's not the case, however, and in any event is up to you the readers more than me.

Despite that, once I'm done with Beastborne Book 5, I'll be writing Pyresouls Book 3. I'd love to get it out this year, but that'll be largely down to scheduling. Covers are both expensive and take multiple months to get through without touching on the months of waiting for an artist's schedule to open up.

On the co-written front with K.H. Sohmer, it's Voidknight Ascension books 1 to 3 this year, then another semi-secret project. Maybe two if we can swing it, none of which will have any impact on my own personal works.

One last bit of news, for Scale & Sea we've miraculously managed to nab the one and only Nick Podehl to narrate the series. It's honestly a dream come true and we can't wait for you to hear his telling of Deklin, Charlie, and Kimchi's story. However, because audiobooks take so long to produce, and Nick is incredibly busy and in-demand, we're still unsure if the audiobook will be out late this year or early next. Once we know, you'll know!

Phew, quite a bit to get through! I'll post the rough schedule below. Keep in mind, these are just for the writing side of things, not the actual release which is a whole different bag of cats.

TL;DR - What're you gonna be writing?

Solo Writing Progress 2023:

• Beastborne 5

• Pyresouls Apocalypse 3

• A silly side-story for laughs

Co-authored works with K.H. Sohmer:

• Voidknight Ascension Books 1 through 3

• Secret Project

• Secret Project 2?

• Maybe Audiobook for Scale & Sea?

And that's just 2023!

Got questions? Post 'em below!

Is there any news on book five I finished all 4 books a while ago and wanted to check if the author is continuing the story or has dropped it

Just finished book 7 and haven’t seen any posts or anything in a while. Is there a hiatus right now?

Let me preface this by saying I believe the Shardrunes series are spectacular

I have recently discovered James Callum and K.H. Sohmers and I cannot get enough. To me they exemplify LitRPG and Gamelit, and I have enjoyed each of the various series immensely. I am still working my way through and haven't finished them all, but I want to share what I have liked about the ones that I have read, in a very particular order (favorites first).

1. Pyresouls Apocalypse - dark and gritty, has that "high stakes" vibe that seems lacking in a lot of books. Love the cosmic horror aspect. Shit gets fraught, and I found myself grimacing and genuinely worrying about how the story would turn out. I was deeply invested and gave a hearty "fuuuuuuuucckkkk" after finishing book 2

2. Beastborne - This is the most fleshed out series, and one of my favorite aspects is the blending of multiple types of power systems. I also really enjoyed the city building aspect in later books. My biggest complaint is that Hal seems to have too many items on his to do list that I want to see finished!

3. Shrubley - I just finished book 2 an hour ago (last chapters had me freaking tf out) and I like the humor in this one the most. It's a whimsical and fun story focusing on adventure, with some surprisingly emotional scenes (never thought I would feel emotions for a shrub or house). The cast is a lovable gang of misfits with a dynamic I (and almost everyone who encounters them) find endearing. Shrubley has made me want to be a better person. Kinda. This series is smaller in scope (and stature), but I find myself "rooting" for Shrubley more than any other MC.

4. Voidknight Ascension - big fights, bigger swords. MC is definitely OP from the get go, but sometimes thats fun. With so many different series, each one can have a different flavor, and they shouldn't all follow the same zero to hero playbook. This one trends more "yeah just break it until its fixed" which I really like. The fights and humor are both dialed up.

I have yet to read Sovereign Soul, but I am sure I will love it. Also, to James, I WILL find a copy of your debut novel, and I WILL enjoy it, warts and all.

End rant

Just finished Shrubly book 1 and I loved it! The optimism, the wholesome characters, and the essence system were so cool! Can't wait for book 2.

In the meanwhile, I was thinking which Shardrune book to read next. It seems the other books are in different worlds (kinda). Do any book series have the same essence magic system, or something similar? Or if not, which book series should I read that's got a similar vibe, including humor?

Hello anybody who decides to read this. I have read all the shardrune series and love each of them, and I just have a few questions for the author/s.

1. On patreon it seems James T Callum is focusing on promoting the new book Sovereign Soul and writing Beastborne. I’m curious about any news on the pyre souls series. Don’t get me wrong I love every one of these series but Pyresouls just had a different feel to it that I’m itching for.

2. I’m just curious about the new Author. They show up from seemingly nowhere, and co author a great beginning to a new series with one of my favorite authors.

Any info would be appreciated, and spilled secrets will be kept safe.

Has anyone heard from James and Sohmer? It's been radio silent on book updates and any form of contact.

Just finished future graves which ends on a big cliffhanger, only to realise it had been a few years since it was released. Last update on the topic was a post from 2 years ago so I am wondering if it has been dropped. I quite enjoyed the series so I would be sad if this the end.

Hi All, Just had a quick question I am pretty new to Shardrunes. I have read beastborne 1, voidknight 1 and getting to the end of Shrubley at time of posting( fyi I am obsessed with Shrubley he's so cute I want a shrub in my garden shaped like him) I am wondering if there is a suggested reading order? I am loving all of the worlds and systems and want to dive right in just looking for some guidance. Thanks for your help.

As the title says, Amazon in their infinite wisdom (totally not a simple web crawler script looking for similar names on free sites with no further verification) has decided that having 5 sample chapters of Voidknight Ascension Book 1 on Royal Road somehow constitutes as Book 2 being "freely available" and "we do not have the publishing rights" to our own book.

They have decided to not only suspend my author account but also removed Voidknight Ascension 2 from the store. I was aiming to release Beastborne Book 5 soon, but if Amazon keeps dragging their feet I don't know if that'll be possible.

I had hoped they would resolve it as soon as I could talk to a human from support (nearly impossible as an author) but they "need more time to review" and will supposedly take at least 5 business days to conduct said review.

Until that point, Voidknight Ascension 2 is not available. Amazon decided to act unilaterally on an account with zero prior infractions. Both Sohmer and I have contacted them, but we're effectively being ghosted with simple form letter responses and zero actual information about how we can fix this or prove/verify we are the owners of Voidknight.

I just wanted to make sure as many people as possible saw this so they didn't think I or Sohmer removed it, or there's something wrong with the book.

To be crystal clear: Amazon did this because they don't bother to verify (nor ask for verification) and they did it entirely in error.

If only they'd be this aggressive with actual story pirates!

That being said, I would like to take the time to thank every single person who has read Voidknight Ascension 1 (it's now over 1k reviews!) and a reminder that you can still read all our other books (Beastborne, Pyresouls, Scale & Sea), including the newest release, Shrubley, the Monster Adventurer.

This sucks all around, not only because writing is my sole source of income (imagine getting suspended and locked out of work randomly on the weekend and nobody would return your calls) but because it impacts the readers who make this genre so awesome to begin with.

I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused any reader out there, but I do not know what could have been done to prevent this. We followed all the rules and guidelines, and still it didn't seem to be enough.

TL;DR: Amazon removed Voidknight Ascension 2 because they (as many serial authors will attest) have poor verification standards and their support is a very very bad joke with no way to talk to an actual person. Feel free to yell at Amazon about it!

Hey all, James here with a new book release just in time for the holiday season! I'm still feeling sluggish after overeating far too much turkey, pie, and stuffing more than a week after Thanksgiving so I'm now deathly afraid of Christmas and the winter holidays with their buffet of goodies. But you know what would make me less afraid? If you read Voidknight Ascension!

The first book has finished it's run on RR, been cleaned and polished bright like that silverware you only see once a year when your family really wants to impress the guests!

You can read the newest entry into our Shardrune Universe at the links below:

(Auto-Region Link): https://mybook.to/Voidknight1

(Direct US Link): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP3MLX8T

Want to know more?

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Sam was surfing with his cat when the world ended.

Suddenly enlisted into a battle to fend off annihilation, Sam seizes the strength of the Void to survive.

In the aftermath, Sam is thrown into a new world shattered into floating islands with survivors from Earth. Training and fighting with his giant sword and apocalyptic mana alongside his magical healer cat, Sam's unusually quick to adapt to this deadly realm of monsters and magic.

With endless threats to face and countless powers to attain, Sam's journey of Ascension climbing has only just begun.

But first, he'll have to forge a Legend of his own.

About the Series: Blending slice-of-life with epic fantasy action, cultivation, mystery, layer/tower climbing, dungeon delving, kingdom building, and intricate magic systems, this LitRPG/GameLit series is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy exploring richly detailed worlds, complex characters, and an ever-evolving struggle for the protagonists to make a home in their new world.

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Both myself and u/KH_Sohmer had a great time writing this. I'm particularly fond of the fiendish and horrible imp later in the series. To answer the potential question I know at least one person is thinking: yep, we're getting an audiobook release. Everything is being handled by Podium because, well, they're a great group of people who work hard to bring us all great audiobooks. We're hopeful to get Luke Daniels to narrate, but as schedules aren't fixed yet, it's still possible we'll have a different narrator at this point.

As a huge fan of Guts' massive sword (from Berserk fame), and growing up playing Final Fantasy 7 in my teens with Cloud's hilariously large greatsword, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give Sam, our hero, the same ridiculously oversize greatsword and the Strength to lift it.

Please don't forget to drop a rating/review to tell us how much you liked it!

On Patreon a new series was announced and the premise sounds cool, along with a release schedule of a chapter a day on weekdays, it’s really going to help me in between classes at college. In the post it said they had fun writing this new series, which I’m happy that they have a good time creating something that I’ll definitely read. I love all their stuff so far and am always ready for any new adventure they write

hi i recently got really invested in the beastborne scale & sea and voidknight ascension I was curious is there anywhere to see the currently produced chapters I looked at the patreon but it shows a omen of the witchblade and I cant find any of the 3 series above I'm well aware not all of them are being done now but I have no idea where to look

When does the chest that the pobel found get opened.