Tag / steelwing

by Matthew

A Summer of Firsts

(Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan – Photo taken by me, July 2025)

Well, happy September 2025 to you. Time for another update from yours truly. I hope you’ve weathered the heat and are heading toward a productive fall. It’s been quite the eventful summer for me, including a number of personal firsts…

  • First time in Indiana.
  • First time in Michigan.
  • First time in Japan.
  • First time seeing a Broadway show I’d already seen on Broadway.
  • First time crossing the Pacific/First time taking a flight longer than 8 hours.
  • First time taking a domestic plane flight in another country.
  • First time attending a sporting event outside of the US.
  • First time visiting an international Disney park.
  • First time visiting a Pokémon Center.
  • First time visiting a World Expo.
  • First time on a bullet train.
  • First time developing allergic dermatitis from medication (they can’t all be great).

And, a number of writing firsts…

  • First time attending a signing event outside DFW. It did not go well.
  • First time attending a multi-day signing event.
  • First time organizing my own multi-author signing event.
  • First time attending a signing event at a library.
  • First time meeting someone who had read Steelwing but hadn’t met me in person before for a signed copy (they were so excited to get Friend or Foe!).
  • First time being invited by a bookstore to a signing.
  • First time being asked by a bookstore to restock my books because they were selling well (!).
  • First time being told by a bookstore from across the Internet they were going to stock my books (!).
  • First time reordering paperback copies of Dangers to Society.
  • First time not selling any books at a signing (they can’t all be great).
  • And perhaps the one I’m most excited about, first time invited to be a speaker at DFWCon.

All that, in addition to the regular fare of summer camps, travel planning, home maintenance, car maintenance, dealing with a shoulder injury, picking out a new school for the kiddo, VP of Programs duties for my writing workshop, and just day-to-day life, means I’ve been a pretty busy puppy.

Despite the time crunch, my fledgling writing career continues to surprise and gratify. The signing events I’ve attended have been mostly great successes, and I’m slowly building my email list, which is my primary goal of these signings (that and not lose money). Get on the email list, if you haven’t already. The Local Author Crawl I organized for DFWWW was a great success, and we’re already on Half Price Books’ calendar for next year on August 24, 2026 (mark it down now!). We learned some lessons, and it’ll be an even better event next time. Indie Author Day is the next event I’m helping plan on November 15 at the Grapevine Public Library. The young lady named Felix who was practically bursting with excitement to meet me and get a signed copy of Friend or Foe totally made my summer. Mom, if you’re reading this, thanks so much for bringing her. I hope she loves it! Steelwing: Lost Dragon will be coming soon and it’s going to be incredible.

I’ve seen the first draft of Steelwing 3’s cover and it’s gonna be another banger. Can’t wait to show off the finished version. Unfortunately, due to the pace at which we’re able to get it completed, it’s quite likely Steelwing 3 won’t be coming until February or March 2026. This is far later than I hoped, but sometimes these things take time. The good news is during my trip to Japan, I managed to knock out four killer chapters, which put me past the halfway point to first draft completion. Right now, it’s looking to be about 25 chapters long and roughly 60k words (another 10% bigger than Friend or Foe which was 10% bigger than Steelwing). I’m quite excited the way the story is playing out, and there’s lots of fun in store! Steelwing 3 will take a bit of a back burner so I can wrap up the first draft of The Department of Daniel Prevention so I can have it ready to pitch and query at DFWCon, but progress will still be made. I just wrapped up another chapter today, and it’s another ending that’ll make you say, “WHAT!?”

Speaking of fun, check out my appearances page for the up-to-date list of my upcoming signings. I seem to be doing 2-3 a month right now which is a crazy pace. Haven’t worn myself out yet!

I’m also looking to start a podcast/TikTok channel in the coming weeks to talk about writing and help promote my books. I’ll probably be posting that stuff here in addition to their native locations, so stay tuned for more info.

And that’s all for now. Stay cool! M

by Matthew

Summer Dreaming

Well, gosh. It’s hot outside. Makes me long for colder climates (like Alaska, as seen in the Denali photo above I snapped from last summer’s vacation).

Any parent out there will agree that the late adolescence stage of kids is an absolute time vacuum. This past semester, my daughter was busy with at least one after-school activity every single day. Piano, Spanish language, coding, rock climbing, two volleyball teams (one that I coached), math, academic competitions, multiple theater productions, and more. All over town. Anyone familiar with DFW knows that everything is always at least half an hour from where you live, and that doesn’t account for the inevitable traffic snares. With all those obligations, compounded with play dates, sleepovers, summer vacation planning, and the usual day-to-day requirements of family life, I have found my writing time of late to be severely challenged. Plus, I’ve been planning the DFW Writers’ Workshop Local Author Crawl (coming August 16!). Unfortunately for those of you who follow my blog, that means little new content is coming out here as it’s kind of at the bottom of the totem pole. Lucky for you, I’m waiting for my car to come out of service, so I have a few captive moments to throw out an update. Here’s how my spring has gone:

Steelwing: Friend or Foe a success? While I’m super proud of the second story in Cammie’s online adventures in Illiavar, and those who have read it rave about it, SW:FOF hasn’t been a smash seller at my book signings. Certainly, I’ve sold a few, but sales of the original Steelwing has outpaced it by more than tenfold. I guess the lesson here is that folks new to a series are most likely only to buy the first book. Fair, but I way over-ordered author copies to start. I guess they’ll sell eventually.

Lessons from book signings. With the release of Friend or Foe, I scheduled a ton of book signings. I had nine over the span of seven weeks. Some of them were smash successes (thank you Barnes & Nobles), others very good days, and a tragic couple were utter voids of despair and disappointment. In all, I’ve sold around 200 books this spring, almost all entirely in person, which is a worthy sum. But I’m not selling many online, partly because…

I need reviews! Getting reviews on books is crazy important. As in, the algorithms that drive books to be shown to shoppers on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and elsewhere all gauge a suggested book’s potential to make a sale largely based on the number of reviews it has received. And to be sure, my three books have not garnered a lot of reviews. Those reviews I have received have been great, but I need more. Lots more. The magic number for Amazon is supposedly 50 reviews, so I have a long ways to go. If you have time, please leave a review for my books!

Authors beware! As writers get deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of their journey, one of the things that becomes readily apparent is the vampiric nature of the support community surrounding those who want to become published authors. There are so many people with their hands out, saying they can help authors reach great success. Some of these can be legitimate – artists and editors are capable of transforming substandard work into something worthy of the book loving community. Social media personal assistants and book festivals are great ways to get your name and book out into the world. While there are many quality representatives of these author resources, there are others that are happy to take your money and give absolutely minimal effort in return. Unfortunately, I experienced this in the form of a book festival featuring over 50 authors a few weeks ago. We were told that there were over a hundred pre-registered guests, there would be world records achieved, and it seemed like money well spent (because few book festivals do it for free). Yet over a full two-day span, a meager total of five guests visited the room to browse the books on offer. I sold exactly one book, and that was to another author. That, in exchange for a $150 table fee, plus hotel and travel costs. None of the authors left happy, and some in fact left after just one day there. The organizers kept espousing the benefits we were receiving of exposure and “getting our names out there”, but it was just sad, sad, sad. Needless to say, I will not be participating in any of their future events. I will do the kind thing and not name them here, but feel free to ask me in person about it and I will tell you all about it. The lesson here is to do your research, and maybe not do every possible book festival under the sun. Some are clearly better than others.

More signings ahead! All that said, I have a few more signing dates coming up! It is great fun to talk books with eager readers and other authors, so don’t be shy. Come on out and support the author community.

Steelwing 3 update! I am more than a third of the way into the first draft of Steelwing 3 (those of you who have reached the end of Steelwing: Friend or Foe already know what it’s called). I have also ordered the cover and character art from the amazing artist who did the first two books. I’ve paused writing this for a brief period given my limited writing time to focus on another project. I still hope to have this book finished and released before the end of 2025, but don’t have a firm release date yet.

Secret graphic novel project! I am currently working on a middle grade graphic novel called The Department of Daniel Prevention. My daughter is 10 now and all about graphic novel series like Wings of Fire, Warriors, Babysitters’ Club, and a zillion others. I was watching as she crammed down book after book at Half Price Books one day and thought to myself, “I should get in on that.” So, I dove in headfirst. I brainstormed some concepts with my daughter and have come up with something super fun that kids will absolutely love. And I’ve designed think it would work very well as an episodic series. As I have no talent for drawing, I will be attempting to get an agent for this and pursue the traditional publishing route. Click here to read my article about the daunting challenge that can be. I’ve also attempted to closely hold firm to the Pixar storytelling formula with it, so we’ll see how it turns out. The first draft of the script is halfway done at this point, and I should have a complete draft out for beta readers hopefully within a week or two. Exciting! Once it’s polished, I’ll hit the query trenches with it and pitch it to agents at DFWCon. If you’re new to writing conferences, read my article about them. Well worth the price of admission.

And that’s about it for now. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to be eligible for monthly giveaways and to stay in the know about all of my signing events and other news. Talk soon! M

by Matthew

The Adventure Continues!

My third novel, and sequel to the award-winning Steelwing, is now officially released (Apr 1, 2025)! Check out Steelwing: Friend or Foe at a book signing near you, or order from my store for signed copies, or Amazon if that’s your thing (my eBooks are exclusive to Kindle and are available on Kindle Unlimited).

Friend or Foe follows the continuing immersive, in-the-video-game adventures of 13-year-old Cammie Fields, who lives in my alma mater town of Northfield, MN. For this story, we set Cammie up against a brand new school nemesis in Anastasia Nelson, the new girl at school who’s instantly popular with her hair highlights and put-together wardrobe.

Once again, Cammie is transported into Illiavar, the video game world of Steelwing, to solve a new mystery, only this time she’ll have to do it with (and despite) Anastasia being along for the ride. The story teaches Cammie some empathy and is super-fun for young readers and video game fans of any age, and a great sequel to the original tale. It also sets up the next book in the Steelwing series, hopefully arriving before the end of 2025.

Many thanks to everyone for your support – I’ve already had several dozen copies ship to stores in the US and UK, and that was before the release day even hit. Very proud my imagination has found a way onto your bookshelves. Make some room, there’s plenty more in store!! M

by Matthew

Steelwing: Friend or Foe

Hello blog fans. It’s been a busy winter and I’ve been beyond delinquent in keeping up with the ol’ blog here, but news is afoot! The release date for Steelwing 2 is set (April 1st, 2025!) and I’ll be trickling out information on things very soon. This begins at 1:00PM on February 1st at the Grapevine Public Library with the official Steelwing: Friend or Foe cover reveal, as part of the Local Author Fest 2025 sponsored by DFW Writer’s Workshop and the library. Short notice, I know, but if you’re free, come check it out! If not, head over to my Instagram which will be my primary news distribution mechanism in the near future. I’ll do my best to add some fresh content here soon, but a man can only get pulled in so many directions at once!

Also, I have a new email newsletter subscription in the works. Sign up here:

Talk soon! M

by Matthew

Launch Day

Hey everyone, long time no post.

I’m back, and well, I have news. I’m an author.

Not a writer. Not an aspiring writer. An honest-to-goodness author.

It’s interesting that funny little distinction exists. I am very much the same person today as I was yesterday: slightly older, arguably wiser, perhaps in some circles more distinguished, and certainly in the case of my dermatologist, more profitable. Yet I digress.

I published a book. Steelwing, a middle grade-tween video game fantasy. It’s super fun. Got a lot of traction with literary agents with it, but ultimately none of them “fell in love” with it, as they all like to say. For some, I think the video game setting wasn’t their cup of tea. For others, maybe my writing style didn’t jive with them. Yet for all, I think the honest answer was this: “I don’t know anyone who will buy this right now.”

And by someone, we’re talking acquisition editors at a traditional publishing house. Large or small, the agents and AEs talk. So agents know what AEs are looking for. There are myriad hurdles to get past even if you get to the point where you get an agent and an acquisition editor picks up your story. But the agent’s primary concern is to filter through their slush pile for the rare gems that happen to be at least two things: decent enough writing and something they know with reasonable confidence at least one acquisition editor already wants.

So that wasn’t Steelwing. C’est la vie.

What’s a writer with a “good enough but not wanted” story to do? Do it themselves.

I got Vellum. I learned how to format the interior pages.

I scoured the internet for a cover artist that was both awesome and within my budget.

I learned the mechanisms of setup in both Amazon KDP and Ingram Spark (where bookstores and libraries get their books).

I decided to create my own business, Building Worlds Books, and become my own publisher.

And I picked a date out of the blue. Gave myself a deadline to just say it’s ready. Without that, I’m certain this process could have dragged on and on. My eye for detail is keen, and my first-born perfectionism complex is pronounced. Amazon and Ingram will let you update files after things are launched, which I’m sure will be needed. So I’ll be okay. The hardcover’s cover file hasn’t passed Amazon’s scrutiny yet, and undoubtedly there’ll be a typo or misnomer or some other textual oddity that I won’t abide existing and will want to fix. So that’s nice. But it’s out there as of today.

Unfortunately, that’s just the beginning. Now comes the marketing. And the marketing. And the marketing. I’ve gotta get better at using social media. I need to buy some ads on Amazon and Facebook. Self-publishing is definitely a pay-to-play arena.

And now that Steelwing’s book birthday has arrived, I come to the understanding that today is not crossing the finish line, but starting the race. Everything up to this point has been training. Now comes the marathon of marketing. Ads. Book signings. Getting the word out. Rinse, repeat.

Here’s where I put on the salesman hat: If you’d like a signed copy of Steelwing, head over to Building Worlds Books and click the shop link. I’m doing the fulfilment all by myself, so it will be done with love and kindness.

If you’d like a less expensive, unsigned copy, head over to Amazon (sponsored link), where I will appreciate you just as much.

I also have a book signing coming up already on Sunday, November 12th from 1:00PM-3:00PM at the Half Price Books flagship bookstore in Dallas. 5803 E NW Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231. I will have books there for sale. Come say hi!

That’s it for now. Lots more to come on how the whole process went down, what I’ve learned, and what’s in store for the future. Stay tuned! M