Monthly Newsletter
Operation Emberlight, Monthly Transmission
Transmission Update: Building What Comes Next
Status: Development Continues
Clearance: Subscriber Network
Citizens of the Resistance, another busy month behind the scenes.
I have good news, hard-won progress, and the kind of updates that only make sense if you’ve ever tried to build a story while watching it grow larger and darker than you first imagined.
Let’s start with the novel.
A Trickster’s War 2 is moving forward. I currently have 21 chapters planned, and I’m about one-third of the way through the draft. That number sounds tidy on paper. In practice, it’s meant repeated passes, stopping to rethink scenes, and making sure the story I’m writing now still connects cleanly to what came before.
The tone has shifted. Book Two is darker and more personal for Mace. I’m especially excited to see the team dynamic grow more intimate and to let Mace and Lena’s relationship deepen. The biggest change between them is trust—whether that trust grows stronger or fractures is something I’ll leave for readers to discover on the page.
One supporting character has surprised me: Rayes. Without Mace’s older companion, she’s stepped into the role of the team’s gruff, blunt voice, and her development has mattered more than I expected.
ARC readers have been invaluable. Their clearest piece of feedback was a request to focus more tightly on Lena and Mace’s relationship rather than spreading attention evenly across the entire team. That guidance helped me make a decisive choice about Lena’s path and opened up a new plot direction. For now, I have the feedback I need, so I don’t need additional ARC readers.
As for the series antagonist: Mace has already met General Malrick, but he has no idea about their deeper connection. That history will surface slowly. I can confirm one thing—they are not related. That particular trope has been done enough.
The target remains early spring 2027. Closer to Christmas, I’ll reveal Book Two’s official title.
The Manga Project
Work with Graphene Cloud Services continues. We’ve finished the first chapter and expect to complete the second within the next few weeks. Seeing the story take visual form remains one of the most exciting parts of this process.
Short Fiction
I’m happy to announce that I’m now working with KSquare Magazine on a new project. I can’t share details yet, but this is in addition to their acceptance of “1 Hour for a Lifetime” for publication.
“The Cloths We Leave Behind” is now live on Reedsy and available to read.
VTuber Project
Still intentionally parked. The priority remains the manga and the novel.
A Personal Note
I’ve decided to produce the audiobook myself. Right now I’m raising funds for recording equipment. Writing time has been harder to protect this month—kids’ school schedules and new projects at work keep shifting the calendar. What has worked is taking short breaks from longer tasks and writing in the gaps, plus a non-negotiable one-hour daily writing block. That hour happens no matter what. It keeps the signal alive.
Looking Ahead
A Trickster’s War 2 — 21 chapters planned, one-third complete, darker and more personal.
Mace & Lena — trust is the central question.
Rayes — stepping into a stronger, gruffer role.
Title reveal — targeted around Christmas.
Release target — early spring 2027.
Manga — Chapter 1 finished, Chapter 2 due in the coming weeks.
Short fiction — new KSquare project underway; “The Cloths We Leave Behind” live on Reedsy.
Audiobook — self-produced; equipment funding in progress.
VTuber — still on standby.
I’m still working a full-time job and fitting the rest into the margins. Progress isn’t always fast, but it is steady.
Final Transmission
The hardest part of a second book isn’t always the words themselves. Sometimes it’s trusting the slower process—revising, listening to early readers, letting characters demand more space than you planned. That’s where I am: building, adjusting, and moving the story forward one page at a time.
Thank you for reading, for following the journey, and for keeping the signal strong.
If you want the next updates the moment they drop, subscribe on the site and join the newsletter. You can also find more A Trickster’s War content (and other projects) on my TikTok as well as Reedsy Prompts.
Book Two is coming.
The story isn’t finished yet… and neither is the Resistance.
— C.J. Riley
The Voice of the Resistance
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Light still cuts through the dark. Sometimes you just have to keep the signal alive.
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