Check out A Valley of Shadow: https://thearcanist.net/novels/avos.html

Fantasy authors feel obligated to write giant books in never ending series. Trilogies composed of 800-page tomes litter store shelves. In the days of yore, this was a good thing. Now, with attention spans dwindling, authors are failing to meet the needs of their readers. Lee Patton seeks to impact fantasy by returning to the serial and standalone models that drove 20th century pulp fiction. His debut novella, A Valley of Shadow, is a searing introduction into the realm of short books. In this talk, he enlightens us on how he did it.

Lee's website: https://deathlessrealms.com

Follow my Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-dawn

Win free copies of Jensen's books: https://kingsumo.com/g/1j2v5k3/fantasy-book-giveaway-the-crown-and-the-caged-god-by-cd-jensen

All too often we get caught up in the idea perfection. Oh no! My first draft is riddled with errors, I need to go back and... we've all been there. Sometimes the pursuit of perfection is a worthy goal, other times it stands in the way of finishing your project. In this episode of the Morning Edit, author C.D. Jensen and I discuss the role of perfectionism in our creative lives and how we can use it and when to let it go.

Good morning fellow writers and welcome to the Morning Edit. Today we discuss my version of the Crop Rotation method of writing project management. If you are overwhelmed by myriad ideas, have a hard time staying motivated, and want to make progress on multiple projects—this is the method for you.

Follow my kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-dawn

Good morning fellow writers and welcome to the Morning Edit. Today we are discussing the merits of journaling your novel project and how doing so can help keep you motivated while you write, and allows you to solve major narrative issues as your write the first draft.

To read my own production journal, visit my portfolio: https://portfolio.jamesdmills.com/posts/pr/

Good morning and welcome to The Morning Edit. Today I’m joined by Lee Patton, fiction editor at The Arcanist and author of A Valley of Shadow, a modern reimagining of classic sword and sorcery.

We dive into the heart of the sword and sorcery genre and ask: does it have literary value beyond swords, violence, and adventure? How can internal struggle enhance the external narrative often found in these stories? And how can the genre be modernized for today’s readers?

As an avid student of sword and sorcery, Lee Patton shares why this genre still matters in 2025 and how authors can revive it for a new generation.

If you’re a fan of Robert E. Howard, Conan the Barbarian, Fritz Leiber, or Michael Moorcock, you won’t want to miss this conversation.

Pre-Order "A Valley of Shadow" by Lee Patton: https://thearcanist.net/novels/avos.html

Follow my Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-dawn

Pre-Order A Valley of Shadow: https://store.thearcanist.net

Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. This week I'm joined by fantasy author, Lee Patton (A Valley of Shadow). Today we're talking about of our shared experiences studying Literary Theories, such as Formalism, New Historicism, Psychoanalysis, and Post-Modernism and how these things inform our understanding of story as writers.

Follow Novels of Dusk and Dawn on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-dawn

Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. Today, I'm discussing my thoughts about finishing Ashen Rider, the third novel I've written and the first I'll be publishing. I discuss the novel's themes and their relation to my life as well as the state of the publishing industry, and why indie was the clear path for a book like this.

Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. This week I'm joined by professor and author, C.D. Jensen (The Crown and the Caged God) talking about why he isn't interested in writing for a living. Passion cannot bear the weight of our finances. Read The Crown and the Caged God: https://amzn.to/45KRgVd