Tuesday, January 28, 2025

A New Trilogy Begins

Welcome back. Three items of business to discuss this morning that I think fans of The Coming Evil Trilogy will be excited to hear, so let's get right to it.

Item 1: There is a brand new trilogy of The Coming Evil books headed your way! Back in 2011-2013, I published The Coming Evil Trilogy, a series of books that tells the story of the small town of Greensboro and its harrowing battle against the invading demon known only as "The Strange Man". The books were always my ode to the wild monster movies of the 1980s, and very much served as my own "coming of age", both as a writer and as an adult. It wrestles with questions of faith, friendship, bravery, and discovering what matters most when up against the darkest hours of our lives. As readers of the original trilogy know, over a hundred years before The Coming Evil begins, the town of Old Greenesboro first ran afoul of the Strange Man--events that have only been hinted at...until now!

Now, journey to the past to discover the origins of Old Greenesboro and how its feud with the Strange Man began! I am pleased to announce Book One in the Old Greenesboro Trilogy: Hell's Dark Riders.


The thing that excited me the most about this new trilogy--and was the most challenging--was how to present this story in a way that was fresh and surprising while also following the course that was clearly laid out within the pages of The Coming Evil. Readers of that first trilogy will already know the fate of Old Greenesboro and its citizens' first encounter with the Strange Man, so I knew this telling needed to expand on those things you know--and reveal truths that you could never have guessed. What's more, the events in this new series will provide new insight and a deeper context to the Coming Evil books already in circulation.

What's more, readers of my other works will see many familiar locations, characters, and mythology within the new trilogy. I have often said that Infernal City, my Rift Jump duology, and the HITMEN series were all cousins of The Coming Evil. If that's the case, the Old Greenesboro Trilogy is their common ancestor. Seriously, folks, it all begins right here, and I can't wait to share it with you at long last. Which leads me to:

Item 2: Each installment of The Coming Evil Trilogy was released in February, and things timed out in such a way with this new book that I felt no reason to break the streak. So, Hell's Dark Riders is scheduled to drop on February 4, 2025, in both print and Kindle editions! But wait, there's more.

Item 3: All three installments of the Old Greenesboro Trilogy will be released THIS YEAR. Looking through my writing journals recently, I was shocked to discover that I have been jotting down notes for this new trilogy since 2004! Indeed, I have made rare mentions of it over the years on this very blog, but I have resisted saying too much, as I wanted to complete the entire trilogy before announcing Book One. So, it is with much relief that I can safely announce that all three books in this new trilogy are finished and edited. I could stretch out the releases over the next three years, but I have been not-so-secretly writing these novels for the last fifteen years, and it's time to finally release them into the world. No hard dates are down as of yet, but I suspect Book Two will be released sometime this summer, and then Book Three will hit around November/December. So let's keep the party going throughout 2025 and make this the year of Old Greenesboro. 

I so greatly appreciate all of you who have read and enjoyed The Coming Evil throughout the years, and it is my hope to reward you with a wild ride through some very unexpected territory. As for Hell's Dark Riders, here's your first glimpse into this exciting new story:

ABOUT THE BOOK

The year is 1879. It is a time of darkness.

Four mysterious figures on horseback ride across the Ozark Mountains, leaving death and misery in their wake. Led by the false god Chemosh, these demonic Dark Riders seek to overthrow the world of Man and re-establish their wicked reign upon the Earth.

Everett Greene once fought such creatures, but has since retired, leaving that war behind. When Virginia Hallerin, a young mother who has suffered unspeakably at the hands of the Riders, beseeches Everett to intervene, the haunted hero is compelled to leave his life of peaceful isolation and anonymity behind to re-enter the fight. Aided by his mentor Jesse Crocker, an old, grizzled bounty hunter down on his luck, Everett determines to follow the trail of the murderous Riders.

Along the way, Everett and his companions will encounter hellish beasts as they fight their way into the very heart of evil. Yet, the Riders have an ace up their sleeve. Once Everett discovers that the villains have enlisted a certain “Strange Man” with an agenda of his own to join in their scheme, he realizes that this battle will be unlike any he has ever fought before.

Hell’s Dark Riders is the opening act in an epic new tale that sets the stage for the events depicted in The Coming Evil Trilogy.


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