Hello my Midnight Romantics,
I write to you tonight, on this sweltering spring eve, with a few delicious updates, as well as some goodies for your reading pleasure.
First, a few updates…
Due to some story revisions, I’ve broken book one (Bloodborn) into two books, which bumps the Darkborn Saga up to a series with five installments:
Runemarked - Prequel, written, Releases in Kindle Unlimited May 2026
Bloodborn - book one, written, Releases in KU July 2026
Soulbound - book two, written, Releases TBD
Fatesworn - book three, drafting, Releases TBD
Emberwake - book four, TBD
I’ve just sent Runemarked to the editor and finished my re-read of Soulbound. Starting tomorrow, I dive into Fatesworn.
As you can probably tell, I’ve been writing and revising my buns off since the New Year, and this momentum is addicting. Or maybe it’s just these characters and this story. I’m utterly in love.
When I’m not writing, I’ve been designing all the fun things with a different part of my creative brain. Goodies like series covers for Amazon, as well as an array of maps for the books as the story progresses and the world continues to build. Here’s an early draft of my Rothgard world map…
Created in Inkarnate, a map making and world-building design program.
If you haven’t claimed your free Sylas story yet (he’s the leader of the Darkborn, aka The Wolf of the North) you can download it free here from my bookshop:
https://scarletstjames.com/products/darkborn-origins-a-prequel-ebook
And now…
A little snippet from Bloodborn, book one:
“Learn,” Hel whispers to her creations, though they cannot hear. “Or we are all doomed.”
This line, spoken by the goddess of death as she watches her newly-made champions wreak havoc, perfectly encapsulates the stakes of the story. It’s not just their souls on the line, but the fate of the entire realm, and it establishes a tone of desperate, high-stakes hope.
Find more dark and dangerous reads here in the Darkling Collective - be sure to check it out!
Snag more free reads in the Darkling Collective: https://books.bookfunnel.com/darklingcollective/5a0kmks03n
You can read all four Darkborn beginnings stories in my After Dark Reader Lounge. Join us if you dare.
