Start 2026 with the right kind of escapism: Vikings!

My series The Saga of Hasting the Avenger is getting a makeover by Vinci Books.

Last October, representatives from Vinci Books reached out to offer me a contract for my series, The Saga of Hasting the Avenger. I hesitated at first. My experience with publishers was none too positive, and I had done quite well on my own (250,000 sales is nothing to wag one’s finger at).

Still, since the turmoil of Covid, a malicious hacking of my original website by ‘the Russians,’ and many, many changes in the way our tech overlords run their platforms, doing this whole thing on my own felt increasingly unmanageable. In fact, I had secretly hoped a reputable publisher would ‘discover’ me and take over the business side of things so I could focus on writing and teaching.

So, I took a leap of faith. In researching Vinci Books, I discovered a well-oiled machine with exceptional industry credibility. Their contract terms were generous and included guarantees I had not seen before from a publisher. They really wanted to license my work. I signed and waited. Nervously.

I needed not fret, my friends, for Vinci Books delivered! They met their first deadline of rebranding the series with fresh covers for the ebook versions (trade paperbacks will take another 6-9 months), and they look AWESOME. What I appreciate most is that their designer sent me the final proofs on December 30th, finishing them before the end of the year despite the holidays. I was smitten! (Thanks, Stuart!)

For those of you who haven’t started the series, I invite you to make 2026 the year that you do. Hopefully, 3,500 five-star reviews on Amazon, discovery by the publishers who discovered Stieg Larsson, and awards from Kirkus and Reader’s Favorite are enough to convince you. So, what are you waiting for?!