I’m finally ready to talk about this.
This is to be my next serial fiction project. For those who might be unfamiliar, in 2025, I decided to test a theory that releasing a novella-length episode in an ongoing serial, once a month, would boost overall sales, as it would be feeding consistent, if small, fuel to the algo fire. This ended up becoming DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE. And, I was right. It did help. Also, I liked writing it, and people seemed to enjoy it.
I waffled a great deal on whether or not to do a next series (I wasn’t sure if it was helping enough to warrant the extra effort), and when I decided to go ahead with it, then I couldn’t figure out what to actually write. Mostly, this was due to me not realizing that the higher dosage of my ADHD meds that I switched over to earlier this year was too much for me, and gave me cognitive blunting. (A side effect of cognitive blunting, apparently, is not realizing you have cognitive blunting.)
Now that the dust is settling and I’m getting back on track, I have decided what my new serial will be.
THE LITHIC DEEP is a sci-fi/action/horror.
Set in the future on a distant, dead mining world, it follows Luke Hendrix. A veteran driller, he has been piloting his own drilling rig for over a decade. His life took a hard turn in a new direction two years previous when he decided to assume the responsibility of keeping a small, failed mining colony alive after it had been abandoned. He still drills rock, but now he no longer lives like a long-haul trucker, away for weeks or even months at a time in his rig. Instead, he lives in the colony, still helps out those he can, and goes for an adventure in the tunnels a few times a month.
That’s changing now, as the driller’s way of life is coming to a close. New technology is making them obsolescent. Luke wants to get back in the tunnels and enjoy the driller’s life for a few years more, before the ride’s over and there’s no more jobs for human operators.
All of that ceases to matter as he, and everyone else on Nox, discover that something has been let loose. Something ancient, lethal, and terrifying. Something buried away deep in the planet for a damned good reason. And now, all that matters is survival and escape.
The series is going to be somewhat similar to BENEATH THE ASHES. It takes place completely underground. It’s dark, it’s dangerous, it’s dismal. But it’s also sweet, fun, and sexy, because although outside of the giant drill rig that the protagonists live in is a nightmare, inside is a dream. Speaking of which…for those who didn’t read my last serial, the harem got away from me. Badly. Way too many ladies involved, especially for what ultimately amounted to a trilogy in terms of length. This time will be different.
I’ve got three ladies planned, all pretty distinct from each other, but with some overlap, too. I’m going to try out a story where the protagonist doesn’t sleep with anyone but the three ladies inside the harem. I imagine that will make some people happy, as I know this annoys some of my readers. (Sorry, I just REALLY like variety.)
The only other things I have to say about this are:
The episodes are going to be a bit longer on average. I shot for between 20-25,000 an episode for Down the Rabbit Hole. On these, I will be aiming for 30,000+ words each episode.
Due to this, the Collections are going to be triple packs, instead of quad packs.
I will still be writing MEANWHILE short stories from the perspective of the love interests.
This should get audio.
That’s about all I’ve got to say on the series right now. You can read the first chapter right now on my Patreon for free. I’ll be writing and posting it as periodically as I can. I intend for this to be up for pre-order by the last week of October, and published November 1st.
I hope you enjoy!
