New Series, Commence!

Above: The western coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The slopes are steep, with deep ravines along a mostly green mountainside, while the water is calm and dark blue.

September 22, 2026

I’ve given updates on Rise of Iron, the first book in my next series, for months now. Since that book is coming out six weeks from today, it’s about time I introduce the series to you all.

Buckle up. I’m really excited about this one! And stay until the end, because I have updates to share.

Introducing: The Tredania Chronicles

Two things inspired this story: the Mauna Loa eruption in November 2022, and the ashes of my corporate public relations career, which ended in August of that year.

I know that seems like an odd combination. I thought so at first, too. But all it took was one question to tie them together. “What if volcanic eruptions determined who controlled society?”

Welcome to Tredania.

The World

The story is set in the empire of Tredania, one of the island nations on this yet unnamed world*. Each nation on this planet is an island, like Polynesia on a global scale, with a volcano somewhere within its boundary. Most islands are tropical, although some are cooler, maybe even arctic.

Tredania itself is tropical, and its volcano is what we call a stratovolcano, a tall volcanic landform with a wide base and steep conical shape. Stratovolcanoes are known for their striking appearance, but also their spectacular—and often deadly—eruptions (e.g. Mount Vesuvius).

*NOTE: My world building style is to let aspects like this reveal themselves as they’re needed. When a name becomes relevant—and it will in later books—I’ll name it. (FWIW, I didn’t name The Way of the Wielder’s world until book three.)

The Magic System

By the title of book one (Rise of Iron), you may have guessed that this series has a metal magic system. Each person in this world can use, and harness the attributes of, one of the eight major metals within the core of the planet. It’s a subtler magic system, with an emotional spin that shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s read my work.

Like on Earth, volcanoes spew ash, dust, and debris into the air when they erupt. But unlike on Earth, in this fantasy world, volcanoes also expel particulates of metal. Whichever metal expels the most is the class that controls the island nation.

Cool, right?

The Characters

I don’t want to reveal too much about our main characters, but I will say this. It’s a dual-POV story, told by a female lead (named Emery) and a male lead (named Vince). And because it’s also a romantic fantasy story, you can probably guess that they’ll eventually end up together. But when and how that happens are things you’ll have to discover as you read!

The Working Blurb

What I will reveal is the blurb. I may tweak this a bit, but for now, here it is:

Emery has always been different. Even before the collapse, she was quiet, observant, and confident in her Iron Wright abilities. So when she feels a tremor beneath her feet, she knows something about it is strange. Minor tremors weren’t uncommon in the cave city of Oraden, but they weren’t supposed to feel familiar. They weren’t supposed to feel like a warning.

She devises a plan to leave Oraden and seek help from the Gold Wrights in the capital. Once there, Emery speaks with the High Chancellor about the potential danger. Not only does the High Chancellor not believe her, she humiliates her—and refuses to let her leave.

Prisoner in a strange city, Emery is forced to follow rules put in place by an empire that sees her class as little more than slaves. But when she befriends the handsome Lead Wright assigned to watch her, Emery’s eyes are opened to truths kept secret from her people for centuries. Truths that will change everything.

When society is destined for change, one person must rise to guide it into a new era. With her council assembled, the question isn’t whether or not Emery is ready, it’s if she’s able to move beyond her tragic past before an eruption propels her into the future.

The Series as a Whole

I often tell people that Rise of Iron is about a young woman rising into her own power to overthrow a tyrant. That’s true in many respects (and ties back to my corporate PR career), but while there is some exacting of justice, the series as a whole is about so much more than that.

It’s about forgiving past transgressions in favor of a unified future. It’s about leaning on each other’s strengths to move forward from and through hardships. It’s about working together to build a society where everyone can flourish. It’s about acceptance, hope, and the promise of a better tomorrow.

Rise of Iron is just the beginning. The Tredania Chronicles will be eight books total, with each book focusing on one of the eight metals in the world, and what it brings to society. Because of this structure, each book already has a title and high-level summary. I’ll share those with you as we progress through the series.

And since I’m working on book two, I’ll share that title in my updates, below.

Updates

Rise of Iron (Tredania Chronicles, book one): I got concepts for cover art yesterday, and it’s truly amazing! Powerful, vulnerable, and full of foreshadowing. I expect nothing less from Kim! Stay tuned for a cover reveal in a few weeks. Similarly, editing starts this week. This should also take about three weeks, so everything’s coming together right on schedule.

Fall of Gold (Tredania Chronicles, book two): As of last Friday, I’m halfway through my outline of this book. The word count so far is about 52k, which is on-track for a 100k-115k first draft. I may need to go back and add in some world building elements early on, but we’ll see how the rest of the story unfolds.

Standalone Cozy Fantasy: I’m a few chapters into this book, but I’ve put it on hold until I finish Fall of Gold. If all goes well, I hope to get back to it in mid- to late-November.

Upcoming Events: Short notice, but I’ll be at Cork & Keg in Raymond, NH tonight for Bookish Bingo. I’m the featured author tonight, so come out and play, win prizes, and buy my books! I have a few more events later this fall, but I’ll post more on those next time.

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That’s all I have for now. I hope you’re excited for this new series. Stay tuned for a preorder link for Rise of Iron, which I hope to publish on November 3, 2026. IYKYK.

Thanks for reading! Until next time, be well, and stay creative.

~Sarah