The Chronicles of Crosarth – A Steampunk Adventure

So anyone who has spent considerable time with me has probably learned how much I love a drive in movie theater. Crysta and I started going to them when we lived in Indiana, mostly visiting the Lakeshore Drive In in Monticello (though the now-closed MELS at the Starlight in Mechanicsburg was in our rotation too). When we moved back to Wisconsin, we started going to the Stardust Drive In in Chetek most weekends in the summer months, but it shut down and didn’t open for 2025.

Last year, for our anniversary, Crysta and I went down to the Big Sky Drive In in the Wisconsin Dells for our anniversary, and then got Paul Bunyan’s with my brother David and his partner Mary the day after. Because it looked like Stardust was still going to be closed for 2026, we actually did that again at the beginning of June this year as well… even if I accidentally booked a worse hotel this time around.

And while I like the Big Sky Drive In, it’s not as nice as Stardust and (more importantly) too far to just do on a casual weekend.

But the universe decided to finally be kind to us, because for the first time I can remember a closed drive in movie theater reopened. This weekend, under new ownership, the Stardust Drive In in Chetek had its soft opening. They’re running a bit barebones on concessions and just did one movie per screen instead of double features, but the place is genuinely, fully back.

They’re still ironing out all the kinks (as I said, it’s a soft open), but oh my god it was so nice to go back there again.

We’ll probably still do a Big Sky Drive In weekend next year in the Dells, but mostly because it’s nice to have some variety (and hang out with David and Mary). It takes a lot of pressure off of that trip too knowing that we’ll have other drive in experiences throughout the summer. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if you live near a drive in movie theater, please patronize it. These are all independent operations, and seeing movies out under the stars is the best way to experience them.

Or at least I think it is.

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So one of the biggest challenges for a lot of indie authors who self publish like me is getting our books in front of other people’s eyeballs to begin with. One of the easiest solutions is getting real, honest reviews onto platforms like Goodreads, Storygraph, social media platforms, and online stores like Amazon. These only really work if they’re honest, real reviews too — most readers can spot a fake review from a mile away.

So how does a writer get these needed eyeballs on their work? With ARCs (Advance Reader Copies).

An author like me will give out copies of their books ahead of release with the hopes that the readers will post (ideally positive) reviews of their work upon release date. And doI say “hopes” because I cannot require reviews to be posted per the rules of the various platforms. The issue is figuring out who to give those ARCs to. You don’t want to send them to people who will never read the book, and you definitely don’t want to send them to folks who might leak the book to people before release date.

So, as I’ve posted before, I have a new book coming out on August 10th. I want to start sending out ARCs soon so people have a chance to read the book ahead of time to post reviews around the release date. So, uh, this is where I’m out here, on my various platforms, asking… do you want an ARC of my new book?

If the answer is yes, fill out this really simple application!

I won’t accept everyone to the ARC list, but it can’t hurt to toss your name in. All ARCs supplied will be in ePub format. Those should be compatible with almost any eReader, and should be readable on most smartphones and tablets. I can’t really send out paperbacks, sadly. Also, I know this is book five in the series, but it’s okay if you haven’t read my earlier work. The ARC version of the book will include a brief synopsis of every earlier book in the series necessary for a new reader. Is reading the earlier books better? Yeah. But you should still enjoy this one too.

Again, let me know if you’re interested.

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Hey guys! I’m excited to announce that The Perfect Host, the fifth book in the Mia Graves Saga, is coming out on August 10th, 2026! Like the previous entries in the series, you can pre-order the eBook on Kindle. Pre-orders for the paperback can also be made from Amazon or any retailer with the ISBN 9798295897726 (like Bookshop.org or Barnes & Noble).

While it’s far from the last Mia Graves novel I plan on writing, it marks the closure of a couple of major plot threads. Think of it like a “season finale.” Here’s the summary from the back of the book:

Sometimes the demons in your past are literal.

When Th’xi’niran tried to claim Mia Graves as his vessel, Sarah Masters lost half of her soul saving the young witch. Now it’s three years later, and Mia and Sarah have gone their separate ways, each doing their best to heal. Mia has taken a job managing a local witchy bookstore in the quaint college town of Parrish Mills, and has built a new life for herself. She has friends, stability, and almost everything she was missing back in Boston.

But no one can truly escape their past, especially not Mia Graves.

When Sarah arrives in town to tell Mia that a cult of Th’xi’niran worshipers has found her, Mia’s world falls into chaos. The demon’s followers intend to complete the act that failed in that dark warehouse. They plan on making Mia the demon’s permanent host in our world, and they’re going to do it soon. With the emotional and spiritual scars still fresh, Mia must gather what allies she can to stop the oncoming darkness before it’s too late.

Besides Kindle (and soon Kobo), the eBook will be available through my Patreon store come August. I’m so excited to get this one out to you guys. I’ve been planning this one since I started writing the series, and I think you’re going to love it.

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