Publishing Update: April 2026

The author and Seth, circa 2020.

It’s been a busy first quarter!

First and foremost, I thank all who’ve supported my author’s journey through the years. Books sales/page reads/hours listened for this first quarter of 2026 have exceeded my wildest expectations with many new milestones/benchmarks met.

A special call out to those who took the time to write online reviews/leave a rating on Amazon/Goodreads or even one-on-one correspondence saying what the Ryland Creek stories/characters meant to them—this is why writers write.

I’m humbled and grateful to God and you for your continued support.

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A scene from A Place Called Painted Post--estimated release late summer 2026.

In The Works

A Place Called Painted Post: A Ryland Creek Story

This book’s main character is a female raccoon. No, she doesn’t talk, but she does encounter some of the characters from the first two books--The Last Coon Hunter and An Exceptional Hound--as well as some new heroes and villains. There are plenty of  “Easter eggs” planted throughout this storyline, hearkening back to the first two books (and even Return to Ryland Creek—ha!) that I hope those who’ve read the other books discover and then (maybe) smile.

My co-author, Judith “Shanne” Bowie, and I have conducted a second-round review of most of the initial chapters. We did some clean-up and added several new chapters in the process. Still much to add, but I’m confident we’ll get there.

The incredible Lee O’Connell, our artist for the illustrated version of Place, is doing a simply amazing job.

Current word count stands at ~46K—up ~12K words since last publishing update. With several more key chapters to draft, I suspect this story will hit 60K when all’s said and done.

Our new deadline to our copyeditor, the fabulous Joyce Mochrie, is 1 July 2026 with a targeted publishing release in late August/early September 2026.

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Lance Ernst and his hound, Bella, from a scene in Return to Ryland Creek

The New York State Outdoor Writers Association’s (NYSOWA’s) 2026 Excellence in Craft (EIC) Awards.

In January, I submitted Return to Ryland Creek for NYSOWA’s annual EIC Awards in the Book category. Earlier this month, I received notification that Return won an award. Which award (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place) will be announced on May 9, 2026, at NYSOWA’s spring conference in Glen Falls, New York.

Very proud to say I’m a NYSOWA member.

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New E-book Bundles on Amazon

Prior to the release of Return to Ryland Creek: Book V of the Ryland Creek Saga in late November 2025, I had only one e-book bundle: The Ryland Creek Saga: Books I-IV, exclusively on Amazon.

This past quarter, I added two more e-book bundles (also exclusive to Amazon):

• The Ryland Creek Saga: Books I-V, which stays with the main storyline of the Ernst family, and
  
  
• The Ryland Creek Saga: The Expanded Collection—which includes the prequel, The Forest Ghost, and the companion novel, The Time of the Backroads, The Expanded Collection is in the “recommended reading order” based in part on reader feedback as each of these stories are intertwined and build upon one another.

E-book bundles are great as they give folks the option to buy/gift the e-books in one fell swoop, and it's cheaper than buying the books individually.

Note: Unfortunately, none of the major book retailers allow bundle print versions to my knowledge. However, you can purchase the soft cover, casebound, and dust jacket cover bundles via my author website, which of course is cheaper than buying them individually. If there’s ever a chance to bundle print versions via the major retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or even Lulu), I’ll be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.

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The dust jacket cover for The Last Coon Hunter, 5th Anniv. Ed.

The Ryland Creek Saga in Dust Jacket format on Barnes & Noble (B&N)

As of April 2026, I’ve begun adding the dust jacket format through B&N. As of this publication release, only Book I, The Last Coon Hunter (Fifth Anniversary Edition) in dust jacket format has been released for purchase.

The proofs for An Exceptional Hound, The Legends of Ryland Creek, The Master of Hounds, and The Forest Ghost have been ordered, and with any luck, I’ll have them for review by month’s (April 26) end.  The final remaining books--The Time of the Backroads and Return to Ryland Creek—have had their projects started and with any luck, I’ll have their proofs ordered by months end.

Even better news: Because of B&N’s lower print costs, the dust jacket format will be offered for $24.99 (vs. $45+ on other book retailers) on B&N. Once all titles have been released, the lower price for this particular format will be reflected on my author website as well.

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The Forest Ghost: The Audiobook

As things have begun to settle down to a dull roar, I’m looking at this project with a possible start in the August 2026 time frame. More to follow here as the intent is to add a female voice actor along with the incredible talent of Wayne Thompson, the original narrator for the first two books.

Arthur McCutcheon and Mist Cornplanter from a scene in The Forest Ghost. (Image created by author via Mid-Journey.)

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more as summer nears.