Good evening from Ravenstone. Not a fictitious castle, the actual village where I live, and man, the writing room is hot.

Things have now officially quietened down for me. Why, you may ask. Well, let me tell you. You may or may not be aware that my major dark fantasy project is the first book in a series. That book, The Shivering Vale, is slated for a December 2026 release. Ahead of it, I have published forty short stories, known as the Tales from the Woldwood, to preface and introduce the characters, places and tensions of the world I have built. The stories can be read and enjoyed independently of the book. The book is a self-contained first instalment that does not rely upon the stories in any way to be complete and unambiguous in its ambition.

The purpose of doing it this way was to introduce my world and characters to you at no cost, thus giving anyone and everyone access to the place. The bargain we make is that if any reader wants the book, then it will always be available for sale. I will never give it away or discount it. That is the deal.

So where are we?

The forty stories are in place and available. Thirty-nine on Substack, Spotify and YouTube and a missing fortieth elsewhere if you subscribe, and still free if you do so. Next is the runway to release. More on that next week.

Elsewhere, every other article I see on Substack is a complaint about the Pangram AI detector right now, and it’s difficult to ignore it and restrain oneself. I have always been broadly untroubled by the idea of AI. It cannot write novels, so let’s all relax. But I needed to draw a line under it, and so I put a statement on my website which can be read here. It’s my settled view. I am moving on.

I’m recommending platforms I find useful. If you want a non-hysterical and sensible insight into AI news, not at all designed for authors, try AI With Kyle. He keeps it real and pragmatic, and he is not a hand-wringing creative. I say that because it is a relief to be out of that bubble occasionally. I joined The Indie Writers Club Patreon last week. James Blatch runs it and has a great Substack and a supportive community.

Thanks for reading,
Stay dark.
JBE

The Legend of the Og Mori

My fiction writing side-quest brings me back to the idea that folklore is up for grabs once again, and so I took the Pictish Beast and Rhynie Man and thrust them together in a story of betrayal, revenge and a sea-monster.

The Pictish coast of Scotland, real standing stones, and a legend about what lives beneath the water. A chief faces raiders who have done the unforgivable to his daughters. What he chooses is the heart of the tale, and I will not spoil it here.

A new story publishes every week at edvanestories.com where you can access and read, or listen to, the entire archive.

A second collaboration, and a date in the diary.

The Red Lesson in Gnome and Bone Magazine

Gnome and Bone Magazine are publishing my story The Red Lesson in their second issue, Vermilion Cinders, at the end of summer. My story will appear on their website on August 23rd and will also be teased on their Instagram feed. This is my second piece for them, and I love this collaboration. They launched when I did, which gives us a special bond.

Sanderson has a law. I would like to dissent.

Hard Magic and Soft Magic in Fantasy

Brandon Sanderson has a law about magic systems. I think he is wrong in one important respect, and I use four of my own stories to make the case.

VSS365 is a daily micro-fiction challenge on X. One prompt word, one complete story, 280 characters. Each week I will share my favourite of the seven I produced. My favourite prompt this week was fertile.

A barren queen made a pact with a pixie, and the royal bed grew fertile. Nine months later, she bore a perfect heir. At the christening, the pixie returned for payment. As the royal pair shrivelled, they understood: it had taken the years they would have spent watching him grow.

Discover my VSS365 flash fiction posts on X and Bluesky.

The Edvane Dispatch goes out every Saturday. If someone you know would enjoy these stories, send them to edvane.world/follow. Explore my newsletter archive HERE

Sincere thanks for your support, and remember, Stay Dark.