Category: Journey to Wudang

TAFE is back in session! Here’s the ‘3D pixelart’ game team working to expand the game beyond the tutorial and create a combo system for the combat.

March Update
The rights to the entire nine-book ‘Dark Heavens’ have been reverted to me, which means that Harper-Collins can no longer sell them.
I don’t own the cover art that they created for the series, and I’d like to create new covers for every single book. (I will also re-format the interiors and maybe take out some of the edits that I wasn’t happy about all that time ago? And add back in stuff that was deleted that should be there?)
This means I can’t release them myself until this is done.
In the meantime, I need to arrange for new covers! Wish me luck, I’ll be applying for a grant from the Gold Coast. I’ll try to feature emerging or mid-career artists in a ‘showcase’ where each artist can do a ‘cultivation’-style illustration, that I can pass to Ashton, my graphic designer, in the US to finalise for cover design. Each artist will receive both payment and a feature on the cover that they illustrate.
Wish me luck, I’m currently gathering support letters and preparing the grant documentation. It will probably be turned down, and then I’ll have to pivot to Plan B.
If you know anyone who can do quality ‘cultivation’-style illustrations, let them know this opportunity may be up for grabs!
Oz Comic-Con

As I can’t obtain printed copies of the original series until I re-release them, I’ve had to hold off on Comic-Cons for the first half of this year. I won’t be attending Perth or Adelaide, I’m afraid. Hopefully I’ll have some really special editions of Dark Heavens – all of them – for cons later in the year. Ashton loves doing foils and sprayed edges.
Of course Patrons will be receiving complimentary copies of everything as part of their subscriptions. I may even do special art prints for them. They’re now reading a new fan-requested novella about how Jade fought all cultural norms to marry two gods.
Watch this space as I work though the process.
TAFE is Back!

The semester, many of the students who produced ‘Dark Heavens’ based projects are back for ‘Professional Practice 2’. Here’s the projects that are happening:

The 3D Pixelart ‘learn martial arts on the Mountain’ game will be expanded beyond the tutorial so you’ll have a chance to play as Emma and fight some real demons! They’re planning a cool combo system and some great demon designs.

The Jade sidescroller is getting WAY more pixels and detail, and moving up to having a series of boss battles. The students will also include some combos in this one as well.

The animation team, who produced some exciting concept designs, will be moving to actual motion-capture and animation creation. Cannot wait to see what happens there.
One student who wasn’t in Professional Practice 1 last semester is doing a project that’s a mass fighting game similar to Diablo. (The Archivist would approve.) In it, the main character is a tame demon who will have to balance their celestial and demonic natures so that they don’t go too much either way.

I will keep you updated!

Pixie the therapist helping me to recover.

February Update
Life comes at us fast sometimes. One minute I’m putting together slides for my workshop at the Queensland Writers Centre next week, and the next I’m arranging for my daughter to come up for a couple of days to assist me while I have a procedure done in hospital under twilight sedation.
Long story short it’s nothing terminal or morbid or anything, it was just a very early melanoma. But I wasn’t aware that this tiny circular piece of pigmentation on my cheek would require a massive incision to avoid nasty scarring!
So it’s been skin check, biopsy, booking into surgery, and at the same time the optometrist referred me to an ophthalmologist because I may have glaucoma and need laser surgery or cataracts (that didn’t happen, my eyes are fine. For now.)
I have the juiciest black eye you have ever seen. My friends and family rallied around me but it’s been a tough couple of weeks negotiating this while I was getting the self-publishing business back into motion, and preparing for Genrecon.
All good now! To work!
Genrecon Giveaway Prize Winners

Queensland Writers Centre were kind enough to give me a couple of tickets to Genrecon to give away, so congratulations to Sue Johnston and Stephen Scott on their wins. I wish they’d given me more tickets!
Genrecon is next weekend the 21st and 22nd of February at the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End, Brisbane, and it will be a great deal of fun. I’ll be hosting a discussion as well as appearing in a couple of panels – black eye and all.
Rights Reversion Issues
When the rights for ‘Dark Heavens’ revert to me, I will have to rush to re-jacket, re-edit, re-typeset and re-publish the entire series. Until then, the books will completely disappear from all outlets – and all of my reviews will disappear as well.
Unfortunately the upshot of this is that it will probably take me about six months to release new editions, and in the meantime I won’t have anything to sell at Perth and Adelaide Oz Comic-Con. I’ll definitely be attending the cons later in the year (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane) but I don’t think I’ll have any books to sell for the first half of this year!
I will keep you updated on the process. Wish me luck I can find a cover designer who is both good and affordable.
The University of Canberra students will be returning in March, so watch this space for updates on their progress in Professional Practice 2.
New Novella: ‘Her Two Kings’
I’ve started a new novella about Jade’s shameless flaunting of Celestial protocol by dating two men in a new novella called ‘Her Two Kings’, and anyone with a $1+ Patreon account is already reading extracts!

Best part of the holiday break – many yum chas with my daughter overlooking the Broadwater
January Update
I hope you all had a fabulous end of year break, and I’m gearing up to get to work in 2026!

Genrecon 2026
Genrecon is held on the 21st and 22nd of February in Brisbane, and is a celebration of all things ‘genre’ – science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime and romance. It’s run by the Queensland Writers Centre (which I have close professional relationship with) and will be located at the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End, Brisbane, not far from the State Library building where the Writers Centre is located.
I’ll be hosting a ‘Chatterbox’ discussion event on Fantasy, and will be panellist at two of the panels – one on digital publishing, and one on Journeys to Publication.
The Writers Centre have also asked me if I’d like to promote some free tickets to the event, so watch this space as we arrange the giveaway.
Workshop: Choosing Your Publishing Path
As part of the Genrecon additional program, I’ll be presenting a full-day workshop on the publishing process on the Thursday before the event at the Queensland Writers Centre. I’ll be talking about the different options for publication – trad, indie or self publishing – and then the further options like audiobooks and overseas translations available to authors. Come along and ask me anything about the publishing journey.
This is particularly relevant for me because I started a small additional business in 2025 helping people to self-publish their books through Essential Self-Publishing. I just spend the holiday break updating my rates and putting more of my happy clients onto the page. As part of the service I provide a half-hour consultation on the best journey for each client, and many people ask the same questions when looking for advice. I can provide these answers to the people in the workshop – and take it much further for the entire publishing journey. I’m very much looking forward to presenting it!
‘Dark Heavens’ in 2026
This is really big for me, both exciting and terrifying and it will be a whole lot of work. Under the terms of the contract that I have with my publisher, they have six months after me requesting the rights back – to give them back to me. This includes all the audiobooks and the overseas publications.
When I do gain the rights back, I will have to rejacket the entire series. I’ll need new book covers for every single book, and if I do special editions (because of course I will) I’ll probably want to add illustrations on the interior flyleaves of the books as well. This will both be expensive and difficult, but I’m excited to have the series relaunched the way that I wanted it to appear in the first place.
I’m on the hunt for an artist who can do manhua/xianxia style illustrations with a Western twist, so let’s see if I can find that…
I’m also booked for Oz Comic-Con 2026 and Semester 1 of the media course at University of Canberra is starting up in March. so it looks like it will be a busy year for me!
 

The volunteers had a Christmas tree and ginger bread house decorating competition at Oz Comic-Con, and my volunteers didn’t win. Robbed!
December Update
The last newsletter for the year and it’s been one of the best years ever.
Serpent Princess was so warmly welcomed by everyone, and I am hard at work on the sequel, ‘Queen of Hell’ – which the Patrons on my Patreon are already reading. Fan favourite return incoming!
The TAFE/University of Queensland projects were a massive success, and we’re in the process of bringing at least one of the game demos online into a web-playable version so everyone can have a try.

The volunteers had an absolute blast with them.
So: On to 2026! I have big plans.

The games were made as a part of a unit called ‘Professional Practice 1’. First semester next year is ‘Professional Practice 2’ and we’ll be taking these projects even further – and applying for a grant to make the games or animations that the students have started.
I’m in the process of regaining the rights to the original Dark Heavens series. I’m planning to re-edit them to something closer to my original version, have new covers made for them and re-release them in both paperback and special edition hardcovers.
If I do regain the rights, I’ll be able to do something about having the final three books of ‘Dark Heavens’ released as audiobooks here in Australia.
I’ll be presenting a workshop, engaging in two panels, and hosting a chatter session at Genrecon in Brisbane in February. More details on that in the January newsletter.
I’ll be at Oz Comic-Con for nearly very show next year, and hopefully I’ll have the new Dark Heavens editions ready to go! (The publishers are being slow to return the rights to me.)
My self-publishing business at https://www.essentialselfpub.com.au has been going so well that I’ll be redesigning the site and raising my rates over the Christmas break. Send me your books for self-publishing!

Thank you all for being so wonderful and supporting me throughout the year. Time to slow down and relax for a while, and I hope everybody’s holiday decorations are as awesome as those by the Oz Comic-Con volunteers, even though they didn’t win when they should have!

I will have the keyrings and stickers at Melbourne Christmas Comic-Con on December 6-7, so see you there!
November Newsletter
Thanks to everybody who came along to Supanova Brisbane to try out the games. We had three games at the show for everyone to judge, and the students were super excited to share their projects.

Yes, one of our games producers was Spider-Man. This is the wonderful Dark Heavens Explored team, fretting because their game wasn’t at optimal resolution on the wide screens provided by TAFE.
The final three games we showed were:
Dark Heavens Explored

This is a 3D pixelart game. The students asked me about Heavenly Wudang, and I scribbled a map of the facility for them, and they built it. This is a bridge leading over the water to the main square surrounded by the three main halls. Master Liu is waiting there, in his Shaolin robes, ready to give Emma some special training in True Way hall. Note that the students even managed to do the black banners with the motif of the Big Dipper on them.

Inside True Way Hall, Emma learns some basic martial arts moves, and destroys a dummy. She then walks to the stairs behind the hall, and proceeds up to the Golden Temple, which the students have recreated on the top.
This game won people’s choice, so congratulations to the Dark Heavens Explored team! (Prizes were provided by the Australian Computer Society, who helped develop the Level Up program at Supanova).
Celestial Banishment: Journey of the Jade Dragon
Itta did a poster for this game, and look how it turned out! (He gave me a printed on to put on my stand at Oz Comic-Con as well).

The students based their design of Jade on Queenie’s design from ‘Small Shen’ – and Queenie was delighted to see it.
This game is a sidescroller with lovely lush colours. Jade has to travel to the Celestial Palace, to try to steal the scroll that banishes her from the heavens…

She has to fight random guards, and then faces a big boss which is an original design from the students – and they had a bunch of lovely original designs!

The game itself was super popular, and the Nine Dragon Wall was a fun feature. Jade’s health bar is a pearl held in a dragon’s claws, and as she takes damage, the pearl itself is shattered.

This game won Creator’s Choice Award, because myself and my business partner thought this one was terrific.
Detective Cheung – Investigating the Chen Family
This wasn’t my idea, but I’m so glad the students thought of it. This is a game in the style of Ace Attorney (OBJECTION!) where Detective Cheung is convinced that Emma murdered John and wants to take his fortune. They completely and accurately recreated the actual building where I placed the Hennessy Road Earthly Wudang Academy – the diamond-shaped cutouts on this building to the left are real.

Cheung here is standing next to a Hong Kong bus stop, and although the designs are mostly roughed out at this stage (they only had one semester!) they did a fabulous job of recreating the streetscape down to rubbish bins and bus stops. And their design of the family itself is flawless.
This team won Highly Commended and I honestly think all three teams were winners.

Melbourne Oz Comic-Con
I don’t usually do the December Melbourne pop-up but this time I have the merch ready (keyrings and stickers as shown at the top of the newsletter) and I’ll be selling them from my stand. I’ve also asked for my table to have power so I can take my laptop along and give you a chance to play the actual games! So if you’re in Melbourne, come and check out the games and the lovely merch that the students designed and produced for me, and that will be available online soon. (We’re thrashing out a licensing agreement and that’s a LOT of paperwork.)
So see you in December, and if you’re in the other states I’ll have plenty of merch for you next year!