This week, I finished The Heart of the Wasteland — the final book in The Seven Signs series.
After years of work, false starts, rewrites, deployments, career changes, and more than a little self-doubt, the series is finally complete. The first draft came in at just over 307,000 words, far larger than I originally planned, but exactly what the story needed to reach its conclusion.
For me, The Seven Signs isn’t just a fantasy series. It’s the body of work where I learned how to be a writer. It followed me from my early twenties through military service, into civilian life, and back into full-time writing. Every experiment, every detour, and every risk I took as an indie author lives somewhere in these pages.
Finishing this book wasn’t easy. There were years when I couldn’t bring myself to touch it. Years when I told myself I’d come back later — and years when a small, persistent voice reminded me that unfinished things have weight.
This year, I made a decision: The Seven Signs would end.
And it did.
If you’d like to listen to me talk more about finishing this series–and get updates by podcast rather than checking here–click below to listen to Vox Auctoris. You don’t need to be a patron to listen, and you can get updates right in your favorite podcasting app.
What Happens Next
- The Heart of the Wasteland will move into revisions immediately
- Target release: late February to mid-March
- Box sets will follow shortly after
- New projects are already queued, with patrons helping decide what comes next
If you’re looking for something to read in the meantime:
I’m currently part of a BookFunnel promotion offering over 120 free fantasy and sci-fi books, running through January 31st.
Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, reviewed, or simply waited patiently over the years. Finishing this series is an ending — and a beginning.
More soon.
— D.W. Hawkins