Uncovering Echoes

Writing chapter 11 has felt like stepping into a room where everyone knows more than they’re letting on — including me. The sequel to Shadow Empire is no longer politely knocking at the door; it’s broken in, kicked off its boots, and started rearranging the furniture.

Jensen and the team are now deep in the thick of it. The warhead mystery is unravelling (or re-ravelling, depending on which intelligence agency you ask), alliances are fraying, and Ezra has upgraded his sarcasm firmware.

There’s a scene in Chapter 11 that took me by surprise. One of those moments you don’t see coming until you write it — then you wonder how it wasn’t always there. It changes the dynamic between two key characters. Not in a loud, dramatic way, but like the slow turn of a key in a lock that’s been stiff for years. That’s the kind of sequel this is becoming — one that remembers, one that pays attention.

I’ve been trying to stay honest to the tone I built in Shadow Empire — that mix of action, tech, and dry humour — but also let things grow darker around the edges. Because let’s be honest, when Cold War ghosts start waking up, someone’s going to get haunted.

And as the story widens — from Prague to the Caspian, and soon further still — I’m finding myself more invested in what isn’t being said. Secrets within secrets. Names with no past. A cipher with no key.

The pieces are moving.

The danger’s rising.

And I’ve got a feeling the next chapter won’t pull their punches.

More soon.

-Gary