A Slow Return to Books

I've taken up reading and writing again, although the engine coughs a bit. I intend to read more books this year than I did in 2025, including those that have been lying on my shelf for ages, unfinished. 

Finishing pending projects is my goal for 2026, so Rues of the Heroes is definitely going to be released, and The Heirs of Duty will return to market. While waiting for the books to come out, you may entertain yourself by checking out the Braenduir Chronicles' homepage, where you'll find free samples of both books and a blog providing additional material. If you're a fan of fantasy folklore, worldbuilding, character insights, and so on, you'll find Tales from Braenduir worth visiting. Both the books and the contents of the Tales from Braenduir blog are meant for adult fantasy readers, meaning they can contain explicit scenes that might upset underage or sensitive people.

Here's a snippet of the blog, so you get a hang of what kind of content to expect when you open Tales from Braenduir:

The fire crackled. Its warmth flooded over me, lulling me into a state of drowsiness where memories began to rise uninvited. Jan's face appeared in front of me, a rare expression of joy and relaxation upon it. His lips were moving, his hands drawing images in the air between us as he rehearsed a story about the famous Toren Eddesen, who seemed to be a fathomless source of anecdotes, some more plausible than others.

  "I've never heard this tale from Toren himself, though," Jan said, pausing. "So, I'm not sure whether I should spread it as its accuracy hasn't been confirmed."

  "I'm sorry," I said, realising that I'd been focusing on watching him rather than listening. "The story was about what–a princess and a three-legged hog. Did I get that right?"

When it comes to reading, I'm in the middle of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden which I started months ago. Even though it seems to be yet one supposed-to-be-adult-fantasy-book while actually being young adult, I've enjoyed it so far. It reminds me of the Russian classics I binge-read as a teenager, only it's adorned with tons of folklore.