Marion G. Harmon, A Writer in Vegas.

It’s done. Over a year late and the source of such frustration I almost abandoned it a couple of times, but it’s done. By “done” I mean that my first full draft is completed and is now being read by several trusted alpha-readers, which means that Capes: Rising Tides is now about 2-3 weeks from publication; I do a lot of editing along the way, so a completed draft is the equivalent of the fourth or fifth draft for many writers, one step from the Final Draft.

So, now that it’s almost here, what is it about?

Rising Tides is the story of a new hero, Killjoy. The triggering event that makes him a breakthrough happens during the Chicago Attack that opened Repercussions and the reader gets a street-level view of the attack and its aftermath. Killjoy is not your typical superhero; his breakthrough power is teleportation, jumping, and Kingston James Parks, has zero interest in becoming a cape. He’s on the short and slight side, not a physically brave person, and his primary goal, initially, is to find a decent-paying job (not using his power) and . . . that’s really about it. Especially since his best friend since college and current housemate is a Firster. That’s right, his bestie is a member of Humanity First, the anti-superhuman group. She’s also a photojournalist who makes a career of photographing the aftermath of superhuman battles (events keep her busy).

Rising Tides follows Kingston on his journey from newly triggered breakthrough and no kind of cape to . . . what you see on the above cover. It’s quite a ride, one that begins the day of the Chicago Attack and takes the reader through unfolding events over the course of the next year as the world reacts to the trauma of the Chicago and Brussels attacks. Chronologically it starts at the beginning of Repercussions and ends after Joyeuse Guard, but is a completely self-contained story that doesn’t require having read 1-9 of the Wearing the Cape series to follow; it’s a new introduction to the Post-Event World.

Some reassurance; although only one of Rising Tides‘ main characters will be familiar to WtC readers (not telling which one), the story is not a departure from the style of story WtC readers have come to expect. Expect good heroes and bad villains, some deconstruction of superhero-tropes but an optimistic tale of the human spirit.

So, how is Capes: Rising Tides going to roll out?

Since it is the launch of a new series, we’re going to take a broad approach. It will be put up on Amazon for pre-release sometime in the next few weeks. During pre-release, a Free Sample book will also be dropped on Amazon containing the first three chapters and a link to the pre-release page. It will also be pushed as best we can through the Wearing the Cape Facebook pages. Beyond that of course, I will have paperback copies to sign at the few cons I’m doing this year (only three are set so far in ’24 although this may change).

And what to expect next?

With Capes: Rising Tides finally in completion, I can talk about some other projects. One of course is the next book, which will be another Wearing the Cape title. Going forward I’d love to do one WtC and one Capes title every year, we’ll need to see. I’m also going to start up a Patreon page, a place where I can drop smaller projects that wouldn’t otherwise see the light of day; fans of Wearing the Cape: The Roleplaying Game should expect to see new material there, but the site will also feature essays and possibly short stories or flash-fiction set in the Post-Event World. And I’m going to complete a couple of Fate-related projects that I set aside to push Rising Tides to completion.

Thank you, everyone, for your patience, not that you’ve had a choice, and nobody is happier to see this day than I am.

Marion G. Harmon