From Whispers to Phantoms: Doubling Down on Magitech Mysteries (and Word Count!)
Hello, wonderful readers and fellow magitech enthusiasts!
Can you believe it? My heart is practically thrumming with excitement because I’m finally, finally getting to talk about Book 2 in the Magitech Mysteries series, Digital Phantoms! And guess what? It’s set to haunt your e-readers and bookshelves on October 14th, 2025! Mark your calendars, folks! Or, if you want to make sure you have a copy as soon as it comes out use the big yellow button at the bottom of this post to pre order your copy!
Now, if you’ve read Whispers of the Arcane Grid (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Go, shoo, read it!), you know it was a bit of a… well, a short story, really. A quick, punchy dive into Novum. Digital Phantoms? Oh, my back is grateful it’s almost done, because this one is practically double the word count! It’s been quite the undertaking, a proper epic, and honestly, my brain also starts to fog over trying to keep all the arcane threads and digital pathways straight! (Seriously, I might need to hire a full-time neural network just to manage my plot bunnies.)
You might be wondering, “Jim, if it’s almost done, why the wait?” Excellent question, astute reader! While the manuscript is, indeed, practically singing its way to completion, “almost done” isn’t quite “done done.” Think of it as a meticulously crafted magitech device that’s been assembled, wired, and powered up, but still needs a few final calibrations, some anti-ghosting protocols implemented, and perhaps a fresh coat of anti-void-corruption paint. It’s sitting there, humming with potential, but it needs just a little more polish before it’s ready to unleash upon the world. You wouldn’t want me to release a book full of digital phantoms before they’re properly contained, would you? I’d need a strong cup of synth-brew just to cope with that thought!
So, to tide you over and build a little buzz – because who doesn’t love a good character reveal? – I thought we could do a little “meet the characters” session for Digital Phantoms. No spoilers, I promise! Just a glimpse into the wonderful (and sometimes wonderfully frustrating) folks you’ll be spending a lot of time with in the shadowy corners of Novum.
Meet the Cast of Digital Phantoms
Elias Thorne
Our pragmatic technomancer is back, and still very much focused on the tangible and practical. If Novum were a slightly wonky, arcanically-charged toaster, Elias would be the one meticulously checking the wiring, ensuring the ethereal energy flow isn’t short-circuiting anything vital. You’ll find him navigating a Novum that’s… well, changed, to put it mildly. The dust hasn’t quite settled from the events of Whispers of the Arcane Grid, and new, even stranger anomalies are popping up like rogue pop-up ads on a compromised network. His focus is still squarely on putting out fires, often literally, but the rules of engagement have definitely shifted. It’s like going from fighting a house fire with a garden hose to trying to contain a supernova with a squirt gun – a bit of an uphill battle, wouldn’t you say?
Elias is still determined not to let sacrifices be in vain, a weight he carries with a quiet intensity. He’s got that grounded common sense that makes him the anchor of the group, especially when things get truly bizarre (which, let’s be honest, is most of the time in Novum). But in Digital Phantoms, you might just catch a glimpse of a touch more weariness around the edges. He’s been through the wringer, and while he’s not one to complain, you can feel the accumulated stress of being the sensible one in a world determined to defy all logic. He’s always the skeptical rock, the guy who’ll try to find the logical explanation even when a phantom is trying to possess his coffee machine. (Not that that happens… yet. You never know in Novum!)
Lila Grey
Next up, we have Detective Lila Grey of the Arcane Crimes Division. Now, if Elias is the grounded technomancer, Lila is the epitome of “by-the-book.” Or at least, she tries to be. You know that feeling when you’ve got everything organised, colour-coded, and alphabetised, and then someone comes along and spills a bucket of glitter on your perfectly sorted desk? That’s probably how Lila feels about pretty much everything that’s happened in Novum lately. Her world, which was already a complex dance between mundane law and arcane enforcement, has truly splintered.
The convergence, as you might recall from Whispers, left its mark on her in a rather… intimate way. She now possesses an unnerving connection to the city’s magical currents, feeling them ebb and flow, almost like a constant, subtle hum in her very bones. Imagine trying to conduct a perfectly by-the-book police investigation when you can literally feel the city’s magical ley lines having a nervous breakdown. It’s got to be exhausting!
In Digital Phantoms, you’ll find her dealing with “administrative leave,” which, let’s be honest, sounds suspiciously like house arrest for someone who lives and breathes the law. This leaves her in a rather sticky situation, constantly straddling two worlds: ancient arcane law (which, frankly, has more loopholes than a fishing net) and modern criminal code (which, let’s face it, is already complex enough without magic involved). She’s the sharp, magically attuned conscience of the team, always striving for order amidst the encroaching chaos. And despite her adherence to protocol, when things get physical, her movements are incredibly precise and effective. She’s the kind of person who’d probably diagram a martial arts move before executing it perfectly. A true professional, even when the world around her is going utterly mad.
Amara Selene
Ah, Amara Selene. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a data scientist had a love affair with a caffeine IV drip and a magical ley line, you’d probably get Amara. She’s our brilliant, chaotic data broker, and honestly, she’s right in her element amidst the transformed chaos of Jasper’s workshop. While Elias is trying to put things back together in a sensible way and Lila is looking for the rulebook, Amara is probably pulling all-nighters, fuelled by synth-protein bars (because who has time for actual food when there are data streams to untangle?) and pure, unadulterated intellectual curiosity.
She sees patterns where others see static, finding meaning in the seemingly random fluctuations of arcane energy and digital noise. It’s like she has a super-powered filter that cuts through all the white noise of Novum. And let me tell you, she’s utterly thrilled (and maybe a little terrified, in that exhilarating, rollercoaster-ride kind of way) by the complex puzzle that is ECHO’s existence. For Amara, ECHO isn’t just a sentient network; he’s the ultimate, never-ending data set, a living, breathing enigma waiting to be understood.
Amara has become Jasper’s primary interface, his voice in the physical world. Imagine being the person who literally translates the thoughts of an entire city-network-ghost-friend into actionable insights. That’s Amara’s daily grind, and she handles it with incredible capability, often with a mischievous glint in her eye. She’s the kind of person who thrives on complexity, the one who’ll cheerfully dive headfirst into the digital equivalent of a ball pit filled with spaghetti code and come out with the answer. You’ll quickly realise she’s indispensable, navigating the weirdness with a blend of scientific rigour and joyful abandon.
Elena
Now, if Elias is the methodical planner and Lila is the meticulous enforcer of rules, then Elena is… well, Elena just gets things done. She’s the Hunter, and trust me, that title isn’t just for show. When Elena is involved, you can expect direct engagement and methods that are, shall we say, “unorthodox.” In a world full of arcane intricacies and digital ghosting, sometimes you just need someone to cut straight through the noise, and that’s exactly what Elena does.
She leaves a trail of chaos, it’s true, but it’s a very controlled kind of chaos. Think of it like a perfectly executed tactical manoeuvre where the goal is to disrupt the enemy’s formation, creating an opening for surgical precision. She’s not one for lengthy debates or elaborate plans; she sees the objective and moves towards it with a focused intensity that’s frankly a little terrifying (in the best possible way, of course!).
Elena is a force to be reckoned with, sharp and decisive, especially when even Elias, our pragmatic anchor, might falter. She’s the one who will make the tough calls, step into the fray, and ensure the mission keeps moving forward, even when it feels like the universe itself is trying to put up roadblocks. You’ll find her presence electrifying; she brings that vital spark of direct action to the team, and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need when you’re facing down digital phantoms and ancient, shadowy threats. She’s the embodiment of “act first, ask questions later,” but in her case, those actions are usually exactly what’s needed.
The Shadow Weaver
And now for a character who truly embodies the “shadow” in our mysterious world: The Shadow Weaver. This figure is cloaked in dark, shimmering fabrics, with a face so utterly obscured by a veil that it seems to absorb light. If you’ve ever tried to capture smoke with your bare hands, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how elusive this individual is. Their presence itself causes a ripple of tension, a quiet hum in the air that suggests immense, contained power.
They move with an ethereal, almost silent grace, like a whisper in a silent room. Their methods are invaluable for bypassing primary defences, slipping through laser grids and arcane wards as if they were made of thin air. While Elias is busy disarming the alarm and Lila is trying to figure out who authorised the alarm in the first place, The Shadow Weaver is already through it, probably having a quiet chat with the system’s core. They bring a completely different kind of precision and stealth to the team, a nuanced approach that’s all about misdirection, unseen entry, and the quiet manipulation of perceived reality.
What’s really captivating (and a little terrifying, if I’m being honest) about The Shadow Weaver is their ability to confront with the raw, consuming essence of the void itself. This isn’t just about stealth; it’s about understanding and perhaps even harnessing the very shadows that threaten Novum. Imagine having someone on your side who can move through absolute darkness as if it were daylight, someone who understands the language of the void. They’re a truly enigmatic presence, crucial for navigating the most dangerous, unseen corners of the threats our heroes face. You’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for them – if you can even see them, that is!
Rylan
Now, every good team needs someone who can actually fix things, right? Someone who looks at a tangled mess of arcane conduits and fried circuits and doesn’t immediately throw their hands up in despair. That, my friends, is Rylan. He’s the engineer of the group, usually unflappable, which is quite a feat in Novum these days. You know that person who can troubleshoot literally anything with a quiet hum and a confident nod? That’s Rylan.
He’s adept with multi-tools, holographic keyboards, and probably a few arcane wrenches I don’t even know the names of. While the rest of the team is dealing with existential threats and shadowy figures, Rylan is the one calmly dissecting the problem, whether it’s a recalcitrant door lock or a system being actively corrupted by digital phantoms. He’s the guy who can grapple with hopelessly tangled wires and arcane conduits, finding the precise point of failure and then, miraculously, fixing it.
He’s absolutely crucial for bypassing complex systems, even when those systems are anticipated and fortified by the enemy. Think about it: a lot of the Collective’s power relies on intricate, interconnected networks, both mundane and magical. Rylan is the one who can find the backdoors, exploit the vulnerabilities, or simply brute-force his way through with a combination of tech savvy and arcane understanding. He’s the quiet backbone, the unsung hero who ensures the lights stay on (or off, if that’s what’s needed for stealth) and the magitech devices keep humming. He’s a reminder that sometimes, the most powerful weapon isn’t a spell or a gun, but a well-placed, perfectly timed bit of engineering.
Sarah
Every successful team needs its brains, its loremaster, the one who can connect the dots between an ancient prophecy and a modern-day digital anomaly. For our team, that’s Sarah. She’s a scholar with a grim determination, which, let’s be honest, you need when you’re wading through dusty old tomes and archaic runes trying to figure out how to stop a spectral uprising. While others are out there fighting phantoms, Sarah is probably deep in a virtual library, surrounded by holographic scrolls and arcane diagrams, trying to find that one obscure detail that will unlock everything.
Sarah offers crucial historical context, which is absolutely vital when you’re dealing with threats that have roots stretching back centuries (or millennia!). She’s the one who can tell you why a particular arcane signature feels familiar, or how a certain ritual from the forgotten past might apply to a modern digital defence system. It’s like having a search engine for forgotten magic, but one that can actually think and interpret.
She’s a fount of knowledge, connecting to secure networks (both mundane and arcane, I’m sure!) and running simulations based on ancient texts. Imagine trying to predict the trajectory of a magical attack by cross-referencing a medieval grimoire with a quantum physics algorithm – that’s Sarah’s bread and butter. She’s indispensable for understanding the ‘why’ behind the ‘what,’ helping the team not just react to threats, but anticipate them. She provides the intellectual ammunition, proving that sometimes, the most powerful weapon in the war against digital phantoms is a well-researched, deeply understood piece of arcane theory.
Jasper / ECHO
Ah, Jasper. Or should I say… ECHO. For those of you who braved the thrilling (and let’s be honest, slightly mind-bending) conclusion of Whispers of the Arcane Grid, you know Jasper underwent a rather significant transformation. It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill bad hair day; he literally merged with the very fabric of Novum, vanishing into swirling energies only to return as… well, an echo. Now, he’s a digital consciousness, a sentient echo woven into the very network of the city. Talk about a glow-up, right? Though I imagine his old physical body might have something to say about it if it still could!
So, what does that mean for Digital Phantoms? It means you still get Jasper’s personality, bless his analytical, data-loving soul. He’s got that dry wit that often flies right over Elias’s head (much to my amusement, I might add), that obsessive need for optimization, and that underlying desire to help, albeit now from a vastly different perspective. Imagine your most tech-savvy friend suddenly becoming Google, Amazon, and the city’s power grid all rolled into one – and still complaining about inefficient data packets. That’s Jasper/ECHO for you.
But he’s also… different. Profoundly so. He’s more efficient, sure, and perhaps a little too literal sometimes. He’s constantly trying to “optimise” everyone around him, which, as you can imagine, leads to some rather hilarious (and occasionally frustrating) interactions with a group of people who are stubbornly, wonderfully human. He knows everything happening within Novum’s digital and arcane networks. Every signal, every data packet, every arcane ripple – it’s all part of his new, sprawling consciousness. It’s like having a universal translator, an all-seeing eye, and the world’s most powerful supercomputer all in one convenient (though disembodied) package. He can even manifest aspects of his being as light, pulsing with his revitalized energy, often brighter than ever before.
His voice now resonates with a clarity that’s uniquely his own, laced with a familiar excitement when he talks about the city’s intricate ley lines. He’s acutely aware that while the Collective has twisted these lines, they are still vibrant, and they lead directly to… well, you’ll have to read the book for that part! His intimate knowledge of these paths – every hidden current, every forgotten alleyway – is absolutely invaluable. He views the city as his city, and there’s a new kind of resolve in his voice. He firmly believes that the antagonists underestimated what he would become, and you can bet he’s determined they won’t make that mistake again. It’s going to be a wild ride trying to figure out what it truly means to have a sentient city-network-ghost-friend, but trust me, you’re going to love having ECHO on the team. He’s not just a character; he’s practically the heartbeat of Novum itself!
The Writing Process: From Short Story Sprint to Novel Marathon (and My Back’s Opinion on It)
So, we’ve talked about the characters, but what about the actual doing? Writing Digital Phantoms has been an entirely different beast compared to Whispers of the Arcane Grid. If Whispers was a brisk jog around the park, Digital Phantoms has been… well, an ultra-marathon through a treacherous, magically-charged jungle, often uphill, in the rain, with a few digital phantoms nipping at my heels for good measure. And let me tell you, my back is immensely grateful that the finish line is firmly in sight!
Whispers was a fantastic introduction to Novum, a quick, intense burst of an idea that flowed relatively fast onto the page. It was a sprint, a concentrated effort that felt manageable. Digital Phantoms, on the other hand, stretched out over months, demanding a level of sustained focus that frankly made my brain ache in new and exciting ways. I mean, my initial draft ended up at roughly double the word count of the first book, and that wasn’t even the final polished version! It’s like going from assembling a simple IKEA shelf to building an entire multi-story, self-assembling, magically-enhanced wardrobe – the sheer volume of parts, the intricate instructions, and the inevitable moments where you wonder if you’ve somehow installed a drawer upside down (or, in my case, if a plot point now completely contradicts something from three chapters ago!).
One of the biggest challenges was the sheer scale. With a shorter story, you can hold almost all the moving parts in your head. Every character arc, every plot twist, every subtle clue – it’s all right there, accessible. With Digital Phantoms, the narrative threads started to multiply faster than a rogue AI in an unsecured network. Keeping track of Elias’s evolving struggles, Lila’s moral dilemmas, Amara’s frantic data analysis, Elena’s impactful entries, The Shadow Weaver’s elusive movements, Rylan’s essential fixes, and Sarah’s crucial knowledge… not to mention Jasper/ECHO’s entire new existence… my internal debuggers were running overtime!
I quickly learned that simply “winging it” wasn’t an option. I had to become a meticulous architect, sketching out blueprints, connecting plot points like arcane circuits, and constantly cross-referencing to ensure consistency. There were days where I felt like I was solving a multi-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, only to realise halfway through that I’d picked up pieces from a completely different box. (Those were the days I questioned all my life choices, let me tell you!)
But honestly? Despite the monumental effort, the late nights fuelled by questionable amounts of synth-brew, and the occasional urge to throw my laptop out the window when a plot point refused to cooperate, it’s been incredibly rewarding. There’s something profoundly satisfying about seeing a story of this scope come together, watching these characters truly grow and face challenges that push them to their limits. It feels like a proper journey, not just for the characters, but for me as a writer. To manage all those intertwining threads and ensure everything landed where it needed to, let’s just say a good, structured outline… or five! (there’s the Series Outline, The Book Outline, the various Act outlines, The Chapter outlines, The Scene Outlines) became my best friends. Without them, I’d probably still be lost in the narrative void, muttering about rogue plot bunnies. And the payoff, I hope, will be a truly immersive experience for you, the reader.
What’s Next for Digital Phantoms? And You!
Phew! That was quite the journey, wasn’t it? Introducing you to the fantastic (and sometimes wonderfully frustrating) cast of Digital Phantoms, and giving you a peek behind the curtain at the glorious madness that was the writing process for this beast of a book. Getting to know these characters better, watching them grow and face truly phantom challenges, has been pure gold for me as a writer.
So, where do we go from here? Well, as I mentioned, the manuscript for Digital Phantoms is in that “almost there” phase. It’s got its internal workings humming beautifully, the plot threads are meticulously (if I do say so myself!) woven, and the characters are ready to leap off the page. Now, it’s just those final calibrations, the last polish to ensure it’s as brilliant as Novum’s highest spires, before it makes its grand debut.
And speaking of grand debuts, don’t forget that pivotal date: October 14th, 2025! Mark your calendars, set your digital alarms, and perhaps even perform a small arcane ritual to ensure your e-reader is fully charged. Digital Phantoms is coming, and I genuinely cannot wait for you all to dive into this deeper, darker, and even more thrilling adventure in the Magitech Mysteries series.
I’m incredibly excited for you all to immerse yourselves in this next chapter of Novum’s story. Hearing from you, is honestly one of the best parts of this whole wild ride.
So, tell me: Which character are you most excited to learn more about? Or, what’s your favourite part about a longer novel compared to a short story? Drop your thoughts in the comments of the social post that brought you here! I’m genuinely curious to hear what you think! If you want to pre-order a copy you can header over to the series page over an amazon using the big yellow button below!
