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January Newsletter

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Hello there and Happy New Year! 

I hope everyone’s staying warm with this crazy winter weather.  Here’s what’s happened since the last newsletter:

TORIKO TALES IS OUT!

Toriko Tales: Toriko vs The Crowned Paw officially released on December 30, 2025, and is now available on Amazon!  

As a thank-you for being a subscriber, I’ve included an extended preview of the first five chapters. (An earlier preview included only two.)

As I mentioned last time, this book is very tonally different from Weun Academy. It dives into themes of  artificial intelligence, ethics (or the lack of them), betrayal, deception, and some very dark family secrets—along with plenty of cat puns and twists along the way!

Learn more here: http://www.torikotales.com.

WEUN ACADEMY PRONOUNCATION GUIDE

Everyone reads names differently—and I love that. But a few readers have asked how I originally intended them to sound. 

So I finally did it: Weun Academy Pronunciation Guide is now live!

It’s a permanent addition to the D’mok Revival site, and I’ll likely create one for each book going forward. Let me know what you think!

NEBULA AWARD

I’m officially a full member of the Science Fiction Writer’s Association (SFWA)—which has been an amazing and very supportive community. For those that are unfamiliar, SFWA is also the home of the renowned Nebula Awards.

Both Weun Academy and Toriko Tales are now on the reading list and eligible for consideration for the 2026 Nebula Award! 

No matter what happens, it’s incredibly exciting to even be in the conversation.  I’ll keep you posted!

LATEST ENDEAVORS

Most of my time lately has gone into post-release work for Toriko Tales, but Matt and I have also been experimenting with something fun…

We’ve been playing around with a HoverDome: Red Canyon Run video game concept! 

Quick background: HoverDome is the hoverbike racing arena featured in D’mok Revival and Weun Academy. We successfully kickstarted the board game edition a few years ago. This is just a creative side project for now—but it’s been a blast to explore.

Next up after a short break: Continued work on the next Weun Academy story. 

I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I genuinely love hearing your thoughts—the good and the constructive. It’s how I grow as a story teller and learn how to connect better with you.

If you’ve read D’mok Revival, Weun Academy, or Toriko Tales, I’d love to know:

  • “Who your favorite characters are”
  • “What you want to see more of”
  • “What surprised you”
  • “Or what didn’t land for you”

And/or if you’re reading something else great, tell me about it!

You can always email me or DM me on Facebook. 

THANKS AGAIN

Your support truly means the world to me!  Stay warm, and talk to you soon!

— Mike Zummo

P.S.  If you know someone who’d enjoy these stories, feel free to forward this along. I truly appreciate it!

December News Letter

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Hello there and Happy Holidays! 

What a year!  It’s hard to believe Weun Academy was launched not even two months ago, and my next D’mok Revival Expanded Universe novel will be out in weeks! Let’s dive right into the rest!

CAMPUS MAP

Big news for Weun Academy fans!  Matt, who also did the amazing cover, put together an official no-spoiler campus map! We thought it would be great addition so all Weun Academy’s students could get around easier.

https://www.facebook.com/DmokRevival (see the pinned post)

HOW DO YOU SAY THAT?

Okay, I’ll be honest—I know the character names are pretty “unique.” People ask all the time, “How do you pronounce that?” My first response is always: “How do YOU pronounce it?”  It’s okay if you have your own way to say it. I actually appreciate people creating their version of this universe.

That said, if you really want to know how I do it, I’m planning to release a pronunciation guide in January on http://www.dmokrevival.com, under the Weun Academy book.  I’ll provide a link the next newsletter too.

WEUN ACADMEY NEXT

There are some truly voracious readers who love Weun Academy! Despite the heft of the first 145,000-word book, I’m already being asked: “What’s next?” And more importantly: “When’s it coming out?”

I’m humbled and incredibly thankful for your excitement!  I’m already fifteen chapters into the next Weun Academy work. It currently picks up the moment The Shadow Maker ends (literally).

Originally, I thought it may be a connective novelette that would lead into the second full novel—but it’s starting to feel more like the second novel itself. TBD! 

I don’t have a specific timeframe on it, but I would like to get out at least one major book per year.  Maybe by this time in 2026? Maybe…

TORIKO TALES

On the tail of Weun Academy is my next major book Toriko Tales: Toriko vs The Crowned Paw!  http://www.torikotales.com for lots of details.

It’s tonally very different—though still part of the D’mok Revival literary universe. The story centers on Toriko, who has been a part of my scifi series since book one, and takes her back to her homeworld Tericn.

Since they’re cat people, there’s plenty of cat puns to keep the mood lighter.

However, I won’t sugarcoat it! At its heart, Toriko Tales is a story about AI ethics (or the lack thereof), betrayal, deception, and dark family secrets. If Weun Academy kept you guessing, just wait and see what happens in this one.

HEARING FROM YOU!

I love feedback—the good and the challenging. I don’t think there’s “bad feedback; some of it just isn’t as easy to hear. It’s how I learn what resonates with people and how I get better.

Always feel free to email me or send messages on Facebook. 

If there are other forums you visit and talk with authors, please let me know.  I’m happy to join new spaces and be available!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AGAIN!

I greatly appreciate your support and interest in my stories. I would like to get to know you better and continue learning from your feedback.

I wish each of you a safe, memorable, and wonderful holiday. 

Here’s to 2026!

  • Mike (Zummo)

P.S.  Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter again! Please forward to your friends and others that would be interested!

How did we design Weun Academy’s cover?

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If eyes are the windows to the (Human) soul, then the cover is that for books. Everyone – EVERYONE – judges a book by its cover. You get milliseconds for people to decide if they’re going to skip you book all by what it looks like.

There’s a lot of pressure to get a cover right. It has to convey the right theme, look visually appealing, be appropriate to attract your target market, have the right tag line…

When Matt and I began the cover work our starting point was “what should it show?” My D’mok Revival books followed very traditional (read “old school”) space scene covers that were far more reflective of classic science fiction (of the 60’s and 70’s). We’re now in 2020’s, it needed to reflect what attracted people TODAY. So we wanted to go with more of a scene from the book. We talked to some of the Beta readers and selected a few specific moments.

WARNING… Mild spoilers ahead due to images. I’ll hold off on explaining too much.

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Okay? So here they are…

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Arriving at the gates to the school

Eisah exploding with power

Seigie Weun Statue

The Man of fire

We even tried developing some of the concepts, specifically the Seigie statue and the “Crystal Gate” to the campus.

I also tried mocking up some things using Midjourney.

But it wasn’t coming together in a way we really loved.

I then participated in JD’s book marketing cohort in the fall of 2024. We did more of a contemporary book study. I even went out to Target and Barnes and Nobel and took pictures of what was on the shelf, studying what the market put out.

Because this book was going to a YA and NA market it needed to have people on the cover in some way. That set us on a path that began as the Seigie statue. At one point we also tried something far more unique and artistic, before Matt had an inspiration on his ipad and our direction dove toward the main visual we have today.

Here’s an animation showing that end progression taken from Matt’s ipad (using procreate). Yes, he sketched it by hand on his ipad. I watched him apple pen stroke over apple pen stroke carve this from the ether.

From there we evolved the branding for Weun Academy including fonts, finalizing the series emblem, evolving book blurb content.

And we ended up with what we have today!

Final thought on this: the work we did shaping the “Crystal Gate” entrance to Weun Academy actually transformed the description that ended up in the book. It was originally just a gateway in the forest, a large gateway with statues on either side. When we attempted to think like “the architects of Weun Academy’s campus” we thought about what experience we wanted to have students or anyone else coming through the forest to that way on to the campus. We wanted this (preferred way for new students to arrive) gateway to supercharge one’s excitement, to create an anchoring to the D’mok Warriors that came before them, to see their own potential in the statues of the heroes from the (still recent) past. It’s funny how production work can loop back and impact the source material before release! Anyway, I found that interesting and wanted to share.

  • Mike

Weun Academy Fashion – Dress Uniform

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Let’s continue the exploration into the fashion of Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker with exploring the official academy dress uniform.

Taking a page from military schools and organizations, students and faculty have a different attire when attending formal events versus their everyday learning and training uniforms.

A formal sport coat features a front flap and four decorative buttons. In the right light, onlookers can catch a subtle floral pattern across the purple material. Boards on the shoulders indicate their rank, while the same D’mok Classification pin is displayed on the raised collar.

For those with special duties or status, an honor sash or braided cord (“Aiguillette”) worn on the shoulder.

Matching the form and function of the academy jumper, the official and multi-function academy emblem is pinned to the chest. Completing the look, simple black pants bearing a single, vertical, purple stripe down each side are worn.

Nearing Weun Academy’s Launch!

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It’s so hard to believe, but here we are! October 30th is coming so fast.

I’m learning a great deal about BookTok and AuthorTok. I’ve started posting some content. Matt and I will be doing a few segments on cover creation hopefully later this week!

I have my Facebook ads ready to go! They had a great click rate when I tested them… Though the AAA content on Amazon needs a bit of tuning yet.

While there will be a campaign to get the word out–including one through the Science Fiction Writer’s Association (SWFA)–I could use your help and would greatly appreciate your support!

Spread the news far and wide about Weun Academy.

You can use the official landing page: https://www.weunacademy.com

OR send people to the main D’mok site with book embedded link: https://dmokrevival.com/index.html?book=WeunAcademy

I really appreciate it!

Weun Academy Final Blurb

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They say the cover is what makes someone pick up a book, the blurb on the back makes them buy it.

Writing a blurb well is very tricky. I’m glad I had some practice at the at JD’s marketing cohort last fall. Here’s the latest Weun Academy blurb!

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Sixteen-year-old Eisah Tanner lives by one rule: blend in.

As an Earther on the fringes of a Martian colony, he keeps to the shadows, evading Redborn bullies who hunt his kind for sport. But when their cruelty erupts into a tactical assault, a dangerous power ignites within himone that can’t be hiddendrawing unwanted, extraterrestrial attention.

Whisked to New Eden, a sprawling space station in the heart of the galaxy, Eisah enters Weun Academy, a school for gifted outcasts. With a fresh start, he aims to master his superhuman abilities and finally belong. However, this alien world proves as treacherous as the power he carriesand some enemies hide behind friendly faces.

When a brutal strike rocks Weun’s community, shifting loyalties and hidden agendas drive Eisah and his friends to uncover answers and forge a path forward. Learning who to trust becomes the hardest lesson. As enemies close in, he must unravel a web of lies, betrayal, and something far darkerbefore shadow consumes them all.

Step into Weun Academy, where mettle is tested, chosen families are defended, and the fight to find your place in the universe begins.

The original wasn’t bad. However, this version works hard to quickly introduce Eisah, provide some background, his aspirations, and introduce the big threat.

I like how it suggests Eisah used to seek shadow for protection. However, it transforms into something deadly. It’s an interesting juxtaposition that unifies and completes the concepts within the blurb.

“Learning who to trust becomes the hardest lesson” is a newly added phrase that hints at core struggles and plays off the location being an academy.

Hopefully this will get people to read more!

Weun Academy Series + Toriko Tales updates

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Major announcements to share!

First, exciting progress on the Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker cover. This is a very rough first draft done by my husband Matt Zummo. We already have professional feedback to make the author name and book title larger. Regardless, I wanted to show the latest direction.

Again, not done, but very exciting!

I have secured Jonathan Oliver to do the final editing of the reworked Weun Academy 1 manuscript.

He is a well-known editor and author in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Jonathan Oliver served as the Editor-in-Chief at both Solaris and Abaddon Books, where he oversaw the publication of numerous critically acclaimed anthologies and novels. He also wrote two novels for Abaddon Books, titled The Call of Kerberos and The Wrath of Kerberos​.

Among his credits is proofreading Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings” and “Rhythm of War” books. Work is scheduled for February 2025. Well worth the wait.

I will also be working with JD Barker for Weun Academy marketing starting in October 2024.

J.D. Barker, a renowned New York Times bestselling author and a highly respected book coach. Barker is well-known for his expertise in writing, marketing, and self-publishing, and he has guided numerous authors, including those who have achieved New York Times bestseller status. His coaching style is celebrated for being personalized, approachable, and highly effective, particularly in helping authors navigate the complexities of book promotion and marketing. Barker also offers various services, such as manuscript critiques, marketing strategy consultations, and detailed editorial guidance, all aimed at helping writers succeed in the publishing industry​.

I’m hoping to take what I learn for Weun Academy and apply it both to Toriko Tales and to the original D’mok Revival books.

Speak of Toriko Tales, Courtney Andersson, who has experience in IPs like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, will be doing the final editing and proofing passes on Toriko Tales: Toriko vs the Crowned Paw! This work will begin in January 2025.

Cortney Andersson is an experienced editor who works primarily with the Mandala Publishing and Earth Aware Editions imprints, both subsidiaries of Insight Editions. In her role, she manages the entire editorial process for about 10-12 titles per year, collaborating closely with authors, designers, and other key stakeholders. Her portfolio includes several award-winning projects, and she has played a significant role in the publication of New York Times Best Sellers. She is known for her ability to guide complex projects from acquisition through to publication, ensuring high-quality outcomes.

Both titles will be released in 2025, with exact timeframes to be determined.

Overhauls+

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I just checked and saw how long it had been since I wrote a blog post. Where does the time go?

Our first board game based on the D’mok Revival series: HoverDome: Red Canyon Run was delivered to all Kickstarter Backers. We even had some board game stores pick it up. Having completed that herculean task, I’ve been able to focus back on my next novels.

Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker has been totally overhauled and swelled from 120,000 words to 147,000! I realize the recommended size for a science fiction work written by an unknown like me is between 80-120,000 words. Once I decided this will likely be another self-published work, it freed me to expand key sections. This included the last two chapters that were thrown away and rewritten free of word constraints. I’m very happy with the result.

I’m seeking new eyes to do one final editing pass, in addition to publicity and marketing professionals. I’m happy with what I did back in 2013 with D’mok Revival’s original launch. My goals now are very different. In a perfect world, hungry fans would demand a constant stream of stories the D’mok Revival literary universe. I won’t get there doing everything myself. That’s what the professionals are for.

That said, Matt and I are working on the updated cover design for Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker. We’ve decided to focus on Weun Academy’s iconic crystal gate and campus. This process has evolved how I see it, leading to changes in the manuscript! We have quite a bit of work on the Silver Tower and other structures appearing in the shot. We both know it’s right direction to pull people in.

Hot on the heels of Weun Academy is Toriko Tales: Toriko vs The Crowned Paw. The manuscript is completed and edited. We have rough cover concepts. I want to take all the learnings and interactions with professionals from Weun Academy and roll it forward into the future release of Toriko Tales. So, it’s a ways off yet.

In between working on the cover and securing professional resources, I’m constantly expanding the source materials for Weun Academy 2: The Shadow Touched. I have fifty pages of short stories and character interviews, and thirty pages of notes so far. It’s wonderful to see the movie trailer for this book playing clearly in my mind.

Because my mind loves to work on too many things at one time, I’ve also jotted down scenes and notes for D’mok Revival 5 and the third spin-off, Wayfinder.

Needless to say, you can expect a great deal more from me. I can’t wait to see what happens in this literary universe. I hope someday soon you’ll be able to experience it too!

Inspirations & Triumphs!

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It’s been some time since my last update. Sometimes even thinking about doing a post gets lost among my job, family, side projects, and other social media posts. But so much has happened.

First, HoverDome: Red Canyon Run made it’s Kickstarter goals, was manufactured, shipped, and delivered! There’s even two sites for it: 1) the marketing site, 2) the ecommerce site others can still purchase the game with (while supplies last). Matt, Derek, and I (“Frozen Soul Games”) are so proud of what we accomplished. I’m also thrilled that a little part of my D’mok literary universe has been brought into our real world too, since HoverDome was the hoverbike racing arena in books 3 and 4.

My first book in the Toriko Tales series is completely done and edited! I have a placeholder site for this as well. It won’t further develop until it’s published (formally or self-published). Matt’s going to help me with the cover design (assuming it goes forward as self-published). I do need to get Weun Academy 1 out first since Toriko Tales mentions places and characters from that series.

Speaking of Weun Academy: The Shadow Maker, after finishing Toriko Tales I discovered my writing style had elevated once again. In fact, going back and re-reading Weun Academy opened my eyes to the many ways it could be improved. Thankfully, WA had yet to be released. So, I went back end edited it. I added over 13,000 words, edited the vast majority of every page, improved dialog, enhanced character depth, and more. I’m very happy with the way the story evolved. Currently my friend Dan is reviewing it. I hope to have one other as well, before I send it back to Arlene for editing. Then, it too will be ready for release. Matt is also helping me with this cover. It’s been so long since he and I talked about it–before we formally worked on the Kickstarter for HoverDome. Matt loves his projects, and I can happily provide them! Lucky for me!

As a result of editing Weun Academy, I’ve reconnected with those characters and that place. It’s actually what I was hoping to accomplish. Going off and writing the locations, situations, and new characters of Toriko Tales really pulled me away from WA. The editing undid that. In my last blog post I mentioned I had started WA2. Outside of occasional backstories, not much had happened with it since. I felt it calling to me again. More characters appeared in little snippets in my mind talking or doing things. I went back and reread what I wrote as the intro so long ago. While it wasn’t bad, something wasn’t clicking. I needed to go back and understand what exactly happened between books 1 and 2 to get the start and ultimate tone of book 2 right.

So, I sat down and worked on some short stories. I know exactly what happens the day after WA1 ends. I won’t give details since only a handful (by Beta readers) know why that’s important. But that exposed the next thing I needed to understand, and the next thing after that. I found a chain of things that had to be addressed before attempting to write WA2.

I’m still in throws of those mid-steps. I can clearly see them, and have even done outlines on the “movie trailer” snippets of the short stories. I really love what’s coming together. Best of all, it’s so natural. The words just flow, mostly because I’m documenting the movie playing in my head. I’m thankful to have that so clearly back again. There was a time during Toriko Tales where it had evaporated on me.

I don’t know how long it will take me to write WA2. On average a full novel (especially ones the size of Weun Academy) can take two years. That said, I wrote D’mok Revival book 4 in months, and it was nearly the size of WA1. So, we shall see. It’s really up to life.

As always I can see the clear tied between happenings in my life, Matt’s life, Derek’s life, and the world that integrate directly into my stories. I felt like COVID’s isolation would manifest in a major way in WA2, perhaps lots of virtual learning like my son had to do. But that’s not what I see anymore. Certainly there is isolation. But for a much smaller subset of students, and all due to the shadow from WA1. Again, I shouldn’t say too much more due to spoilers.

Regardless, I can’t wait to see how this goes and how everything turns out. It might be possible to go from WA2 directly to D’mok Revival 5. Originally I intended on writing Wayfinder 1 after WA2, then DR5… But I see a path to holding off Wayfinder 1.

We shall see! I promise to blog more!

Hello, Weun Academy 2! Plus more!

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I mentioned a while back that the angst building inside of me from COVID 19 living wanted an outlet. A few months back, despite my attempts to ignore it, Weun Academy 2 made itself known. In fact, after waking up at 3am one morning, it demanded I write some things down before being able to go back to sleep.

While there were scenes and glimpses into WA2, I was able to stay focused on completing Toriko Tales. As many of you saw, when the final push came, Toriko Tales wrapped up 10,000 words in a week. But I believe there was a reason for that happening.

Ever since, my mind has been flooded with scenes and still pictures from Weun Academy 2. I couldn’t help but wake up (at 2 or 3 AM) to write down musings.

I already love how the continued COVID angst, on going adaptations in US politics, and even my every day life continues to weave together to form the foundation of this new story!

For those Beta readers who reviewed WA1: The Shadow Maker, Eisah threatened “something” at the end… Well, he made good on that something. While book 2 doesn’t start off explaining the event, it certainly set things in motion leading to the dynamics which follow. I actually wrote the short story tonight detailing what that event was (so that I know the details).

But what if you were not a beta reader for Weun Academy 1? Good question! I tried with 25 or so agents and received nothing but rejections (obviously). The few that explained said they wouldn’t know how to market the book, etc. I’m considering moving forward with self-publishing again. I really do believe in the book and feel it could earn an agent, but I also want to share it with people beyond my amazing Beta readers! I finished writing it back in 2018! I want it in the hands of the public!

It will be difficult to release WA2 if WA1 isn’t already on shelves or kindle. We shall see.

Another quick update, I’m now co-owner of Frozen Soul Games. It’s first product will be HoverDome: Red Canyon Run, modeled after the mobile space arena of the same name as presented in books three and four of D’mok Revival! I’m very excited. The Kickstarter for this effort is planned for May 1, 2021.

One final item, I’m updating the dmokrevival.com Web site. The design has been out there since I released my third book. It’s time for a refresh. The preview can be found at http://www.dmokrevival.com/_dev_index.html. Let me know what you think if you have a moment.

So, between reviewing Weun Academy 1 and determining the way forward, getting feedback from beta readers on Toriko Tales, getting ready to launch the HoverDome Kickstarter, reworking my series Web site, and working the start-up process for Weun Academy 2, there’s just a few things going on!

That’s all for now!