Several of you have written asking for an update on INFERNAL GAMES. Some of you have even posted multiple times in the same day, asking the same question but adding a few extra exclamation points after it for emphasis.

First, I appreciate the interest in both my work and this particular book in general. Thank you. I can’t stress that enough.

However, there are several factors at work here which together have caused the delay. The first is my desire to produce the best book I can. I love this series and I won’t rush something to market just because I’m anxious to release it. I want my readers to love this book so much that they will pick up books five and six as well. (Yes, I did say five and six – more on that later.)

Second, I make my living from my writing and the simple fact of the matter is that unlike my contracted work, no one is paying me to write Infernal Games. Which means it needs to be written, edited, designed, laid out, and converted into digital formats all in my spare time between writing the books that I AM paid in advance for and which put food on my kid’s dinner table.

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. I had haoped to have IG out by the end of February, but rewrites on another project for which I am under contract simply had to take precedence. Then, when I did return to work on finishing IG, I was just not happy with a good chunk of the text. It was fair, but it wasn’t great. So back into rewrites it went. And that’s where it still is.

I’m working on it whenever I can and hope to have some more concrete information about a release date shortly. It will be released for the Kindle, nook, iPad, and Kobo all at the same time. In addition, contracts have been signed and approved to bring out an audio edition via GraphicAudio, the company who produced the first three books. Discussion on a print version still continues, but it won’t hold up the digital release in any way at this point.

So I hope that answers all of your questions. If not, feel free to use the Contact page and drop me a line. If you preordered IG, those preorders still stand and you’ll get a copy the day it is released. If you would prefer to get a refund and wait until it comes out, simply let me know and I’ll take care of it immediately.

And now, back to work!

-Joe Nassise

The wait has been long, I know, but trust me when I tell you it will be worth it. INFERNAL GAMES, book four of the Templar Chronicles series, will be released on Wednesday, February 15th. To start it will be available in ebook format on the Kindle, Nook, and iPad platforms. Shortly thereafter I hope to have a paperback edition as well. It will sell for $3.99, just like all the other books in the series.

But…if you preorder it now, you can have it for $2.99, which is a 25% discount off the cover price. In addition, you’ll be featured on the acknowledgements page for showing your support.

So what, exactly, is INFERNAL GAMES about? I’m glad you asked…

[Spoiler Alert - if you haven't read TEAR IN THE SKY, you probably don't want to read any farther...]

The Templars have emerged victorious following their battle with the Chiang Shih, but paid a high price in doing so. The dead line the halls of the local commanderies and the survivors are both physically and spiritually exhausted. Estimates suggest it will take years for the Order to recover.

Even Echo Team has been decimated; its ranks reduced by half. Knight Commander Cade Williams managed to survive his journey deep into the heart of the Beyond and his subsequent confrontation with the Adversary, but he has returned a changed man; his thirst for vengeance quenched but his spirit broken. As a result, command of Echo has passed to the newly-promoted Captain Riley.

It is the moment Simon Logan, former leader of the Council of Nine and the man once known as the Necromancer, has been waiting for. In a daring prison break, he frees himself from Templar control and vanishes into the night. Given the difficulty the Order had in capturing him the first time, the assignment to track Logan down falls to those who know him best – Captain Riley and the newly reformed Echo Team.

But rather than waiting for Echo to coming looking for him, the Necromancer takes the battle to them instead; luring former Commander Williams away from his home and stealing the physical form of his wife, Gabrielle, a woman caught somewhere between life and death.

It is perhaps the one act that could rouse Cade from the grey haze his life has become. As he ruthlessly tracks the Necromancer through this world and the next, Cade can’t help but ask himself what Logan might want with a half-dead woman and the man who had literally travelled to hell and back to rescue her.

One thing is for certain – Cade won’t rest until Gabrielle is by his side once more.

Reserve your copy today and it will be emailed to you as soon as its available on February 15th!

Erik Smith over at the Monster Librarian recently reviewed The Templar Chronicles Omnibus and had this to say:

Nassise blends action and character moments deftly, keeping a steady pace throughout. He writes with a clean style, never getting bogged down in overly descriptive passages, yet he doesn’t skimp on the details. This is Stephen King meets Tom Clancy, with military action and horror served up in equal portions.

The rest of the review is equally as good. Drop by and give it a read!

As the Templar Chronicles series grows in popularity (no doubt thanks to many of you who have helped spread the word!), I hear from fans on an almost daily basis, asking if there will be another book. I’ve been a bit evasive on the topic before this, primarily because I wasn’t sure if the series would support another volume.

Thanks to the hard efforts of all you Templar fans out there, I can finally give you a firm answer to the question.

No, there will not be another Templar book. There will be two!

The first, INFERNAL GAMES, picks up right where A TEAR IN THE SKY, left off. I hope to have the book completed sometime next month and available shortly thereafter. Then, later this fall, the as-yet-untitled fifth (and possibly final volume) of the series will be released.

I can’t thank my fans enough for supporting the Chronicles all these years and I’m looking forward to giving you some of the answers you’ve been clamoring for! Stay tuned to the mailing list for more information, including a sneak peek at the opening chapters of INFERNAL GAMES in the next few weeks.

An update on the forthcoming Templar Chronicles Omnibus:

As I noted in my last post, Bad Moon Books will be releasing a trade paperback omnibus edition of the Templar Chronicles trilogy.  When I initially announced the title, I didn’t have a release date but I’ve recently heard from Roy at BMB and he tells me that we’re looking at having the books available by Christmas!

Typesetting on the volume is nearly finished and it will be going to the printer shortly.  Preorders are now available and you can reserve your copy here.

For now, though, let me leave you with the gorgeous cover art created by Kip Ayers.  He’s done a marvelous job and I can’t wait to hold a copy of this book in my hands!

I’m happy to announce that the new iphone app edition of The Heretic is now available in the app store on iTunes!

Developed by Tom Peck of AppEngines, the app comes complete with a built-in reader that has some cool features including:

• Full color cover art
• Complete text of the book.
• Full text search with search words highlighted in the text.
• A Table of Contents allowing the reader to jump to any chapter in the book.
• Ability to adjust the font size for optimal viewing.
• Remembers the page you were on and returns instantly each time you run the app.
• Progress bar across the top.

Tom did a terrific job on the app and it has been great working with him – he made the entire process extremely smooth. He’ll also be producing apps for the other books in the trilogy and those will be announced here as soon as Apple approves them for the app store.

Here’s a screenshot of what the actual app looks like once you’ve got it up and running:

Nice. huh?

Head on over to iTunes and get your app today!

The complete Templar Chronicles trilogy is available in English for the Kindle. Each book is just $1.99. Just click on the book covers below to be taken to their Amazon.com pages…

Yes, you heard that right. Four years after the first book in the Templar Chronicles trilogy hit the bookstore shelves, a deal had been finalized to bring the final two volumes to fans here in the US in the language they were originally written in – English!

Blackbetty Mobilemedia, in conjunction with telecommunications giant Vodafone, will be publishing a small screen edition of all three volumes specifically designed to be read on your mobile phone. Featuring high quality fonts, easy-to-use navigation controls, high resolution graphical cover art, and a host of interactive features, this edition of the Templar Chronicles will be the best yet!

All three volumes – HERETIC, A SCREAM OF ANGELS, and A TEAR IN THE SKY – will be available December 1st in both English and German language editions. Translations for fans in Saudi Arabia, India, Finland, and South Africa will follow shortly thereafter, most likely by the end of the first quarter of 2010. European fans will be able to download them directly from Vodafone’s customer portal, Vodafone Live. US fans will be able to get them in a similar fashion, though I’m not yet at liberty to say who the US distribution partner is, though its a name you’ll all be familiar with when you hear it.

More details will be available soon, including sample downloads and new cover art for all three books in the series!

I just received word from Full Moon Press that the limited and lettered editions of HERETIC, book one of the Templar Chronicles, have just been made available for preordering. Remember, these are hardcover collector’s editions that will make beautiful additions to your library.
Each limited edition will feature:

* Hardcover binding
* Full Color Dustjacket
* 4 Full page B&W illustrations
* Signature page
* Decorative endpapers

There will be 500 copies available.  You can preorder the limited edition at this link

Each lettered edition will feature:

• Full Leather Bindings
• Satin Ribbon Page Markers
• Full Color Frontis Piece
• Full Color Dustjacket
• Leather, Velvet Lined Traycase Extra Artwork Not Found In The Limited Edition
• Special Signature Page Artwork Not In The Limited Edition
• Special Endpaper Artwork or Decorative Endpapers

There are only 52 lettered editions available (A-Z and AA-ZZ. )You can preorder the lettered edition at this link.

As I’ve mentioned before, strong sales on HERETIC will ensure that A SCREAM OF ANGELS and A TEAR IN THE SKY will follow.  To make things even easier, Full Moon has graciously included HERETIC in their “preorder any book for $5.00″ offer, which you can find here.

Support the Chronicles and preorder your copies today!