What began as a design refresh quickly became something deeper.
I made the decision to unpublish the old versions of Poems from a Monster, The Order of the Sacred Vow, and The Fruits of Earth. I thought I’d simply reformat them, maybe adjust a few things. Nothing major. I needed a break from the emotional gravity of the Galatean Saga—after two years immersed in the story of Bem Parkett, I needed a breather. (And if you’ve ever read my acknowledgements for KoS: Invasion, you’ll know just how over-emotional that journey was.)
But as I opened those old files, something unexpected happened: I rediscovered the reasons I wrote them in the first place.
From Short Story to Full Novella
For Poems from a Monster, I added new pieces—verses written over the seven years since its original release. For The Order of the Sacred Vow, the transformation was even more dramatic: what was once a 5,500-word short story is now a 25,000-word novella. The second edition isn’t just longer—it’s deeper. More immersive. More me.
I expanded Portia’s arc, added psychological nuance, and wove in stronger threads of mystery and philosophical tension. I clarified the worldbuilding of Amorphya, making it feel lived-in and fractured, as it always should have been. It’s not just a facelift. It’s a new incarnation of a story that’s haunted me for years.
A Return to Themes That Still Matter
What surprised me most was how relevant the original themes still are to me now. Even across all my other work—including The Galatean Saga and even some of my poems—there’s one thread I keep pulling:
I’m endlessly fascinated by belief.
By what happens when people hold their convictions tightly enough to act on them. By the fallout of those actions. By the moment faith becomes doubt—or deeper faith.
With a background in sociology and human resources, and now working in engineering, I guess it makes sense. I’ve always been drawn to the structures behind human behavior. What shapes individuals? What fuels collective movements? What happens when ideology turns into action?
The Order of the Sacred Vow explores all of that. And this new edition lets it breathe in ways it couldn’t before.
So here we are. A second edition. A new beginning for a story I never really let go of.
Thank you for reading—and for walking into Amorphya with me once more.
Scoring the Sacred: A Soundtrack for Portia’s Journey
As the new edition of The Order of the Sacred Vow took shape, I found myself hearing it—literally. The sounds of Amorphya, the silence before a sacred strike, the chants of devotion before doubt. I began composing and curating an original concept album to score the novella’s emotional landscape. Each track maps to key moments, characters, and philosophical beats in the story. It’s music not just for ambiance—but for immersion.
You can now listen to the full concept album on Bandcamp, or stream it directly from my blog. Think of it as a soundscape for your reading, or a companion for your own reflections on belief, duty, and what lies beyond obedience.
🎧 Listen Now: The Order of the Sacred Vow
