I feel like a bit of a shit. On June 26th, my good friend and fellow Seton Hill graduate J.L. Gribble published her debut novel, Steel Victory, and it completely slipped my mind. I can give you lots of excuses: the release date was on a Friday instead of the usual Tuesday; the month of June slipped by so fast I suffered whiplash, etc., etc. But let’s forget excuses and promote Gribble’s debut venture!

Steel Victory is special, because it’s not just Gribble’s debut novel — it’s also the novel she wrote for her Master’s thesis at Seton Hill’s Writing Popular Fiction Program. She was a term ahead of me, and we became fast friends. I had the honor of beta-reading the thesis before she turned it in, and that was…. a LONG time ago. So long that I can’t wait to see just how different the published version of Steel Victory will be, and that’s a compliment, because I vividly remember many scenes from the thesis draft! Steel Victory is now waiting patiently on my Kindle, so patiently that I’m debating about putting aside the current book I’m reading just so I can dive into Gribble’s world all over again: an urban fantasy set in a world where the Roman Empire never fell, and magic bleeds off the pages.

I can’t offer enough congrats, especially since I’m so late in doing so. Fortunately, Steel Victory is doing just fine without me, thanks to an awesome launch party at Seton Hill’s In Your Write Mind Workshop!

Steel Victory is the first book in the Steel Empire series, which is currently projected to be seven books. SEVEN BOOKS, people! Even I don’t know what’s ahead, and I can’t wait! It’s gonna be an awesome road, and I wish J.L. Gribble all the best as she embarks on it.

One hundred years ago, the vampire Victory retired from a centuries-long mercenary career. She settled in Limani, the independent city-state acting as a neutral zone between the British and Roman colonies on the New Continent.

Twenty years ago, Victory adopted a human baby girl, who soon showed signs of magical ability.

Today, Victory is a city councilwoman, balancing the human and supernatural populations within Limani. Her daughter Toria is a warrior-mage, balancing life as an apprentice mercenary with college chemistry courses.

Tomorrow, the Roman Empire invades.

By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing.

Previously, Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and Steel Victory was her thesis novel for the program. This is her debut novel.

She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. You can find her online (www.jlgribble.com) and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. She is currently working on more tales set in the world of Limani.