6/25/2026 - Jan Stryvant, The End

 Okay, I wasn't going to put anything about this up, because I prefer not to make a big deal when I quit. I prefer just to leave. In essence, the Cat's Goodbye. But I realized that I owed it to you to say something.

The short reason: Writing Stryvant novels isn't fun anymore.

Longer explanation: I started writing Stryvant novels because they were fun and I wanted to. They were fun for me and they were fun for my readers. It was all about the fun. Yes, I tell involved stories with detailed characters. Yes I spend time on it. Yes, I've probably created a hell of a lot of tropes. I've been copied endlessly. I don't really care about that as long as I wasn't being plagiarized.

 On the recent series, the sales were pretty poor. So I wrapped the first arc up in the third book, instead of the fourth because I didn't want to make people unhappy as I'd decided to set the series aside. If sales picked up, I'd come back. If it didn't? That was fine.

 What I hadn't expected was the hate.

Oh, I got a lot of hate about that series. A LOT of hate. Harassment too.

Understand I've always had haters out there. People who lie about me, the stories, etc. It's just part of being successful. But this time? It got unhinged. Lots of stuff directed at me, and a lot of lies about the story told by people who never even read it (and admitted to not reading it).

No, there are no married women in his 'harem'. Yes, the 18yo protage is engaged in a couple of relationships with women in open marriages. Because he's 18 and he could, and he starts to learn he shouldn't.

 For the people who said 'I don't like that' - that's cool. For the people lying about the story? Not so cool. For the moderators and admins giving me shit? Bye!

 What many of you probably don't know that back when I was one of the biggest and leading 'Harem' writers (me and two others founded this genre) I got a lot of harassment from people at Amazon, even some execs at Amazon. You all know about how one of us got banned for life from Amazon. Other things happened too.

 My SciFi does very well. Very well. However because of the stuff I wrote under my pen name, I cannot be a guest of any scifi convention, much less a GOH. Because what I wrote (that whole genre) is 'bad'. There are places I cannot ever buy advertising. But I was having fun writing the stories and people were having fun reading them, so I didn't give a damn.

I wrote the books to be fun. I did all of it to be fun. I wanted to make people happy and I wanted them to have fun. And I was and they were. Now? It's not fun anymore and I have other stuff I can write that is still fun, and which people are having fun reading.

So, not a hard choice.

I will remember the fun and the good times. I will remember the people who were nice to me and who were helpful. I will miss them.

And, as always, read what you enjoy, whatever that is. 

Book 3 of (How) To Be A Werewolf: Resilience is now live on Amazon!

 First the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GXDRM934

Joshua is starting to find his way. His most pressing problem has been dealt with, and it turns out that wasn't the trial or the trust fund. School is out however, and now it's time for the four of them, Patricia, Kathy, Vicky, and him, to try and spend some time together before college starts up in the fall.

Patricia is still going to Stanford, Joshua still wants her to get the education her brilliance deserves. While Joshua is still hoping to be able to go to Austin in the fall, the writing on the wall isn't exactly all that hard to see, so he's making a backup plan to play for Midwestern this coming year so at least he's not sitting on his ass. True, he won't be able to play in any away games, but right now he'll take what he can get.

 On the positive side, he's continuing to meet new and important people and make new friends. Some perhaps a bit better and closer than others. He's gaining allies in his quest to find out just who is running his trust and why they're not paying it out. And maybe, just maybe, he'll finally find out not only who is behind everything that happened, but why.

 Of course getting a little revenge along the way won't hurt, and those who need to pay are definitely going to. However, he's been warned, more than once, that a wolf tearing people to shreds in the middle of the city is probably not a wise move. So more creative methods are going to be called for.

 WARNING: As you can no doubt see, no money was spared on this cover! Yup! We have all the characters and boy are they doing the kinds of things that you all wish you could! We know that putting those kinds of things on a cover definitely will invite scorn and the purity police, but gosh-darn-it, sometimes you gotta go all out and actually show the big production scene where everyone is d—wait, what? The censored it? What do you mean it's all black now? This was suppose to be it! The cover of all covers! The one that would be rem—sigh, well, you'll just have to imagine it I guess. It was just a little off color... or maybe, maybe a lot!

Question about covers

 Would you have preferred this cover, to the one I actually used. 

(I generated this using some old artwork I have using AI)

I asked on my patreon and subscribestar and those people liked the other cover (which I paid one of my artists for.)

So, would this have been better?

(Oh, so far book 2 is selling better than book 1 did.)

Book 2 of (How) To Be A Werewolf: Epiphanies is now live on Amazon!

 First the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX32NW8K

Joshua not only missed the big game, had all of his scholarships pulled, and been banned from just about every college in Texas, but he's been expelled from his high school and has a court order barring him from even setting foot on school grounds.

And adding insult to injury he's got to finish high school in Electra!

However, he quickly learns that Electra isn't everything it's been made out to be. Sure there's more crime, but that's only because Wichita Falls sends all of its problems there. As towns go, it's small - bordering on tiny. The high school is poor, and the school body is less than a tenth of what he's used to. But they've got a good baseball team and Joshua's a fairly good shortstop as well as a power hitter.

Joining the team definitely helps Joshua with making friends at the school as well as connections in town. However he's still got problems to deal with: A deputy who hates him, a judge who is blatantly on the take, and someone with a lot of money or influence who no longer just wants Joshua to go to prison - now he wants him dead!

Then of course there's the small matter of his being a werewolf. While he's not sure exactly what it means to be one, he's starting to learn, and his newest girlfriend's mother it turns out knows a lot more about these things than he does.

WARNING: This book is probably far too tame for what normally goes on now in this genre, why we barely have nudity! Much less those group things everyone goes on about! There is however a fair bit of mayhem and a person or two getting the surprise of their lives, (because well, they die!) a young man in well over his head, and a graveyard with a name you'd never believe, even though it's real! 

I Really Can't Do This Alone...

I made a post here the other day wondering if I had any fans left following this blog. The only response I got was someone being snarky. 

But what the hell, if that's what my fans have become, that's just life, right?

Sales on the new series are bad. It doesn't help that Amazon hasn't sent notifications out on the release. So the people following me via Amazon have no idea that I've put anything out. 

Now here's the point that Mr. Snarky didn't understand: If it doesn't sell, I stop writing.

I mean, why would I write if nobody's buying? What's the point? That's just basic economics. It's not whining, it's just the truth. If y'all think I now suck, that's fine! I guess I suck. If y'all have better things to do, again, that's fine! The Customer is always right, and that kind of thing.

Now, I'm not going to stop writing tomorrow (well actually, I'll never stop writing, but I will eventually stop publishing). The first three books of this series will be released, regardless of what happens because they're done. But if no one buys them, kinda pointless to write book four.

Right?

Now if it's a matter of y'all don't know that I'm putting out new books, well that's on you. I've got a mailing list, two blogs, a substack, two X pages, two goodreads pages, a discord, and two facebook pages plus a fan page. I'm doing everything I can to make sure all of ya' know.

Now if it's just that I suck? Well that's on me. Though the reviewers all seem to feel differently. They seem to like the book.

As to what happens next? About what you'd expect to happen next. I do hope folks learn about the new series and check it out. I had a lot of fun writing it. But if you're not reading, then you've all made it clear my time here is done. Which I'm fine with. Nothing lasts forever after all. I'll always be happy for the things I've done which y'all clearly enjoyed.

And if you want to be an asshole and make some insulting or snarky reply - well that's on you. I'm just trying to make a living here and entertain folks in the process.

New Cover

 After talking to a number of fans I went with a new version of the cover:

 

I have a new series starting today!

 (How) To Be A Werewolf! Check it out on Amazon!

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GT7CRSVX

Joshua's had to learn to take the good with the bad. Orphaned at six when a deadly car accident killed his parents and older sister, he's been kicking around the foster care system of Wichita Falls for the last twelve years. While not having a family sucks, and having to deal with some real losers at some of the homes he's gone through, he can't complain. Or at least he won't complain.

Because, life is good. He's the star quarterback and team captain for the Coyotes and they're definitely championship bound, and in Texas, where football is a religion, Joshua practices it seriously. He's got scholarship offers left and right, and has every intention of becoming a Long Horn down in Austin. He's dating the smartest, and one of the hottest girls in school, and as a 'three-letter-man' - being on the baseball team and the track team - life is great.

But there are storm clouds on Joshua's horizon. Someone doesn't want him to play in that game no matter what it takes. There are other forces, mundane forces, unknown forces, which are aligning against him. On top of all that, there's a secret that's been hidden from him since his parents died that's about to be unleashed. All of these things are about to turn Joshua's life upside down and take away from him everything he's ever wanted. Everything he's worked so hard to earn.

For a young man who has always been polite and played by the rules, things are about to change. He's about to change.

WARNING: You all thought I was gone? Didn't you? Well, I'm not! And now somebody's going to pay (hint—buy the book!)  Yes, this book does feature something called an 'alternative lifestyle'. Or does it? There's people getting punched and other people getting loved and remember, when you're at a crossroads, that's often where the wise woman lives. And don't ever forget: This is Texas, manners are important!

A New Book, a New AudioBook, and a Convention! (Oh My!)

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GLDLBVS9

In the heart of the Fire Nebula, war rages across the stars. Crown Prince Wolf Alexander-Morgan and Princess Mariella, forged in the crucible of combat and mech warfare, stand at the forefront of a desperate counterstrike against a ruthless empire that has already struck at their homeworlds. With elite squadrons, aging battleships revived from slumber, and hard-won alliances hanging by a thread, they prepare to carry the fight straight to the enemy’s stronghold.

But victory demands more than firepower. As hidden truths surface, old grudges resurface, and the line between ally and threat blurs, Wolf and Mariella must navigate treacherous politics, overwhelming odds, and the weight of their own destinies. One wrong move could doom their kingdom—or end the war in flames.

Pulse-pounding space battles, brutal ground assaults, and the clash of crowns await in the explosive conclusion to the Valley of Fire trilogy. In a galaxy where loyalty is tested in fire, some legends are born… and others are extinguished.

Coming March 10th on Audible:

 https://www.audible.com/pd/Pay-Backs-Audiobook/B0GM2444SF

 

The time has come to pay Sawyer back for all of his support and hard work.

For taking a chance on Sean when no one else would. For getting Sean the needed supplies for the war back when no one else was able to. Sawyer has always been in Sean's court and has gone above and beyond more than once.

And let's not even mention the help he's provided to Mihalis and Troy!

So the lions are off to Nighthome to help Sawyer take the crown, which in goblin society is a lot more like a hostile corporate takeover, combined with counting coup, than any kind of violence.

Hopefully.

However, as long as they're going to be in the Goblin and Dark Elves homeland, there's a little matter of taking House Uunregarten to task for a number of actions that have impacted House Valens, Sean's wife Cali, their children, and, of course, the lions. House Uunregarten is about to learn that it is never wise to piss off a lion. Especially not one who is immortal, knows magic, and is going to show up with ten thousand of his best friends to have a... few words.

This is the last Valens Heritage book. The author is grateful to all of you who have supported him for this series. However, no amount of begging, whining, crying, or screaming will change his mind. Large sums of money, however...

Also, if you see a brightly colored box with a nice ribbon on it, and it's not Christmas? Better to leave that one alone!

Last of All, I will be at FenCon this weekend in Dallas!

I'll be in the Dealers Den on Friday, Saturday, and hopefully, Sunday. 

http://www.fencon.org/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Amazon Book Sales December 22nd to 29th

 

As John Van Stry:

Wolfhounds Book 1: Stand Alone

Wolfhounds Book 2: Taking Ground

Are on sale for $2.99 in the US and £2.99 in the UK

From the $5.99 price!

 

Portals of Infinity, Book 1: Champion for Hire

Portals of Infinity, Book 2: The God Game

Are on sale for $1.99 in the US and £0.99 in the UK

From the $3.99 price!

 

Portals of Infinity, Book 3: Of Temples and Trials

Is on sale for $2.99 in the US and £1.99 in the UK

Portals of Infinity, Book 8: The Seven Worlds

Is on sale for $2.99 in the US and £2.99 in the UK

From the $4.99 price!

 

As Jan Stryvant

Valens Legacy, Book 1: Black Friday

Valens Legacy, Book 2: Perfect Strangers

Valens Heritage, Book 1: Mihalis

Are on sale for $2.99 in the US and £2.99 in the UK

From the $4.99 price!

 

(Sale starts 12/22 4am PST for US - 6am GMT for UK, and ends midnight 12/29)

Please Note that Wolfhounds 3 & 4 are on sale for the entire month of December by Amazon.

Audiobook Holiday Sale!

 

Audiobook Holiday Sale!

All of the audiobooks that I sell via Bookfunnel on my website (not the ones sold via Audible) are on sale from now until New Year's Day at 40% off!

That's right! Forty Percent off!

That's all Eleven (11) Portals of Infinity Books, as done by Jessica Threet!

That's all Five (5) Dan's Inferno Books, By Jessica and Dan!

The Three (3) Days of Future Past Books,

The Three (3) Hammer Commission Books,

The Portals of Infinity short, Nikki's Origin

And, Take Two, a VeilVerse Novel!

 

http://johnvanstry.com/AudioBooks.html

http://janstryvant.com/AudioBooks.html For Dan's Inferno

(Sale starts at 4PM CST 12/19 and ends on 1/1/2026)

Valens Heritage, Book 10 : Pay Backs, is now live

 The tenth and final book of the Valens Heritage series (and the 28th Valens Book by me - 31 if we count Peter's three) is now up for sale on Amazon:

Pay Backs - Valens Heritage #10

This will very much be the final Valens book that I will write. The series had an amazing run, seeing as it made it to 28 books (18 first series, 10 follow on, plus some anthologies). But the truth is that sales have gone incredibly soft in the last couple. 

Part of that was my fault, Amazon was pressuring people writing in a 'certain genre' with fears and rumors of being banned. So I slow rolled the last couple of books in the series as I watched to see how things played out. Apparently that pressure was from individuals and not corporate, because the threatened bans never took place. In fact the genre is far larger now than when I first helped to create it.

(I know some folks claim I was the sole person who created it - but I think there's two people who definitely were there with me at the beginning).

I am hoping to write a new series, totally unrelated to this one, once I get caught up on the work my surgery caused to be postponed. I do hope you enjoy this book. I also hope you tell all of your friends to read this series, if they haven't already.

Valley of Fire, Book Two - To Hand is now out in full Novel Length.

 Valley of Fire, Book Two : To Hand

 

 In a fractured galaxy ruled by AI-powered ships and their interfaced crews, ex-privateer Wolf and his enigmatic partner Mariella join the King's Navy to secure their future. Wolf's rare interface, a clue to his heritage, fuels his unmatched piloting skills, while Mariella grapples with her noble past. As interstellar war looms, they navigate alliances and cunning enemies. Reunited in the heat of battle, their bond faces the ultimate test. With battleships rising and unlikely allies emerging, Wolf and Mariella stand at the heart of a galactic storm.

In this thrilling sequel to MISPLACED, love, loyalty, and hidden powers collide in a saga of cosmic intrigue and valor.

Wolfhounds Book 6 - End Game is now Out!

 Wolfhounds Book 6 - End Game is now live!

(Paperback to follow soon!)

Wolfhounds End Game 

 

 

Book Sale!

 

I'll be running a sale from July 30th to Aug 4th in conjunction with another group.

 

Black Friday (Jan Stryvant) will be 99 cents

Portals of Infinity - Champion for Hire (bk1) will be 99 cents

Stand Alone (Wolfhounds BK1) will be $1.99

 

https://basedbooksale.substack.com/p/based-books-for-male-readers-sale

I'm serializing Ghost Warrior

 I've decided to try something a little different, as I've mentioned in a past announcement. I'm going to serialize the Ghost Warrior story. What that means is I'll be putting one to two chapters up per month. As for where I'll be putting them?

Patreon

SubscribeStar

Substack

So I will be turning on Subscriptions on Substack. I will be setting the rate there as low as they'll let me. On the other two services, the story will be available to all Paid subscribers. I've already started on this, the first chapter is now up.

As for why I'm doing this, two reasons. The 1st is that I got asked by a lot of people to continue Ghost Warrior, as I did have plans for several more novels in that series. While the first two books did poorly, enough people asked that I thought I would give it a try. I am not currently planning on publishing the following books on Amazon - though I do have a contractual obligation on book 3 for an audiobook. That may or may not come to fruition based on what the audio sales of the prior two books were. Especially if I decline to publish book 3 on Amazon. Being as I'm not planning on putting them on Amazon, that allows me to be a bit more creative or strange, with the story telling. There are things that Amazon doesn't care for Indy authors writing.

The 2nd is that I've been dealing with a fair bit of writer's block the last two months. I'm hoping this will help me get past it. This is more or less how 'Shadow' came about. I'd work on it in small pieces when I was just not able to write.

So if you're interested, you can subscribe at the lowest paid tier on any of the services listed above. Comments will be more than welcome.

The first post will be a brief synopsis of books 1 and 2 of the series, so you have an idea of what's going on if you haven't read them. That will be followed almost immediately by the first chapter, which has already been written. Oh, not of this has been proofread or copy edited. So expect typos.

Also, this will definitely be R rated. Maybe even a soft X in spots? Just Fair warning.

Shoulder Surgery

 On April 18th at 7am I had my right shoulder joint replaced. I have mentioned this elsewhere, but I think I neglected to mention it here. Ten days later I'm starting to type with both hands again, and I'm hoping to be out of the sling by the middle / end of May. But we will see.

I'm now doing Physical Therapy (PT) and most of the time the shoulder hurts less than it had before the surgery. I've yet to have had it hurt more. Yeah, I really needed it. Doc told me the arthritis in there was really bad. I got that from an accident over 20 years ago, which started that whole process, it just took time to get to a point where I didn't want to live with the pain anymore.

So yes, my schedule is once again messed up, but I'm going to spend the rest of the year working to catch back up. I can't type for long periods, yet, but I'm hopefully I'll be back to being able to do that soon enough. 

Dan's Inferno, Book V & Preorders for Manifest Destiny in AudioBook!

 Hello everyone! We've got a couple of things on the grill here this morning!

First is the 5th book from the Dan's Inferno Series. As many of you may not know, Dan's Inferno had been intended to be a five book series, but with the lock-downs and associated BS, sales on Book IV took a hit as all of that stuff ended and everyone had to go back to work and get their lives back in order.

However, over time the sales on Book IV came back, and when a number of people asked about Book V, I decided to put up a KickStarter to see if there was still an interest. Well, there was! So now that it's been written and everyone on KickStarter has their copies (I'm waiting on the paperbacks so I can sign and send out those, sometimes Amazon is slow - like when you make a big order) the rest of you can see it too!

Dan's Inferno: Book V - Dominance

Sorry, it's not in KU and won't be. There are a couple of reasons for that, but at $4.99 I don't think it's that big of a hardship to buy a copy.

Next up is the fifth audiobook in the Wolfhounds Series: Manifest Destiny. That is now available for pre-order on Audible! 

Manifest Destiny on Audible

So yes, there's a lot going on this week. Enjoy!

The Full Un-Serialized Version of Misplaced is Now Live!

 Yes! That's right! For those of you who wanted to buy the ebook as a single file, or wanted to read the KU or Paperback Versions, Valley of Fire, Book 1: Misplaced, is now live!

So please feel free to check it out!!

(Or please feel obligated to check it out! I don't care, just as long as you buy it ;-) )

You know you want to read it! 

What's Happening This Month!

 

Hello to all of my fans and good morning to you! There's a lot going on this coming week, as well as a lot already going on! First up I have TWO new books coming out next week! That's right TWO!

The first is the sequel to Summer's End -> Sometimes In The Fall come out 3/4/25!

Sometimes in the Fall

(published by Baen books and available on Amazon and in bookstores)

Sometimes In The Fall is the continuing story of Dave Walker (now Dave Doyle) who having finally emigrated from Earth and settle on Ceres wants nothing more than to build Doyle Shipping and eventually get his engineer 2nd certification. But when you're now a recognized member of one of the richest families in the Solar System, and your step-brother may well be on the way to figuring out the secrets of FTL travel, well—while Dave may be done with Earth, Earth is by no means done with Dave.

And some people just need to be taught a lesson.

 

Second is the first book in my new trilogy! Misplaced is book 1 in Valley of Fire and comes out 3/4/25!

 

Misplaced (Serial 1)

(Published by Raconteur Press and available on Amazon NOTE: Misplaced will be released as a serial first, in three installments. After that it will be released as a full novel - including paperback)

Misplaced takes place in my Wolfhounds Universe and starts about two years after the events of book 6 (End Game - coming 5/1/25). It is the story of one Eric Wolfram, aka Wolf. Eric and his older sister are both orphans, whose parents were murdered while fleeing from the DPRS when Eric was barely 6 years old. Having been raised by Dartanion, the owner of a large salvage yard, he's learned all about hard work and what it takes to get ahead. As Dar is also one of the largest fences on Teleios, Eric's also learned a lot about crime. He's also learned not to share his biggest secret: that his murdered parents were nobles and he has an interface. A high-level interface.

 

Nikki's Origin: A Portals of Infinity Novella

 

For those of you who are fans of my Portals of Infinity series, the story of how Will's sister Nikki ended up a champion is available in Print and Audio! The Audio version (as well as links to the print version on Amazon) can be found on my website:

johnvanstry.com

The audioversion link here

 

Audiobooks!

Necessity: Ghost Warrior, Book 2 is now available on Audible!

 

 Ghost Warrior :Necessity - On Audible

And, if you didn't know:

War Child: Wolfhounds Book 4 is also available on Audible!

 

 Wolfhounds: War Child - On Audible

Last but not least!

The Kickstarter for Book Ten of Valens Heritage has funded! So that book will be getting written sometime after May of this year! The kickstarter is still running, so if you'd like to get some of the things that are currently only available there, check it out!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnvanstry/valens-heritage-book-10-paying-back

 

Yes, it's been busy and things are going to continue to be so for the rest of this year!

I hope all is well with you!

Wolfhounds #5 - Manifest Destiny is Now Live on Amazon.

 Manifest Destiny - Wolfhounds Book 5