People ask me how Book Two is coming along. The honest answer: *Quantum Step Nexus Reborn* is in the outlining stage, and outlining is where the real work happens.
Here’s what that actually looks like for me. Book One took decades of world-building before a single chapter was final – the universe was already there, waiting. Book Two is different. The universe exists now. The job is figuring out which threads to pull.
My outlining process starts with a Word document full of questions: What if this technology existed, who would want it, and what would it cost the person caught in the middle? From there, I arrange the major turning points and leave room for discoveries along the way. Sometimes a long walk helps me untangle a scene better than another hour at the keyboard.
What I can tell you without spoiling anything: the war across parallel worlds gets bigger. Payton’s awakening was only the beginning. Beyond the world he knows, questions remain unanswered, loyalties remain untested, and the future offers no clear path. As Payton’s journey continues, discovering what he’s capable of may be easier than deciding what he’s willing to do. The next step is his to choose. And some of the lore that didn’t fit in Book One – the material I mentioned in my universe guide – is finding its home here.
The hardest part of working on book two has been finding time to write it while putting so much of my energy into promoting the Quantum Step Payton’s Awakening. I’m eager to continue Payton’s story, but I’m also working to help readers discover where it all begins.
I’ll keep sharing progress here in Quantum Chronicles as the outline becomes chapters. And Quantum Pulse subscribers will hear about milestones first – https://johnkaess.com/quantum-pulse/
The door is open. Now we’re going through it.
— JD