Happy late November everyone.
I have still been delaying self-publishing book two of the Douro-Zamość trilogy, the follow up to Within This Darkness (which currently sits at a 4.74 rating on Goodreads). I've been querying agents and some publishers, wondering if anyone would take the full trilogy and publish it under their imprint. But also, as I have moseyed my way back and forth to work through the autumn (and as some of you know, I commute by bicycle and by foot and bus... so you get a lot of meditative and contemplative time when you commute the way I do), I've had some good ideas for book two. So the book I thought was finished, is now getting more emotional depth, and feels more deeply connected, to what began in Within This Darkness.

And speaking of Within This Darkness, I had a whim this week, and decided to play around with videos for social media.  I'd be curious to know what you think of this one  :)

Briar, who promotes authors in general, but tries to work with Canadian and indie authors in particular, left a review on Goodreads of Within This Darkness a few months ago. And while I saw her somewhat abridged review on Goodreads, I missed her much lengthier review on her website, for which I am very grateful.  Thank you so much Briar.
(an excerpt from Briar's review)
Within This Darkness is a beautifully written novel that blends history, magic, and deep emotional storytelling. Tomasini does an excellent job of creating a story that is both engaging and thought-provoking. The characters, particularly Jeremy, are well-developed, and the way their personal struggles are woven into the larger narrative makes for a compelling read. The dual timelines and the magical elements keep the plot moving at a steady pace, and the final chapters leave you eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

This book is an excellent choice for fans of historical fiction, fantasy, and young adult literature. The mix of magic, family dynamics, and personal growth is irresistible, and the way Tomasini handles grief and loss is both sensitive and realistic. And, now I want all the secrets because I really liked meeting these characters and need more of them ASAP. That’s not too much to ask… right?

Five out of five stars.

and two peaceful and calm photos from recent romps along Lake Couchiching.
Best wishes and be well everyone.

I'll admit to a bit of disappointment, but Within This Darkness did not advance from Whistler's shortlist of six books, to their finalist list, of three books. Woe is me. But, best wishes and good luck to the folks on that finalist list.
Otherwise, reviews came in over the last little while from Booklife (affiliated with Publisher's Weekly and their independent book awards), and from Reedsy. 
I'm very flattered by the review from Kathryn B, of Reedsy, which includes:
I was struck by how well Tomasini dissects and presents the timelessness of grief, the flickers of hope we hold to, and then the acceptance of what is. The topics of both shared and individual grief are beautifully handled.
Presented through various voices, Within This Darkness is a page-turner your juvenile readers should not miss. I, for one, am anxiously awaiting Tomasini's next book!
Thank you Kathryn!  :)

Otherwise, my family had a few brief days on the Gatineau River in Quebec recently, and it was beyond lovely. The photos below are from kayaking on the Gatineau River in July 2025.
If you press 'play' on the two videos, turn the volume up loud and listen to the silence.   :)

Best wishes everyone.

After releasing Within This Darkness in February, I began to keep my eyes open for contests where the book might do well, and I entered Within in several contests throughout spring 2025.
And one date I marked on my calendar was June 3 - which was when the Whistler Independent Book Awards were to announce their shortlist. And I'm happy (ecstatic) to point out the following:

Yay!  :)
Honestly, I'm truly thrilled about this. Thank you so much to the folks at WIBA!
Whistler lumps young adult fiction in with general (adult) fiction  - so presumably it is a fairly big category with lots of entries, so I am sincerely thrilled to have made the fiction shortlist.
The book is doing fairly well on Goodreads, and one review that caught my eye recently was one which seemed to recognize the "Canadian landscape" feeling that I hoped would be a deep presence in Within This Darkness, with echoes of the old Farley Mowat young adult classics. 
This is part of Emily's review on May 2, 2025, on Goodreads:
And then there is the setting—a deeply Canadian novel that embraces its landscape, its isolation, its quiet, lingering histories. The forests aren’t just a backdrop; they breathe life into the story, shaping its tension and atmosphere with a raw, untamed energy. Tomasini writes with a reverence for the land, his prose infused with the spirit of old stories passed down through time. 

Thank you kindly, Emily :)

And to finish, here is a photo of my local lake at sunrise, on May 28, 2025:

Just before wildfire smoke became more prevalent in the sky, and morning sunrises, on theoretically "clear" mornings, began to look more like this one below (taken on June 3, 2025).  Good luck to everyone in Saskatchewan and Manitoba right now.  :(

I am very pleased to announce that Within This Darkness is out!

The cover artwork was done by Mark Resmer, and the front cover is a work by Mark titled "Waiting", which was done on wood board with oil paint and spray paint. I hope that readers get a "crafted by hand with love" feeling about both the cover and the book itself, because in both cases it is very true.
Within This Darkness is here on Goodreads, and if you're in Canada, there is a March 2025 giveaway contest for the book:

I'm still unsure how to describe this book to someone, which was also a problem with Close Your Eyes. In my own head though, this is how I think of Within This Darkness:
- young adult, with the sweet spot probably being within a 13 to 15 year old range.
- has magic, but it's not fantasy.
- has an "outdoor adventure" feeling to it, like one of the old Farley Mowat classics like Lost in the Barrens.
- Also has a thoughtful side, especially in Jeremy's feelings of grief and loss, that probably stem from my appreciation for books/stories like The Dead by James Joyce; The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy, and Butcher's Crossing by John Edward Williams.
- Has a historical timeline that dates back to World War I and World War II, and this historical timeline becomes more important in books two and three of the trilogy.

Within This Darkness is book one of the Douro-Zamość trilogy.
Douro is the fictional town in Ontario, Canada, where most of the story happens, and Zamość is a town in south-eastern Poland where much of the historical action happens.
Book two of the trilogy will be out in 2025.

After being too cautious for too long (and also looking for a traditional publisher for too long perhaps), I have decided to release Within This Darkness, Book One of the Douro-Zamość trilogy, this month, February 2025.

I am still tinkering with the book blurb, but as of now, this is what I have:

Still shaken by the death of his older sister, 14-year-old Jeremy Gardela is sent on a mission by his panicked aunt, to find a family secret she believes is buried in the dark forests which surround their small rural town.When Jeremy returns, he is leading a mysterious stranger who represents a vein of magic which has run for decades within the Gardela family. Within This Darkness is a deeply felt story about loss, and friendship, and finding something, or someone, to hold onto, when you’re lost and drifting in the night.

Hmm. I have to fix that use of "loss" and then "lost" in the last line...

The pictures above are mine, from winter 2024/25 thus far.

If you have read one or both of Close Your Eyes and Festival, I think you’ll understand when I say that Within This Darkness will be a teen book unlike almost anything else in this genre… full of the emotion and loss that is felt by the characters in both of my previous books. I hope it works - and that people like it! 
But… as I’ve gotten closer to releasing the book, I’ve been thinking of that old J.D. Salinger line about writing, which was something close to this:
If you’re going to write, think about the book that YOU would most like to read, as a reader, and then go ahead and write that book yourself.
Within This Darkness is what  I would have read over and over, when I was a young reader.

More on this in a subsequent post, but I am beyond proud, and sincerely honoured, to say that my old friend Mark is doing the cover art for this trilogy. Mark’s website can be found here.

Thank you everyone, I will post again in the near future, and let everyone know when the book is ready.  Best wishes.

Chris