In the Works

Behind the Curtain · Beyond the Next Chapter

What I’m Creating Next

A first look at the novels, series, and picture books currently taking shape at my writing desk. Some are nearly ready to step into the light. Others are still arguing with the outline.

Cover Disclaimer: All covers shown on this page are preliminary mockups created to represent works in progress. They are not final cover designs and may change before publication.

Featured First · Coming Soon

The Refried Trilogy

Three comic fantasy adventures about wishes, quests, death, and the terrible consequences of combining them in the wrong order.

Death/Wish by Michael D. Young — book one of The Refried Trilogy

Death/Wish

Wish/Quest by Michael D. Young — book two of The Refried Trilogy

Wish/Quest

Quest/Death by Michael D. Young — book three of The Refried Trilogy

Quest/Death

Current stage: Final revision and production preparation for the trilogy’s opening volume.

Launch Time by Michael D. Young, book one of A Wonderful Day for a Launch

Featured Next · Book One Coming Soon

A Wonderful Day for a Launch

Launch Time

The quest survived the Middle Ages. Now it has to survive the Machine Age. Ancient magic collides with personal computers, artificial intelligence, time travel, and the far reaches of space in this continuation of A Wonderful Week for a Quest.

Current stage: Revising and preparing Book One for publication.
Series direction: Clean comic fantasy with retro technology, alternate futures, ghosts, extraterrestrial trouble, and footnotes that refuse to behave.

The Lost Barge by Michael D. Young — book one of the Lost Tribes Trilogy historical fantasy adventure

Additional Featured Work · Revising

The Lost Barge — Book Two

The historical-fantasy journey that began with The Lost Barge is continuing. Book Two is currently in revision, with attention focused on character arcs, continuity, pacing, and the next stage of the Lost Tribes adventure.

Current stage: Revising
Preview status: More details, excerpts, and release information will appear here as the manuscript moves closer to completion.

How to Read the Progress Labels

Outlining
The bones are being assembled.

Drafting
New pages are arriving.

Revising
The troublesome parts are being persuaded.

In Production
Design, recording, art, or final preparation.

Coming Soon
Nearly ready for an audience.

Projects change as they develop, so titles, formats, and schedules may evolve.

Novels, Sequels & Strange New Worlds

Books in Active Development

Open any title below for a quick look at the premise and its current mockup cover.

Middle Grade

My Mom, the Necromancer
My Mom, the Necromancer by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Eighth-grader Alec Larsen discovers that his mother is a necromancer after catching a zombie unclogging the toilet. Family secrets, suspicious relatives, and the mystery of his father’s death soon make the undead family business far less amusing.

Wandaful
Wandaful by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Hal and Wanda discover that ordinary objects can channel magic across color-linked dimensions. To stop a rogue sorcerer from controlling every Wavelength, they must master their clashing talents before the multiverse is repainted in darkness.

The Starformer’s Gift
The Starformer’s Gift by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Thirteen-year-old Tyson’s dreams reshape reality, turning a carnival into a living prison of starborn magic. His family must climb through a world built from fantasy and fear before an ancient cosmic calling claims him completely.

Dual School
Dual School by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Zak discovers a hidden sister school where students from across the solar system study music and creativity. He also meets Kaz, his alien twin, and learns they must choose one world—and merge into one being—before their fifteenth birthday.

Countdown
Countdown by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Fifteen-year-old Xavier has less than a year left on the life-support timer built into his colony suit. After bonding with an enemy mothership, he gains stolen time—and a responsibility that may demand the very life he fought to extend.

Young Adult

Death/Wish
Death/Wish by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Immortal Wish Warden Sir Jacques Dawkins must escort a dying young man across the Beandom to reunite a cursed family. Goblin Pox, magical bureaucracy, singing secret police, and one neglected death wish stand in the way.

Shafted
Shafted by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

A Mafia chase drops Jerry Van der Graf into an underground station filled with elevators that open onto history. Mistaken for the next Liftmaster, he must stop running long enough to prevent two worlds from being crushed together.

The Wizard’s Brand
The Wizard’s Brand by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Dant is marked with a wizard’s brand that grants command over the elements—and will burn him alive in thirty days. Hunted and feared, he must decide whether to hide from death or spend his remaining time protecting those he loves.

Lovestruck
Lovestruck by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Cupid trainee Micah’s final mission is sabotaged by a stolen Olympian Arrow. When he is transformed into a Darkheart, muse-in-training Athena must uncover the truth and prove that weaponized love can still be restored.

Elected
Elected by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

In a society where every choice is decided by votes, Nique has been stripped of hers because of her mother’s addiction. A deal to reclaim her voice draws her into hacked elections, surveillance, shadow politics, and a war between digital gods.

Death Seer
Death Seer by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

After nearly drowning during a hazing ritual, Kumi Moses can see how people will die. When he successfully changes one vision, he must decide whether his power is a curse—or a calling to challenge death itself.

Adult

The Seven Scourges
The Seven Scourges by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

In a kingdom where every citizen bears a curse, a blind king vows to see his wife’s face. Breaking the Blights may require sacrificing tradition, faith, and the fragile balance holding the entire realm together.

The Tribunal
The Tribunal by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Each year, Alduous must climb the Tribunal Tower and prove he deserves another year of life. This time, surviving means exposing corruption at the heart of the Sanctuary—even if innocence proves more dangerous than guilt.

The Coin Toss
The Coin Toss by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

Ancient coins grant temporary superpowers, each with a potentially lethal condition. A quiet coin expert is recruited into a secret war and must decide whether chance should ever control the fate of the world.

Everyman
Everyman by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

A missing marine biologist returns as a creature that consumes people and wears their identities. Brody Palmer must confront his grief and failures to stop an enemy who is becoming everyone—and no one.

Prometheus Returns
Prometheus Returns by Michael D. Young — preliminary mockup cover

After his son is murdered, Spencer Bowman receives control over energy itself and turns his grief against the city’s criminals. But his cosmic benefactor wants entertainment, and vengeance may transform Spencer into the next monster.


Which Book Should Come Next?

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Legends, Bedtimes & Illustrated Mischief

Picture Books

IN PRODUCTION

New Jobs for Mythical Characters

More humorous picture books in which legendary characters discover that immortality, magic, and monsterhood do not necessarily prepare anyone for a modern career.

IN PRODUCTION

Sir Johnny

Square-page illustration work continues for a brave young knight whose final enemy may be the fearsome cleanup quest waiting in his own room.

IN PRODUCTION

Pajama Adventure

A bedtime journey through dinosaurs, deep-sea wonders, armored knights, pirates, outer space, and the one pair of pajamas that finally makes sleep irresistible.

REVISING & ILLUSTRATING

Boogeyman for Hire

A rhyming picture book about a child, a professional frightener, and the moment the tables turn on the adults who thought they had bedtime completely under control.

Follow the Books from First Draft to Finished Story

Subscribe for occasional book progress reports, cover reveals, excerpts, behind-the-scenes updates, and release news from the writing desk.

Last updated July 2026. Project details and schedules may change as the books develop.