Ryan M. Patrick

Ok, so the bad news first.

I’m going through feedback on Crush Depth and while it’s overwhelmingly positive, I’ve come to the realization that just it’s not the book I wanted to write. The idea isn’t dead, but the current draft doesn’t work in the way that I wanted it to – for a number of reasons – and I’m pulling it from my upcoming release schedule.

First, there’s plot/setting dissonance. It’s a book in a military setting (a US Navy submarine!) without a whole lot of military action. Instead, the plot is a slower-paced Preston & Child-style science or techno-thriller.

This is likely the same issue that caused Lag Delay to not be as successful as my other books (more on that in a future blog post).

But, most importantly, I’m not starting the story at the right place. The interesting part is after the submarine(s) are found, not before, and I need to get to that part faster (more on this in a bigger post in a few weeks).

So, I’m going to junk the current 98k word draft and mostly start over.

This sucks, but the good news (and there’s more of that later in this thread/post), is that I know how to fix it! Instead of having the MC find the missing submarines, I’m going to start it after they’ve been found.

I’m also going to lean more into the setting – it’s in the Bermuda Triangle! – and set it on an underwater habitat like in Sphere rather than on a sub, letting me lean more into the science & tech and less the military aspects.

In better news though is that I’m finished with the first draft of The Saturn Anomaly! This is the book I wanted to write, a fast-paced sequel to The Martian Incident that grabs the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go.

I wrote 90k words in just under 4 months and I absolutely love how it’s turned out. I need a few weeks to finish some edits and then I’ll be looking for beta readers. Looking like an early 2026 release barring any issues at the Pentagon.

I know some of you were looking forward to Crush Depth, and I’m still going to write the story and continue that series. It’s just taking me a bit longer than I had expected.