Hey folks, Hope you’re all well.
It’s been a while since I’ve released anything so I thought it was about time we had a sit down and chat about the future of the Mlinzi Series. As many know, this series means a lot to me. Crazy to think I’ve been working on it for 7 years now!
Yep, today is the anniversary of Return of the Royal Mlinzi, the first story in the Mlinzi series and my first Lion King story. 3 years ago today, I finally released RotRM, after spending 5 years writing and rewriting and editing it. And while It’s far from a perfect story, I’m proud of the universe it has created.
I’ll be honest, these past few years, my creativity and desire to write had faded. I was even tempted to stop at one stage because I just didn’t have the strength to continue. But slowly, I’ve been building it up once again and now, I’m ready to reveal what I’ve been working on.
First off, I’ve decided to take the series in a slightly different direction than I originally had planned. At first, I planned to write a prequel story, exploring Kopa and Karimu’s life and relationship in a similar style to how Return of the Royal Mlinzi was. However, by the end of RotRM. I realised that kind of story doesn’t suit my writing style very well, So I’ve come up with a good compromise.
An anthology series of stories, breaking down key moments from their life and giving us time to delve into and explore them in more detail than we would in a full-blown story. As part of this, I’m thinking of tying it into events after RotRM, exploring life in the Uasilands under Kopa and Karimu’s rule.
The first of these anthology stories is called Mlinzi: Cold Reception. As Kopa and Karimu spend time together alone, their cubs, Ulinzi and Amani are told the tale of how their parents met as cubs, forging a close bond that would shape the savannah forever!
Production of Cold Reception is going well and I’m proud of how it’s shaping up so far.
Currently, I plan to release Mlinzi: Cold Reception later this year. I plan to do a story like this every year at a minimum so expect more in the future.
As part of Cold Reception, I want to work with lesser-known artists to bring the story to life, imagining key scenes throughout the story in their style. More info will be shared nearer the time, but I plan to host commission opportunities to allow those lesser-known in the community to show just what they can do!
As for right now, I’m excited to announce part 2 of Mlinzi: The Mwenzi Ball is being released later today! I released part 1 nearly 4 years ago, so this is a long time coming and while this part takes a very different and dark turn, I’m proud of the writing, especially in this one.
I plan to start part 3 very soon, with hopes to have it finished in the next few months.
There are a few smaller projects that I’m not quite ready to announce yet but will do so once they’re nearing completion.
There is one thing that I have been thinking about for some time now, something that I have been asked about a few times over the years.
Audiobooks!
Yep, I’m exploring the possibility of creating audio versions of some of my work. Most likely, Mlinzi: Cold Reception will be the first story turned into an audio book later this year, so keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for more info as it becomes available.
And that’s all the announcements I have for today! Not a lot, I know. But some of these are big in terms of how they’re gonna shape the Mlinzi series going forward.
Mlinzi: Cold Reception is the first SFW story in years. A fresh, invigorating view of the Mlinzi series that I hope everyone will enjoy later this year. The Mwenzi Ball part 2: a gripping, intense NSFW story 4 years in the making. And future audio work among many more stories and projects yet to be announced.
Thank you all for your time, and support over the years. If you’ve made it this far, you are a truly dedicated fan of this series, and I couldn’t be prouder to have you along for the ride.
Take care and stay safe everyone,
J.D.Taylor
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4 months, 3 weeks ago
02 Feb 2025 10:49 CET
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