The Clockwork Coroner

The first pieces of The First Twenty — The Founders Edition have arrived… ⚙️📚

Matching bookmarks and pens are officially here.

Now we wait for the author copies to reach the station.
(Estimated arrival: June 14.)

Heading home from a quiet Memorial Day weekend in Sequim, WA.

A good stretch of time, some distance from the noise, and a chance to let things settle.

If you’re just catching up, The Clockwork Coroner is now available for pre-order. I appreciate everyone who’s already stepped into the world of this story.

Twenty eager readers have already claimed their place in the ledger. I have 10 spaces remaining in this next batch.

Why not kick off your summer reading program with Books By Bayne?

A few days into this journey, and I’m genuinely grateful for the early support on The Clockwork Coroner pre-order.

This story has been a long road to bring to life, and it means a lot to finally share it in this way.

If you missed the announcement earlier this week, here it is again. No rush—just sharing the moment.

Here's the back cover final rendering at my bookstore - I'm so proud of myself! The artwork was created by a Fiverr artist, Joyce Peace.

www.books.by/carlos-bayne

The gears are turning. ⚙️📚

Now that The Clockwork Coroner has officially been uploaded to my editor, I’m confident enough to finally say this out loud:

Barring any major rewrite requests, I anticipate a publication date of June 1, 2026 for both digital (Amazon Kindle) and print editions.

And yes … regardless of format, I’m officially collecting pre-orders starting today.

Who’s ready to kick off their summer reading program with Books By Bayne?

If you’d like a copy, please comment below with:

“pre-order; digital”
or
“pre-order; print”

Thank you all for following this journey from outline … to manuscript … to what’s soon becoming a published novel.

— Carlos Bayne
Author of The Murder of Crowe and The Clockwork Coroner

Before there was The Clockwork Coroner … there was The Murder of Crowe.

This morning marked a major step in the journey.

After revisiting the manuscript and making a few formatting refinements in Kindle Create, I officially launched The Murder of Crowe on Amazon Kindle and established the Detectives For Hire series.

It feels strange — and deeply rewarding — seeing the world of Junius Price and Archie McNittle finally standing on its own.

Meanwhile, The Clockwork Coroner entered its next phase last night after being sent to an editor for review.

One book published.
One book evolving.
More stories still ahead.

For a writer, these are the moments you quietly dream about while staring at blank pages.

The city fog is rolling in again soon.

One Draft Down

I realize I’ve been a little quiet lately, but the silence hasn’t meant I stopped writing. Quite the opposite.

Happy to share that the first rough draft of The Clockwork Coroner is officially complete.

The story now lives across stacks of paper, my laptop, and this writing journal pictured here — filled with scene notes, chapter reshuffles, crossed-out ideas, and the occasional caffeine-fueled scribble.

Huge thank you again to Melanie and Mark for this 50th birthday gift. That journal unexpectedly became part of the creative process and the history of the book itself.

Still lots ahead — revisions, rewrites, polishing, and tightening — but this feels like a meaningful milestone in the journey.

Philadelphia, 1886 still calls. ⚙️☕📖

Somewhere between February and the end of March, my writing consistency drifted a bit.

Not gone… just off track.

I was going through my birthday cards and realized I completely overlooked part of a gift — Mark and Melanie didn’t just give me a journal. They also gave me a compass and a sundial.

Didn’t think much of it at first, but it hit me later:

Direction. Time.

Meanwhile, I’ve been watching a friend of mine steadily publish multiple books like it’s just part of his routine. No excuses, just consistency. That stuck with me.

For me, writing isn’t random — it’s designated. I’ve got one journal for everyday life, and another strictly for my “Detectives For Hire” stories (The Murder of the Crowe, The Clockwork Coroner, and maybe more to come).

When I open that second journal, I’m not journaling… I’m working a case.

So consider this me getting back on assignment.

Compass is set. Time to get back to work.

Before The Clockwork Coroner is published, the workshop is open.

I’ve created a small physical welcome—The Workshop Kit—for readers who choose to support the project during its writing phase.

The first five paid patrons will be recognized as Founding Members of the Workshop and receive a personalized version of the kit.

After that, patrons will still receive the Workshop Kit while this phase remains open—but the first five will always be the first.

If you’ve been thinking about stepping in, this is the moment.

👉 Join here:

Carlos Bayne | Patreon creating The Clockwork Coroner

Patreon Creator relaunch! Revised Membership Levels— check it out 👀