Michael Gilroy - author
@vanguardsmike.bsky.social
michaelgilroyauthor.com
NEW AUTHOR!
VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE
NEW AUTHOR!
VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE
The wonderful front and back covers of VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE were done by @ebetto.bsky.social and they are gorgeous. Everyone I’ve talked to have had nothing but praise for it. If you want to see the early sketches, proposed designs, and the various drafts…
November 25, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The wonderful front and back covers of VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE were done by @ebetto.bsky.social and they are gorgeous. Everyone I’ve talked to have had nothing but praise for it. If you want to see the early sketches, proposed designs, and the various drafts…
Dina Carroll — Our story’s heroine, though she would not call herself as much. After a life of dealing with depression and anxiety, Dina’s body is frail and her skill with magic is unpracticed…
November 21, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Dina Carroll — Our story’s heroine, though she would not call herself as much. After a life of dealing with depression and anxiety, Dina’s body is frail and her skill with magic is unpracticed…
AVAILABLE NOW! VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
November 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
AVAILABLE NOW! VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
AVAILABLE NOW! VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
November 6, 2025 at 2:07 PM
AVAILABLE NOW! VANGUARDS: THE WORLD WAITS FOR NO ONE
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
Book 1 of the Vanguards series
More information and links to purchase: michaelgilroyauthor.com
Ebook through Kindle
Physical copies also available through B&N and Amazon
I received a stack of bookmarks from Canva yesterday, and I gotta say, they turned out great. So great, in fact, that I’ve ordered a bunch more. But what’s all that stuff I blacked out? And where does that QR code lead to? Nowhere yet, but come next week, I may show you…
October 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I received a stack of bookmarks from Canva yesterday, and I gotta say, they turned out great. So great, in fact, that I’ve ordered a bunch more. But what’s all that stuff I blacked out? And where does that QR code lead to? Nowhere yet, but come next week, I may show you…
Inspirations: Hank Zipzer — we’re going way, way, waaay back for this one. All the way back to my childhood to one of the first chapter book series I ever read.
October 3, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Inspirations: Hank Zipzer — we’re going way, way, waaay back for this one. All the way back to my childhood to one of the first chapter book series I ever read.
Dogs really are just like people. They like to sleep, eat, and are patiently waiting to learn when Vanguards: The World Waits for No One will be coming out. Soon, puppy dog, you’ll know soon.
September 30, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Dogs really are just like people. They like to sleep, eat, and are patiently waiting to learn when Vanguards: The World Waits for No One will be coming out. Soon, puppy dog, you’ll know soon.
Inspirations: Akira Toriyama (Part 2) — Dragon Quest is a video game series that’s niche in the west, but beyond influential back in Japan, and a big part of that was the artwork of the late Akira Toriyama.
September 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Inspirations: Akira Toriyama (Part 2) — Dragon Quest is a video game series that’s niche in the west, but beyond influential back in Japan, and a big part of that was the artwork of the late Akira Toriyama.
Inspirations: Akira Toriyama (Part 1) — We lose many great artists every year, and the way many places around the world seemed to pause in March of 2024 to remember the works of Akira Toriyama was not surprising to me at all.
September 19, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Inspirations: Akira Toriyama (Part 1) — We lose many great artists every year, and the way many places around the world seemed to pause in March of 2024 to remember the works of Akira Toriyama was not surprising to me at all.
Inspirations: One Piece — While it may be one of the biggest franchises in the world nowadays, my love of One Piece goes back years, and I’ve never stopped admiring it. This is worldbuilding turned up to 11.
September 12, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Inspirations: One Piece — While it may be one of the biggest franchises in the world nowadays, my love of One Piece goes back years, and I’ve never stopped admiring it. This is worldbuilding turned up to 11.
The full cover and the release date for my debut YA Fantasy novel, Vanguards: The World Waits for No One, the first of the Vanguards series, is coming soon. Be on the lookout for the reveal, and get excited for a grand adventure.
September 9, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The full cover and the release date for my debut YA Fantasy novel, Vanguards: The World Waits for No One, the first of the Vanguards series, is coming soon. Be on the lookout for the reveal, and get excited for a grand adventure.
Inspirations: The Legend of Zelda — It’s not just written works that I dive into for storytelling inspiration. Video games are fair play too, and these two games are among my favorites.
September 5, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Inspirations: The Legend of Zelda — It’s not just written works that I dive into for storytelling inspiration. Video games are fair play too, and these two games are among my favorites.
Inspirations: House of Many Ways — The final piece of the loosely-strung trilogy that began with Diana Wynne Jones’s famous fantasy novel Howl’s Moving Castle.
August 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Inspirations: House of Many Ways — The final piece of the loosely-strung trilogy that began with Diana Wynne Jones’s famous fantasy novel Howl’s Moving Castle.
Happy National Dog Day, readers and writers! Remember to cuddle up with your favorite four-legged friend and a good book. Spencer here is a thorough critique partner, always sniffing out mistakes, but we make it work.
August 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Happy National Dog Day, readers and writers! Remember to cuddle up with your favorite four-legged friend and a good book. Spencer here is a thorough critique partner, always sniffing out mistakes, but we make it work.
Inspirations: Castle in the Air — the first of two oft-forgotten semi-sequels to Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and still just as charming as the original.
August 22, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Inspirations: Castle in the Air — the first of two oft-forgotten semi-sequels to Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, and still just as charming as the original.
Inspirations: Howl’s Moving Castle — While many know the film by Studio Ghibli, the fantasy novel Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is criminally forgotten about. When I first read this book, I was blown away by the raw personality in the leads and the friction-filled chemistry they had.
August 15, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Inspirations: Howl’s Moving Castle — While many know the film by Studio Ghibli, the fantasy novel Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is criminally forgotten about. When I first read this book, I was blown away by the raw personality in the leads and the friction-filled chemistry they had.
World Map of Rave — The world of Rave, the setting for the upcoming Vanguards series, is a land of great danger, endless adventure, and brave people. Faces and places of every color and creed, divided into five regions with their own individual territories.
August 12, 2025 at 11:58 AM
World Map of Rave — The world of Rave, the setting for the upcoming Vanguards series, is a land of great danger, endless adventure, and brave people. Faces and places of every color and creed, divided into five regions with their own individual territories.
Preview of Chapter 1 — As the completion and publishing of Vanguards: The World Waits for No One comes closer and closer, hopefully sometime within the next couple of month…
August 8, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Preview of Chapter 1 — As the completion and publishing of Vanguards: The World Waits for No One comes closer and closer, hopefully sometime within the next couple of month…
The World Tree — a monolith that hangs over Dina’s head and all other students taking the academy’s test. In the center of the testing island, the World Tree stands as tall as the clouds…
August 5, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The World Tree — a monolith that hangs over Dina’s head and all other students taking the academy’s test. In the center of the testing island, the World Tree stands as tall as the clouds…
I saw Fantastic Four: First Steps with some friends the other day. I really enjoyed it, but this quote from the end of the credits is what really struck me. I’m a big fan of Jack Kirby’s work. He had an unrestrained imagination and a love for his craft;
August 1, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I saw Fantastic Four: First Steps with some friends the other day. I really enjoyed it, but this quote from the end of the credits is what really struck me. I’m a big fan of Jack Kirby’s work. He had an unrestrained imagination and a love for his craft;
More of Dina’s allies - throughout the first book of Vanguards series, Dina will encounter many new faces, guided by her curiosity and kindness.
July 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM
More of Dina’s allies - throughout the first book of Vanguards series, Dina will encounter many new faces, guided by her curiosity and kindness.
The main trio — A lot of time was spent fine-tuning the relationships and dynamics of the main trio. Dina, our protagonist, was made to be smart yet weak, able to answer questions about the world of Rave, but still be awed by what she would see.
July 25, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The main trio — A lot of time was spent fine-tuning the relationships and dynamics of the main trio. Dina, our protagonist, was made to be smart yet weak, able to answer questions about the world of Rave, but still be awed by what she would see.
Character Inspiration — When I write, I’m always thinking about contrast, and it reflects in my characters. The story was born from an image in my head of a dainty, Disney princess-like character trying to fight and survive in a dangerous world.
July 22, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Character Inspiration — When I write, I’m always thinking about contrast, and it reflects in my characters. The story was born from an image in my head of a dainty, Disney princess-like character trying to fight and survive in a dangerous world.
Magic system — in the world of Rave, magic comes from within. Every living thing contains a reserve of magical energy called eso. Eso can be summoned out of the body as a colorful light, or used within to strengthen the body.
July 18, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Magic system — in the world of Rave, magic comes from within. Every living thing contains a reserve of magical energy called eso. Eso can be summoned out of the body as a colorful light, or used within to strengthen the body.
The test — Dina and her allies are heading to the Four Seasons Island, where sweltering summer, freezing winter, and everything in between await them, for a test of survival and combat.
July 15, 2025 at 11:54 AM
The test — Dina and her allies are heading to the Four Seasons Island, where sweltering summer, freezing winter, and everything in between await them, for a test of survival and combat.