Recently, jim-butcher.com’s Upcoming Works page was updated to answer this very question. Sectioned off within its own box, this explanation is present:
Why’s Peace Talks Taking So Long?(An explanation, so you can stop emailing complaints to the feedback box, which doesn’t reach Jim, and mainly just frustrates the folks running this site.) Personal problems/life events spanning the past several years are what gummed up the works.
- Got divorced, with all the fallout that comes from that
- His dog died, who was “the brains of the operation” as Jim tells it
- Got engaged
- Moved to another state to live with his fiancee
- Had to live in an apartment with no private writing space for years longer than intended because the contractor setting up his new house has blown the deadline by a couple years at least
That latter bit made it especially hard for him to get traction on Peace Talks. Thankfully the house is finally inhabitable and Jim’s been back at work.
As of December 17th, 2018 the current draft of the novel is up to chapter 38. Progress!
— Upcoming Works, mid-December 2018
There’s still no release date yet, but unless Peace Talks is going to be especially long (like Cold Days), this is great progress! A new Dresden Files installment may be just beyond the horizon!
Christmas update
EDIT: The Upcoming Works page was updated over the holidays regarding Peace Talks! See the new note & updated explanation box below!
New note
Jim is finally settled in his new home, and he’s since been industriously churning out new chapters of Peace Talks that torture Harry in fun and interesting ways, much to the betas’ joy and dismay. We’re still quite a ways from having a release date, but we’ll announce any updates in the news blog.— Upcoming Works, late December 2018
Updated explanation box
Why’s Peace Talks Taking So Long?(An explanation, so you can stop emailing complaints to the feedback box, which doesn’t reach Jim, and mainly just frustrates the folks running this site.) Personal problems/life events spanning the past several years are what gummed up the works.
- Got divorced, with all the fallout that comes from that.
- His dog died, who was “the brains of the operation” as Jim tells it.
- Got engaged, then remarried.
- Moved to another state to live with his fiancee, now wife.
- Lived in an apartment with no private writing space for years longer than intended because the contractor building his new house blew the deadline by a couple years at least.
That last bit made it especially hard for him to get traction on Peace Talks. Thankfully, the house is finally finished and Jim is back at work, under the guidance of his new canine buddy Bru and his wife’s four majestic cats.
As of December 17th, 2018 the current draft of the novel is up to chapter 38. Progress!
— Upcoming Works, late December 2018
Latest update
As of May 22nd, 2019, the current draft of the novel is up to chapter 61. Progress!— Upcoming Works