Happy New Year Everyone!  I hope that 2019 is off to exactly the start you were hoping for.

I recently discovered a review that was posted back in December. That was quite the nice new year discovery!

I wanted to let you all know that paperbacks of More Fun and Games are now available! You can get them the following ways:

Your own friendly local bookstore can order them through Ingram. It’s ISBN 9780578214610 
or
You can order them through Amazon 
or
If you would like a signed/inscribed copy, you can order them through my own friendly local bookstore, The Briar Patch.  If you had previously ordered the ebook on release day, you can use the code EBOOKFUN to save 99 cents on the purchase. You can put in inscription requests in the comment section at checkout.

I’m also determined to write more this year, which at least so far has exhibited itself in the form of working on my webpage, authordavebarrett.com. In particular, I’m going to be writing mini-blurbs/reviews of books as I read them this year. I’ve got two posted already, though I’m certainly not going to maintain a two-book-a-week pace. I’m also going to try to keep up with my blog.

As always, you can follow me on twitter or check out my facebook page.

And not but least, if you’ve already read More Fun and Games and haven’t left a review at your favorite etailers and Goodreads, please do so! A review is like giving an author a hug!

Thank you all for your continued support.

Dave

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!

 

 

Happy December everyone!  Long time no chat!

Well during that long time, I sure have been busy! So busy that More Fun and Games, the sequel to the novel you preordered back in 2016 is just about ready!  How just about? Like within 2 weeks just about!  

And here’s the cover!

 More Fun and Games is clocking in at about 62,000 words, or about 20% longer than It’s All Fun and Games, and is chock full of adventure, intrigue and humor! Allison and the gang, having come to terms with their new world, continue eastward toward the Arcanum and their quest to defeat Magnus, the Arcanum’s wizard king.

But like any good adventure, things don’t exactly work out the way they expect. They make some new friends, make some new enemies, and discover that the longer they spend within the game the more they become their game characters. Early readers have gushed over it, so I know that you’ll like it too!

 I’m so excited!

Current plans are for the ebook will retail for 4.99, and the paperback 9.99 (I hope…stay tuned...).

 So, how do you go about getting the next installment? As you may remember, the Inkshares crowdfunding program didn’t work out, so I’m self-publishing it. It will be available on all ebook platforms, at your favorite online retailer, but also available at your friendly local bookstore - ask them to include it on their next order from Ingram! Support those independent bookstores if you can! 

Even better, through a partnership with my own friendly neighborhood bookstore, The Briar Patch, if you live somewhere far away and would like to get an autographed copy, we’ll ship em to you! And of course, if you’re local, I’ll hopefully have a release party scheduled soonish. Check out my Facebook page if you want to stay in the know.

 Now, I’ve got a secret to share with you

 Oh yes I do

On release day (TBD, 2nd week of December at some point), the ebook will be available on amazon for only 99 cents. That’s right!  Only 99 cents! Early purchases and early reviews make a huge impact, so if you were planning on buying the ebook, there’s a 4 dollar savings for you by getting it on release day. 

If you were planning on buying the physical book, please consider spending the extra 99 cents on release day. If you do, I’ll knock a dollar off your physical book purchase at the Briar Patch (either online orders or local shoppers). There’s a little tag you get for #1 new releases and #1 best sellers in your book categories, and I’d love to get one or both! 

To all of you who have poked and prodded and pestered me to release book two, thank you so much for your encouragement, faith, and patience. I just wrapped up Endgame during National Novel Writing Month, and I think you’re going to like that one too. Hopefully it won’t be another 2 years!

Thanks!
Dave

PS - you may get this message more than once, since I’ll be sending it out to a couple mailing lists, and there’s some overlap. I apologize for the spam.

Hi Gamers!

 

Happy Midsummer everyone!

It’s the middle of July and warm weather has finally come to Maine.  Birds are chirping, the black flies are (mostly) dead, and most fun of all is seeing the pictures showing up in my Facebook feed of people showing off their copies of It’s All Fun and Games.  It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since it was released, but time has the tendency to keep moving forward, doesn’t it?

I keep running into people who want to know when the sequel will be coming out, so I wanted to give you an update on how More Fun and Games is progressing.  My summer teaching has been taking a bit more time than I’d hoped, which means editing has slowed down a bit.  I’m still chipping away at it, however - I’m maybe a third of the way through so far.  I’ve added Chapters 1 and 2 to the preview read on the project page, so you can read about the start of this new adventure.

Now my part is only half of the work.  YOUR part is the other half.  Inkshares only publishes books that a) cover much of the up-front cost; and b) show an established interest.  The 2400 or so copies of It’s All Fun and Games that have already been sold shows the interest.  Now we just need to cover those editing and design costs.  Please, if you’ve got the interest and means to do so, head on over and preorder your copy now.  

I also have one additional (less costly) favor to ask of you.  DragonCon, one of the largest fan conventions in the country, gives out the Dragon Awards annually.  I would deeply appreciate it if you could swing on by the nomination page and nominate It’s All Fun and Games in the "Best Young Adult/Middle Grade Novel" category.  Sure, it’s a long shot, but so was publishing in the first place, so why not give it a try?

As always, you can find me on twitter @llabak and on Facebook 

Thank you all for your continued support, and enjoy the rest of the summer!

Best
Dave

Hey everyone!  Happy Summer!

At least they tell us it’s summuh up here in glorious Maine.  Hard to tell with highs in the upper 60s and nights in the 40s.  At least it’s keeping the black flies down.  A little.

 
                                          May 31 in Maine, Ladies and Gentlemen

So have I got some news for you!

The crowdfunding sequel to It’s All Fun and Games is now up and running! 

As I mentioned in a past update, More Fun and Games has been written (for several years) and now needs the spit and polish (and in some cases massive reworking) to get it up and ready for publication.  In the meanwhile, I need your help. 

Many of you rallied to It’s All Fun and Games because I harassed you, begged you, and after all, it was only five bucks.  Unfortunately (for us…financially appropriate for Inkshares), the price to support has increased - $10 for an ebook and $20 for the paperback.  This is a bigger commitment, for sure, so I don’t feel comfortable doing the same level of begging.  Having said that, I would really appreciate your tossing a few bucks my way.

Also unfortunately, this isn’t part of a contest, which means no getting the big win on a near miss (that is, the target of 750 copies is much more firm than it was last time).  So even if you don’t feel like you can preorder a copy, if you know anyone who liked the first book and would be willing to pitch in on the sequel, please spread the word.  Do you know someone who runs an indie bookstore?  Rope ‘em on in.  Are you a Reality TV family with 19 children (and counting)?  All the rug rats need a copy, maybe two.

I will continue to post updates from both projects, so for those of you following both, I apologize for the spam.  I’m hopeful that over the summer we’ll be able to get enough momentum to get the process up and running and the sequel out in a timely fashion.

As always, I am humbled by both the kind words and the financial support of my first novel.

Thank you!

Dave

Hi Everyone!

It’s February 13, so happy birthday to me!  The universe gave me a birthday gift in the form of at least 2 feet of snow on the ground and a snow day at the University.  Yay!

Of course I’m writing to you not about my birthday, but about some news I’d like to share.  I’ve finished my first editing pass through “More Fun and Games,” the sequel to “It’s All Fun and Games!”  I hadn’t even looked at it since penning it during NaNoWriMo back in 2011, and I’m pleased to announce that it’s a fun little story, with quite a few twists and turns.  The story follows the friends to the busy streets of Providence City as they make their way east and attempt to establish alliances to help them on their quest.

I do all the editing by hand on paper, and then I go back to the computer to input all the changes, working through wording and making other edits as I go.  This acts as a second full editing pass.  Once all the writing has been cleaned up (and some of it was pretty messy), I’ll then turn to think about bigger structural and story continuity issues that may need to be addressed.  Only once that has been done will I start seriously looking at how to bring the book to market.

I’ve been at it for about a month now, and finally finished, so wanted to share.  I’m proud of the story and can definitely see it turning into something everyone will enjoy. 

And now some announcements -

I’ll have a table at the Bangor Toy and Comic Con at the Cross Center over Memorial Day weekend, so if you’re in the area, feel free to stop on by and say hello!

More immediately, I’ll be at TotalCon at its new home in Marlborough, MA the weekend of February 25th, mostly playing in the Pathfinder Society area.  Again, feel free to say hi!

Lastly, since it’s my birthday, if you wanted to give me a present, head over to Amazon or Goodreads and leave me a review!  I’m up to nearly 80 on Amazon, averaging 4.6 stars.  I’d love to break the 100 review barrier!

Some of you folks may get this twice, once from Inkshares and once from my own mailing list.  I apologize for the spam, but am trying to be more savvy about marketing stuff and getting more eyeballs on my posts.

Thanks again for all your support!

Dave

Happy New Year!

Happy December Everyone!  I hope that as we move to the darkest time of the year you have your own lights to guide you through until spring.

I’ve got a few pieces of news I want to share with you all, now that November is all done.  Why November, you ask?  Because of NaNoWriMo, of course.  The genesis of these incredible Fun and Games was a month of throwing myself into “literary abandon,” and each year since 2007 (with the exception of last year’s editing frenzy) I have written a 50,000+ word first draft between November 1st and 30th.  For instance, the novel that you read was written in November, 2010, with the sequels written in 2011 and 2012 (yes, the series is complete(ish)).  After taking a year off into a different direction (don’t ask, it was awful), 2014’s novel was a standalone Chuck-centric story.  This year focused on Stu, and while I’m not done yet (about 53k words and counting), I can now take a breather without feeling guilty.

A couple exciting things happened during November.  First, we crossed the 2,000 sale threshold, which is absolutely amazing.  I sold just under 800 copies during the frantic funding phase, so that’s over a thousand copies purchased by readers through amazon and friendly local booksellers all across the country.  That’s super cool.  If you come across a free range novel, feel free to swing by Facebook and share it!

Second, the audio book was released, and is now available for download via audible.  You may remember that I shared the webpage of the supremely talented actor who performed it, Cassandra Lee Morris.  I’ve listened to a good chunk, and she really knows how to bring a story to life.  Sitting on some audible credits or just want to experience It’s All Fun and Games on your commute?  Swing on by and pick it up.

December is a season for giving, and my publisher, Inkshares, is giving everyone a great deal – you can order It’s All Fun and Games through my project page for only $4.99, and that includes free domestic shipping.  A great gift for all those cousins, nephews, nieces, and anyone else who would like a fun fantasy adventure to read this winter.  It’s not just my novel on sale, either – there’s a whole host of books all there for the grabbing.  Want a suggestion?  Shoot me an email, or check out my blog at authordavebarrett.com.  I’ve been away from it, but I think a nice book recommendation list would be a great addition, once I re-learn how to work the website.

On the review front, after my last email there was a flurry of posts on Amazon.  As a reminder, indie authors live and die by the review and the referral.  If you liked it (or your kid liked it, or your dog liked it) please pop over to your favorite ecommerce site (Amazon, B&N, BAM, or all of them!) and leave me a review!  And of course, if you’ve got a Goodreads account, that’s a great place to go too.  I’ve got 66 reviews at Amazon right now.  I’d love to hit 100 by Christmas!

Lastly, I’ve had a bunch of people asking me about when the sequel would come out.  At least three or four people, that is.  I’m not entirely sure if Inkshares is the place for book two (in a non-contest world I would need to sell 750 preorders at an increased price of $20 per book to fully fund), but I will probably be testing the waters along that front sometime in the near future.  Look for another update with a link to the new project page. 

As always, you can find It’s All Fun and Games on Facebook, and me on Twitter.

And as always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support.