The Animal in Man II: Ferocious Heart has finally found a publishing date: JANUARY 2023*, released via Prince of Cats Publishing. 

This little old box of text cannot adequately express how excited I am for this! After four years, Maxan, Chewgar, Saghan, Pryth, and Pram will finally take the next steps of their journey. What begins with an underground, steam-powered train ride ends on a sub-orbital platform with a plasma cannon blast. Stay tuned... 

*tentative release date. Y’all know that publishing can be a little unpredictable.  :D

ONE WEEK TO GO until the official Launch Event for "The Animal in Man: Violent Mind" at the Book Cellar in Chicago! 

I’m hoping we can pack the house and get a little mini-reunion going for my old Gage Park High School kids and their favorite English teacher. (...did I say ’kids’? You guys’re like 24 now. Holy chr...) Of course, all my friends, family, and fellow sci-fi/fantasy nerds are welcome as well!!  SEE YOU THERE!!

Here is the info: Thursday, Nov. 1, 7:00-9:00 PM at... 

** I do want to inform the original backers (during the contest three years ago) that due to a delay in printing the demand for the books, you unfortunately won’t be receiving your signed copy in your mailbox before this event. I utterly regret this circumstance. I have been assured by my publisher that the copies for the Book Cellar event will be there on time. I am very sorry. I’m flying out to San Francisco to sign YOUR copy of the book as soon as they can print more. I will totally understand if you come out to the event and don’t buy one (another one) because you already have one on the way. **

Full confession: I’ve been having a very hard time with some personal things lately, so I haven’t been so terribly diligent on updating everybody. I’ll spare the details (this update is going out to something like over 600 followers of The Animal in Man!), but you should be aware of a couple things:

THE ANIMAL IN MAN FINAL COVER IMAGE!

UPDATED BOOK-SIGNING EVENT DATES

The release date of the Animal in Man was pushed back from late September to October 30th due to some printer issues. Therefore, the events I’d booked had to be pushed back as well.

The Book Cellar, Chicago - - November 1st, 7:00 - 9:00 PM (4736-38 N Lincoln Ave)

Barnes & Noble Naperville - - November 10, 2:00 - 5:00 PM (47 E Chicago Ave)

I’m hoping I can see all my dear animals out en masse.

Friday, October 5th, 7-9 PM at The Book Cellar in Chicago for THE ANIMAL IN MAN LAUNCH EVENT!!!

What better way to celebrate this announcement than with some new character concept art? Fresh from the digital canvas of the super-talented Nic Morales, may I introduce you to Zariel, also called “Old Four Swords,” and I think you can easily see why. 

Zariel is a genetically engineered octopus, hailing from Peskora, the tropical archipelagian nation far to the west where vast numbers of aquatic species dwell. Each of the four swords he wields are a technological marvel, capable of cutting any material clean in half, no matter its molecular composition. There is, in fact, a moment or two in The Animal in Man Part Two: Ferocious Heart when the lone octopus literally brings about the collapse of a tower.

Do you like this art? Did you like Nic’s previous concept for Saghan? Would you like a chance to have a signed poster of this thing hanging up in your office? From now until October 5th, all you have to do is make an order of The Animal in Man: Violent Mind or show up for the launch event at The Book Cellar to enter in person for a chance to win these!

Find me (and the event) on facebook, Follow me on Twitter, Follow both The Animal in Man Part One and Two on Inkshares! 

Ready to have some fun? 

You’re looking at some initial Animal in Man cover designs!!! Somebody pinch me - - This is really happening, isn’t it?!? There are elements from all three of these that I really, really like. While #1 definitely captures the proportions of the animal-creatures I see in my head, Inkshares has wisely advised me against endorsing a cover that potentially forms images for readers. I couldn’t agree more. #2 is probably the closest runner-up. I really like the minimalist design, how the cover managed to take my story and form an icon from it. Pretty cool! But what’s it really saying? There’s a fox… Some swords… Hmm… Exactly. Not much. #3 is solid too, since it really accentuates a defining characteristic of the story’s hero, Maxan, a fox with mismatched gold and green eyes. (That’s important, I swear.) BUT… again, his eyes aren’t what the story’s all about.

Now this… This is what the story’s all about. 

May I present to you the desired direction, ladies and gentlemen, for The Animal in Man’s cover!! This one truly captures the sense of violence, danger, brutality, and darkness that Book I: Violent Mind is going for. It captures it so well, in fact, that I’m already dreaming of the cover variations for the rest of the series, Book II: Ferocious Heart and Book III: Undying Soul. Remember, my dear animals, this is not the final cover. Believe me when I say that you’ll be the first to know once that comes in. Thank you all, as always, for all the patience and support.

I’m starting a revolution. ANOTHER revolution, to be exact. Around the sun. And it begins today. Because today… is my birthday! Yes, that’s right! And I’d like you to know it’s totally OK if you forgot to get me something. Because it’s NOT TOO LATE! 

For my birthday, it would be really great if all those who’ve followed The Animal in Man could make a pre-order. What you’ll get is a SIGNED COPY on September 25th. But, at the very least, it’d still be pretty swell if you followed me and my book(s) on Inkshares, and then hit me up on facebook and twitter (@BulletTime000). And at the very, very-VERY least click Like on this reader update. (It kind of makes me feel special. :D)

You should know, I got YOU something too. Coming up in June, I’ll have new character concept art to share as well as promotional giveaways as the September 25th release date approaches. (Hint: by pre-ordering NOW, you’re eligible for the drawing. Just sayin’!) Stay tuned!

As always, THANKS to all the supporters of The Animal in Man.

I know what you’re thinking: Another update so soon? Well, this one has been a long time coming. Even the animals are talking about it...

That’s right! The team at Inkshares has informed me that production has really started ramping up for The Animal in Man I: Violent Heart, and the book will be hitting bookstore shelves on September 25th of this year! Granted I’ll need to keep my s**t together well enough to meet all the deadlines on my end, but I owe YOU - my supporters, my greatest strength through all this, the thing that’s kept me going - and I’ll get it done.

Friend me on facebook, look me up on Twitter, stay tuned to your email for more upcoming updates on book signing events in and around Chicago as that wonderful date draws near! And if you haven’t already, check out my new and improved promotional video for “The Animal in Man.”

 Check out the new Promotional Video I’m launching for The Animal in Man Saga! 

 At this point, I realized the old one was severely outdated. At this stage of the game it just wasn’t good enough. After all the writing, cutting, rewriting, recutting, and of course the finagling, mangling, and beautifying I’ve done to the story, I know I got something special here for you. It’s time to get this project out to a broader audience. Please hit that Share button and help me get the word out!

 Ultra-special thanks to Kyle Probst for shooting and compiling all this footage (and somehow making me appear presentable). And as ever, an outlandish heap of thanks to all you Animals out there, my greatest supporters. Some exciting news is forthcoming… (Perhaps with an ACTUAL DATE…?)

I have an announcement:

That’s right. The titles of all three parts of The Animal in Man saga have at last been decided. I painstakingly pondered all the meanings of all the words that reflect the style, atmosphere, and experience I’ve created with the story. And then, suddenly, I had it. What is a [hu]man? What are we, really? We are a mind, a body, and - perhaps - a soul.

What if we created a world where we could play at our most violent fantasies? What if we shaped the creatures there in our image? Would they not also be those three things? I asked myself these questions a lot while I was writing The Animal in Man, and when I dug up the old journal entries I’d made about it, I knew I’d found the titles I needed.

You can follow the Draft page for The Animal in Man II: Ferocious Heart RIGHT HERE! The second book is already 100% complete, minus the professional-grade editing and services Inkshares provides upon my successful future campaign. That’s where you, my dear animals, can play a part. Please please please click the link and follow the project now so you’ll be ready for the day it starts taking preorders. And of course, as always, thank you so much for your continued support.

Meet Sarovek. Knight. Monitor. A hunter. A killer. A noble daughter of a powerful house of Corvidia, the kingdom of sky-dwellers. If you’ve read chapter one of “The Animal in Man” then you know Sarovek leads the attack against the hyena the story’s hero Maxan had been shadowing through the streets and alleyways of Crosswall. 

“A Corvidian knight in plates of polished armor plunged from the skies. Her legs and lower talons led her way, the tips of her hawk wings trailing high behind her, a long spear gripped tight, angled at the clustered hyenas. She fell like a meteor, inches from where the fox crouched on the walkway, then flapped her wings outward at the last possible instant to break her fall. The blast of air sent immense clouds of dirt rolling away. The knight’s spear sank through a hyena’s back and deep into the ground, an explosion of blood changed the dirt to mud.”

Sarovek is quite the badass. I believe she perfectly embodies the type of book I wanted to write. Her character, her choices, her choices all provide the type of experience I wanted to craft for my readers. I grew up reading action-packed stories of warriors gritting their teeth and swinging swords and narrowly escaping grave dangers with their lives. Sarovek may not be a barbarian, but she’s just as ferocious a fighter as Conan. She may not be a drow ranger, but she’s just as stoic as Drizzt.

If you haven’t heard of “The Animal in Man”... If you haven’t had the chance to really dive in and see what makes it so special, then go check it out. Spend a little time in my world.

I have some very, very exciting news to share with everyone coming up in the next update. Stay tuned, My Dear Animals! And as always, thank you for your support and patience!

(Immense thanks to artist Ellinsworth for his amazing sketch of Sarovek! Visit his portfolio for more awesome artwork!)