It’s time for the Fall update! The book is still progressing along, and I’m on schedule for a summer 2017 release of some sort.
However, I’m interrupting my writing to point you to a short movie. If you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend Dust.
https://vimeo.com/183239997
While not the same universe as The Noxian Gate, it’s a fascinating look at evolved nature, people, and our relationship to the natural world. I hope the fall season is treating you well!
I wanted to reach out to everyone who has supported this book effort with a huge Thank You! We sold over 100 books, and I was delighted to have found a supportive community through InkShares that helps authors build their projects. However, we are about 150 books short of physical publication at this time. As a result your funds will be returned to you in a few days- but this is not the end of The Noxian Gate.
I have spoken to several of you who are game to helping me edit and bring this project to life. Our goal is by this time next year to have the book in your hands (digitally or otherwise). The InkShares website will remain the home of the book effort for the next year as we build our following. Stay tuned for more updates and news as the Noxian Gate becomes a reality.
Hope is the thing with feathers, and to help my book take flight I created this short video (https://youtu.be/zKh3-yE4eK0) describing my initial inspiration for sitting down to write.
We have until August 3rd to reach 250 books pre-ordered, and then by this time next year you could have a signed copy of The Noxian Gate in your hands. I think we can do it if you help me share the link with friends, family, science fiction fans, random people on the street - I’m not picky.
After you have annoyed all of your friends and family, stop on by the Noxian Gate website to write a glowing review (those really do help!). Let’s sell this thing! We have 5 whole days left!
One of the first characters we meet in the book- Eon- spent countless hours in the hidden library of the Nox. While he wasn’t researching the ancient sentries that spawned life throughout the galaxy, Eon spent what amounted to years of his life watching cooking shows (who doesn’t).
One of his favorite dishes, which was a smashing hit with the ancient Nox apparently, was a dish that can best be translated as ’Sea Mist Delight Pulls on Your Stomach’. The strange creature, called a Qumnualt, was found only in one sea on a planet on the outer systems. Similar to an octopus with a shell of a sea urchin, the recipe was to cook with drift wood gently over open flame for about 5 minutes. The resulting foaming dish contained several unknown molecules that, at least for the Nox, caused feelings of delight, awe, giddiness, and in rare cases resulted in uncontrollable happy dancing.
****
This beautiful dish is an actual creation of an actual person. If the Nox were going to have a dinner feast I’m convinced Betsy Hinze would be behind the ball. Check out her truly inspiring work (which I hope to feature more of in the book) at www.betsyhinze.com
Thank you so much for the tweets, Facebook posts, and e-mails to friends and family. We have 30 days to bring another 140 people into the world of The Noxian Gate- every book sold counts!
This week I want to tell you the back-story to the Nox. I first saw the Nox almost 20 years ago on an episode of Stargate SG-1, and the idea of the species stuck with me. In that universe the Nox are secretive, insular, and probably the most advanced technological species in the galaxy. They appear to be closely connected to the natural world, and believe that giving advanced technology to humans is a bit like giving fireworks to toddlers. Their most famous line in the series that sums up the Nox philosophy of sharing technology is “Sometimes the young do not do as they are told.”
I took these few crumbs from the TV series, and they became the catalyst for The Noxian Gate. One of the first characters the appears in our book is Eon. A young Nox (187 years old) who found a hidden library. The library has the unique ability to exist outside of time, and it contains the ancient history of the Nox. Eon discovers secrets of the ancient Nox when they weren’t so insular and were more outgoing, even controlling the entire galaxy. He discovers that the Nox had at their height sent out 15 sentries to the remote parts of the galaxy to foster life. Those sentries have spent the millienium creating conditions for life to thrive throughout the galaxy - and yet not all of them have been successful. Eon discsovers that there is one sentry that has never reported back to the Nox, and he leaves in search of the missing sentry. His journey, and eventual discovery of the sentry in the Sol system leads us to the very start of our adventure in The Noxian Gate.
Stay tuned for more updates, and exciting adventures in The Noxian Gate. What else do you want to know about the Nox? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Thank you again for following me, and for the many of you that have pre-ordered a copy of The Noxian Gate! To celebrate reaching over 100 books pre-ordered I wanted to introduce you to a new character. Meet Lily. Lily was created by Rachel 3 years prior to AC (alien contact). Lily is an acronym that stands for:
Little - Lily uses a nano-AI chipset Rachel won during a game of Panda X-Con 5, the parallel processor is the most powerful available on or off the market for its size. As far as Rachel knows nobody else has paired it with an actual Lilly.
Intelligent (AI) - Lily’s intelligence combines the intelligence of a general AI and sensing capabilities of a Lilly with many added tweaks over the years that the two of them have found useful. For instance Lily uses her incredible processing power to actually see and smell with her leaves.
Living - Lily requires love and attention, she prefers water that is cold, and feeding twice a month. Compost with a hint of algae waste products seems to be her favorite.
Yeomen- Lily spends most of her time as Rachel’s bodyguard and interface protector. Don’t underestimate the power of Lily.
I hope you enjoy the little bits that are added to the site now and then. The story is evolving and I have been loving your input. Please feel free to write a recommendation on inkshares, tell a friend about the book, and if the desire strikes you buy another copy for someones birthday! Thanks again for being my patron!
I hope everyone is having a great week. The Noxian Gate is alive and kicking, we have 83 copies sold! Once we get to 250 copies Inkshares will make sure each of you has at least one copy in your pocket. Until then I wanted to give you a ’behind the book’ look at the kinda of data I get to see using the Inkshares platform.
The first chart I see when I pull up my ’dashboard’ is the dreaded progress chart.
As you can see, this week I have not done any promoting, and the pre-orders flatlined. I’m working on creating a video in a few weeks that should help get more eyeballs to the page, and looking for media outlets (blogs/websites/etc) that might want to do an interview- all in an effort to get that line to go back up. This chart tracks us all the way to the BIG publication goal of 750 copies, which would be great as it includes a lot more professional editing, design, a print run, marketing, and distribution to bookstores nationwide.
Until then, my first goal is to make sure the book gets into your hands. For that to happen we need 250 copies pre-sold. We can do it!
The next chart I look at tell me what kinds of links actually lead to people visiting the page. While not all visits turn into orders, it helps to engage. I have found that e-mail is actually the highest conversion by a factor of about 10.
The top three ways to get eyeballs on the book are:
1. Facebook
2. Good Old Fashioned E-mail
3. Surfers from Inkshares
If you are reading this far into the update - thanks! Also now that we have weeded out the browsing folks I want to ask you favor. If each of you sent out 3 or 4 e-mails to friends you know who might like sci-fi books it could really boost our numbers. Here is a sample e-mail you could send out:
"Hello !
My nutty friend is writing an amazing science fiction book, but in order to get published he needs to have 250 pre-orders. He is writing the book on Inkshares, which is kinda like a kick-starter for books. You can follow him along as he writes new chapters, adds insights, corrects his many spelling mistakes.... and also get special offers as he works to get the book published.
I bought a copy, and thought you might want to get a copy for yourself or for a friend. It is sure to be a fun ride. Thanks for helping him out!
Love [your name]"
Thanks for helping me keep the momentum going, and stay tuned for some exciting new updates in the next few weeks!
I wanted to quickly thank everyone who’s been supporting The Noxian Gate. Although the book is a late entry into the Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science Fiction competition The Noxian Gate has surged into the top 10! Thanks so much for your interest and engagement with this project, the support has been tremendous.
However, there are only 4 days left in the first competition, and while the leading three books have stupefyingly large leads I’m hoping with a bit of your help we might just push on to new heights.
The three part plan I’m asking your help with is:
1. Ask one individual person who you think likes sci-fi to check out the Inkshares community (you could also point them in our direction if you like). It really is a great place to engage writers, and readers.
2. I’m looking for sketches of Sasquatch or Yeti for the next chapter I want to share titled: Charles. If you have some simple drawings, sketches from your 3 year old, or a piece of toast that looks like a yeti - Send them my way!
3. The social media thing seems to work best on Facebook (then Twitter), but I’m also looking to connect with different groups who might be interested in the book. This could be a Facebook sub-group about yeti, a Reddit post, or a random place on the internet that loves all things synthetic biology. The small nooks and crannies of the Internet are where the real fun begins. Please share the book in those strange groups you love.
Even if The Noxian Gate doesn’t crack the top three of Geek and Sundry’s competition, we are still early in the campaign over all, and with a little help will make it to publication. Thanks again!
Hello Readers!
I wanted to reach out to everyone who has supported this book effort with a huge Thank You! We sold over 100 books, and I was delighted to have found a supportive community through InkShares that helps authors build their projects. However, we are about 150 books short of physical publication at this time. As a result your funds will be returned to you in a few days- but this is not the end of The Noxian Gate.
I have spoken to several of you who are game to helping me edit and bring this project to life. Our goal is by this time next year to have the book in your hands (digitally or otherwise). The InkShares website will remain the home of the book effort for the next year as we build our following. Stay tuned for more updates and news as the Noxian Gate becomes a reality.
Much love and happy reading!
Tim
Hello Noxian Gate Readers!
Hope is the thing with feathers, and to help my book take flight I created this short video (https://youtu.be/zKh3-yE4eK0) describing my initial inspiration for sitting down to write.
We have until August 3rd to reach 250 books pre-ordered, and then by this time next year you could have a signed copy of The Noxian Gate in your hands. I think we can do it if you help me share the link with friends, family, science fiction fans, random people on the street - I’m not picky.
After you have annoyed all of your friends and family, stop on by the Noxian Gate website to write a glowing review (those really do help!). Let’s sell this thing! We have 5 whole days left!
Thanks for all of your support and kind words!
Warm Wishes,
Tim
Noxian Delight
One of the first characters we meet in the book- Eon- spent countless hours in the hidden library of the Nox. While he wasn’t researching the ancient sentries that spawned life throughout the galaxy, Eon spent what amounted to years of his life watching cooking shows (who doesn’t).
One of his favorite dishes, which was a smashing hit with the ancient Nox apparently, was a dish that can best be translated as ’Sea Mist Delight Pulls on Your Stomach’. The strange creature, called a Qumnualt, was found only in one sea on a planet on the outer systems. Similar to an octopus with a shell of a sea urchin, the recipe was to cook with drift wood gently over open flame for about 5 minutes. The resulting foaming dish contained several unknown molecules that, at least for the Nox, caused feelings of delight, awe, giddiness, and in rare cases resulted in uncontrollable happy dancing.
****
This beautiful dish is an actual creation of an actual person. If the Nox were going to have a dinner feast I’m convinced Betsy Hinze would be behind the ball. Check out her truly inspiring work (which I hope to feature more of in the book) at www.betsyhinze.com
****
Hello Team Noxian Gate!
Thank you so much for the tweets, Facebook posts, and e-mails to friends and family. We have 30 days to bring another 140 people into the world of The Noxian Gate- every book sold counts!
This week I want to tell you the back-story to the Nox. I first saw the Nox almost 20 years ago on an episode of Stargate SG-1, and the idea of the species stuck with me. In that universe the Nox are secretive, insular, and probably the most advanced technological species in the galaxy. They appear to be closely connected to the natural world, and believe that giving advanced technology to humans is a bit like giving fireworks to toddlers. Their most famous line in the series that sums up the Nox philosophy of sharing technology is “Sometimes the young do not do as they are told.”
I took these few crumbs from the TV series, and they became the catalyst for The Noxian Gate. One of the first characters the appears in our book is Eon. A young Nox (187 years old) who found a hidden library. The library has the unique ability to exist outside of time, and it contains the ancient history of the Nox. Eon discovers secrets of the ancient Nox when they weren’t so insular and were more outgoing, even controlling the entire galaxy. He discovers that the Nox had at their height sent out 15 sentries to the remote parts of the galaxy to foster life. Those sentries have spent the millienium creating conditions for life to thrive throughout the galaxy - and yet not all of them have been successful. Eon discsovers that there is one sentry that has never reported back to the Nox, and he leaves in search of the missing sentry. His journey, and eventual discovery of the sentry in the Sol system leads us to the very start of our adventure in The Noxian Gate.
Stay tuned for more updates, and exciting adventures in The Noxian Gate. What else do you want to know about the Nox? Let me know in the comments!
Hello Patrons!
I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Thank you again for following me, and for the many of you that have pre-ordered a copy of The Noxian Gate! To celebrate reaching over 100 books pre-ordered I wanted to introduce you to a new character. Meet Lily. Lily was created by Rachel 3 years prior to AC (alien contact). Lily is an acronym that stands for:
Little - Lily uses a nano-AI chipset Rachel won during a game of Panda X-Con 5, the parallel processor is the most powerful available on or off the market for its size. As far as Rachel knows nobody else has paired it with an actual Lilly.
Intelligent (AI) - Lily’s intelligence combines the intelligence of a general AI and sensing capabilities of a Lilly with many added tweaks over the years that the two of them have found useful. For instance Lily uses her incredible processing power to actually see and smell with her leaves.
Living - Lily requires love and attention, she prefers water that is cold, and feeding twice a month. Compost with a hint of algae waste products seems to be her favorite.
Yeomen- Lily spends most of her time as Rachel’s bodyguard and interface protector. Don’t underestimate the power of Lily.
I hope you enjoy the little bits that are added to the site now and then. The story is evolving and I have been loving your input. Please feel free to write a recommendation on inkshares, tell a friend about the book, and if the desire strikes you buy another copy for someones birthday! Thanks again for being my patron!
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a great week. The Noxian Gate is alive and kicking, we have 83 copies sold! Once we get to 250 copies Inkshares will make sure each of you has at least one copy in your pocket. Until then I wanted to give you a ’behind the book’ look at the kinda of data I get to see using the Inkshares platform.
The first chart I see when I pull up my ’dashboard’ is the dreaded progress chart.
As you can see, this week I have not done any promoting, and the pre-orders flatlined. I’m working on creating a video in a few weeks that should help get more eyeballs to the page, and looking for media outlets (blogs/websites/etc) that might want to do an interview- all in an effort to get that line to go back up. This chart tracks us all the way to the BIG publication goal of 750 copies, which would be great as it includes a lot more professional editing, design, a print run, marketing, and distribution to bookstores nationwide.
Until then, my first goal is to make sure the book gets into your hands. For that to happen we need 250 copies pre-sold. We can do it!
The next chart I look at tell me what kinds of links actually lead to people visiting the page. While not all visits turn into orders, it helps to engage. I have found that e-mail is actually the highest conversion by a factor of about 10.
The top three ways to get eyeballs on the book are:
1. Facebook
2. Good Old Fashioned E-mail
3. Surfers from Inkshares
If you are reading this far into the update - thanks! Also now that we have weeded out the browsing folks I want to ask you favor. If each of you sent out 3 or 4 e-mails to friends you know who might like sci-fi books it could really boost our numbers. Here is a sample e-mail you could send out:
"Hello !
My nutty friend is writing an amazing science fiction book, but in order to get published he needs to have 250 pre-orders. He is writing the book on Inkshares, which is kinda like a kick-starter for books. You can follow him along as he writes new chapters, adds insights, corrects his many spelling mistakes.... and also get special offers as he works to get the book published.
I bought a copy, and thought you might want to get a copy for yourself or for a friend. It is sure to be a fun ride. Thanks for helping him out!
Love [your name]"
Thanks for helping me keep the momentum going, and stay tuned for some exciting new updates in the next few weeks!
-Tim
I wanted to quickly thank everyone who’s been supporting The Noxian Gate. Although the book is a late entry into the Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science Fiction competition The Noxian Gate has surged into the top 10! Thanks so much for your interest and engagement with this project, the support has been tremendous.
However, there are only 4 days left in the first competition, and while the leading three books have stupefyingly large leads I’m hoping with a bit of your help we might just push on to new heights.
The three part plan I’m asking your help with is:
1. Ask one individual person who you think likes sci-fi to check out the Inkshares community (you could also point them in our direction if you like). It really is a great place to engage writers, and readers.
2. I’m looking for sketches of Sasquatch or Yeti for the next chapter I want to share titled: Charles. If you have some simple drawings, sketches from your 3 year old, or a piece of toast that looks like a yeti - Send them my way!
3. The social media thing seems to work best on Facebook (then Twitter), but I’m also looking to connect with different groups who might be interested in the book. This could be a Facebook sub-group about yeti, a Reddit post, or a random place on the internet that loves all things synthetic biology. The small nooks and crannies of the Internet are where the real fun begins. Please share the book in those strange groups you love.
Even if The Noxian Gate doesn’t crack the top three of Geek and Sundry’s competition, we are still early in the campaign over all, and with a little help will make it to publication. Thanks again!