Another art update!

Here’s the next stage of the Dax painting, sent by the artist Jessica R. Van Hulle. (theladyjessica.com)

First color layer is down. Per Jessica, this is following the technique of Boris Vallejo, classic fantasy artist and creator of such epic movie posters as Barbarella and National Lampoon’s Vacation. Ahhh it’s looking so good!

More to come!

-Tony

Hey there readers!

Well, I said I’d have some updates coming for you soon. So guess what? I got updates. :)

If you haven’t already spotted me plastering these all over social media today, here are some progress photos of the artwork for the book!

These come courtesy of the artist, Jessica R. Van Hulle, who is in fact creating AN ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING for the book cover! Why? A) Because she is fantastic, and B) Because I am a crazy person and decided "go big or go home". She is without a doubt creating something that truly captures the old-school fanciful sci-fi spirit that I hoped for with Dax. Can’t wait to see the final piece! You can check out more of Jessica’s work at theladyjessica.com.

Also, while we still do not have an exact publishing date for the book, the editing team says we may likely be looking at sometime in October. I will keep you all posted as soon as I have more to share.

Until next time!

-Tony

Hi there friends,

Tony here. I know you haven’t heard from me in a good long while. You may have even completely forgot that you helped crowdfund a book nearly 2 years ago and have yet to see it. For that, I apologize. I assure you that these long delays have been out of my control. And more importantly, NO THIS BOOK HAS NOT BEEN ABANDONED, and YES, IT IS STILL COMING.

"Why the long silence, Tony?"

Well, frankly, I grew a bit tired and embarrassed of sending updates with no real news to speak of. I’m sure you may have grown tired of it as well, so I figured I’d lay low until I could come back with something real for you.

"Why the delays?"

Inkshares is a small publishing team with limited resources, and business decisions resulted in my book being put on the back burner for a very long time. It’s been unfortunate and frustrating, but there it is. The plus side is that I’ve had plenty of time to edit and revise. So the book you’ll be receiving is better than the book that would have been published a year ago.

"So what’s going on with the book now?"

As of a few weeks ago, I was assured by the Inkshares team that they should be able to get my book published and into your hands "by the end of summer". I have submitted the updated version of my manuscript to them and am currently waiting to hear back on the next steps of production. The book has been polished with the aid of beta readers, a professional dev editor, and my own neurotic nitpicking. I even added  a bonus prequel short story while I waited. Inkshares will assist with copy editing (sentence structure, punctuation, making sure things make sense, etc), formatting, slapping on the cover art, and it’s off to the printers. Again, hopefully, in an expedited fashion from here on.

"So when exactly is the book coming?"

I wish I had an official date to give you rather than "by the end of summer", but that’s all I got for now. I will let you know as soon as I have more.

"How about that cover art?"

Not that anyone asked, but I am excited to say the final book artwork is in progress. And if the concepts I’ve seen are any indication, it’s going to be something special. So whether or not you enjoy my writing, you will at least have a very pretty book to display on your shelf. ;)

All right gang, that’s all for now. Thanks again for your patience. I hope to have an official date and/or some art to show next update. See ya!

-Tony V.

Psst! Hey friend,

Just a reminder that phone cameras are dumb and always make my forehead look like a fivehead.

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! And Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, etc...

Oh, and Life Day. Can’t forget the Wookiees.

7 days left until THE LIST 2016 contest comes to an end. Bought your copy of Dax Harrison yet? Good. Convinced all your friends and family to buy it too? That’d be swell.

Whatever the outcome, let’s hope the new year brings a swift publishing date for Dax and his pals.

Cheers!
Tony V.

HEY AGAIN, READERS!

Of course I hit SEND on my last update and immediately realized I forgot to mention something:

The illustrious Elena Stofle, Operations Manager at Inkshares, has posted an article on the official Inkshares blog featuring the top 10 contestants in  THE LIST 2016. There you’ll find a quick blurb from each of the authors chatting about their books, their writing inspirations, etc.

Take a look and get to know the contestants! You might find Dax isn’t the only new read to pique your interest...

Sitting Down with the Top 10 Authors in The List 2016 Contest (so far)

Cheers,
Tony V.

HEY THERE READERS!

As you know (or if you forgot), DAX HARRISON was nominated into a new Inkshares competition known as THE LIST 2016. From now until December 31st, the amount of new readers I acquire will determine if I land a FULL publishing ride (as opposed to the "Quill" light publishing deal I originally reached). That means additional perks like marketing support, physical bookstore distribution, cover design, etc.

Currently, Dax stands in 7th place according to the contest page. Though that number may be corrected in the near future (My actual total reader count stands at 274). Either way, I would looove to see this number go up.

I know it’s been a long ride for those of you who have been with me since this thing started last year. But if you get a chance to do me a tiny favor this holiday season and just take a minute to share this book with another silly sci-fi loving friend, I would really appreciate it. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, in a personal email, smoke signal, telegraph, messenger raven, whatever you like. Just tell them it’s a fun little story with laughs and spaceships and explosions, all for the price of 2 Grande Pumpkin Spice Lattes! (Actually cheaper if you include the tax!)*

*$10 for the ebook, $20 for paperback/ebook bundle

And for those of you who are following this book (there’s over 500 of you total!) but have NOT bought a copy yet, let’s chat a minute.

"What can I do to get you into your own personal copy of Dax Harrison today?" (Imagine that in a sleazy used car salesman voice)

Seriously though, I would love to hear from my mysterious followers. Feel free to direct message me on Inkshares and say hi. Who knows? Maybe I just might be able to convince you to give old Dax a chance. ;)

Happy Holidays everyone! (*slips on plaid blazer, combs hair, adjusts pinky ring*)
-Tony V.

(Long update ahead, bear with me)
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO PUBLISHING...