Re: last update

Did I say 04 August? I meant 04 September.

Because this isn’t science-fiction and there is no time travel. Even if it is set in a historical time period.

Dear friends and followers,

Who wants to be a character in a murder mystery game?

I am planning a third instalment in the Eric Peterkin mystery game series, and here’s the deal: for each copy of "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" you order between now and 04 August, I will place your name (or another name supplied by you, if you prefer) in a hat; on the day itself, I will draw three unique names from the hat and apply those names to characters in the game.

(Yes: if you place three orders, you get to put three names in the hat.)

I’m not really pushing very hard for sales this month, so your chances of getting picked out of the hat are probably really, really good.

Dear friends and followers,

Over the past little while, I’ve introduced a few of the characters from the novel. You may have noticed that all of them are male. This is perhaps to be expected, given the setting: there aren’t many female members in a gentlemen’s club, I think. Today, however, I’m pleased to introduce one of the women in the novel: Martha Garrett, wife of Edward Garrett.

Ladies’ clubs did exist, incidentally: just like gentlemen’s clubs, offering the same sort of services, but for women only. The University Women’s Club, founded in 1886 as the University Club for Ladies, is still "women only" today.

In the novel, Martha Garrett mentions having lunch at the Cavendish: that would be what is today the New Cavendish Club, founded in 1920 expressly for the ladies of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, or VAD. VAD nurses were not the same as military nurses: the latter were career women with stringent medical training, while the VADs were volunteers who might have had no prior experience. There was apparently some friction between the two at the beginning of the first World War, lessening as the war dragged on.

If the Cavendish was supposed to be for the VADs, would Martha Garrett, as a former military nurse, have been a member? I don’t know, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have let a trivial detail like that stop her.

Dear friends and followers,

As I said last update, this one’s a bit late. I hope you won’t hold it against me. I’m sure we’re all very busy, so let’s get right to the news.

First of all, the third cheque to Chez Doris was written and delivered this morning. Not a stellar amount, I’m afraid, but one hopes the upcoming month will do better.

Secondly, we have a second Peterkin Investigates Interactive Fiction game to go with the novel: "Point Blank Blank", in which it turns out that some of you (and your octopus friends too) may have been around for a bit longer than might be expected....

And thirdly ... well, thirdly, what else is new? I’ve been away for a week. I’ve also been a little remiss in checking out the shelves at Inkshares....

1) "Our Family’s Elephant", by Christopher A. Michaels. A perfectly charming children’s story about a pocket-sized elephant who may or may not exist. I think your inner child is bound to fall in love.

The new G&S contest has a pretty broad category, and a few rules tweaks. It looks like a bunch of people have jumped onto the contest wagon, and I’m not sure where to even begin, now. I’ll think of something; in the meantime, browse and see if anything catches your eye ... keep reading. Have fun.

Dear friends and followers,

The summer heat leaches the energy from you and leaves you panting after all the things you thought you’d be able to do now that the days are longer and you have the free time. It will be better, I think, to accept that everyone needs a break, and step away from the campaign for a bit. Well, step further away, at any rate: I’ve already taken a step away for the summer. (And yet here I am, still updating....)

For the next week, I will be focussing on writing this second Peterkin text adventure. So, here’s the deal:

The first six people to pre-order between now and next Monday will get the option to have a character in the game named after them.

(This includes the victim, the murderer, an innocent suspect, and the police detective to whom the player must voice their suspicions.)

Meanwhile, what’s happening on the shelves of Inkshares?

1) "Terminus", by Jaye Milius. Imagine if you could call up the dead with a simple scientific procedure. Milius explores some of the ... interesting developments that could arise from the existence of such a procedure. Frankly, they look intriguing as all hell.

2) "Proxy", by Rebekka S. Leber. A different take on the cycle of life and death: what if the total number of souls were finite? The writing looks crisp and confident, and the heroine full of character. This adds up to an engaging story, no matter what.

Just a short update this time. Everyone involved with "Too Many Controllers" is watching for news from the Nerdist panel with bated breath, and I have nerves I need to defray. Until next week (and that update may be a couple of days late) keep reading, and have fun.

Great update, thanks! Congrats also on "Too Many Controllers."  Looking forward to that also.

Dear friends and followers,

It continues to be slow on the pre-order front--Summer is meant for lazy, restful naps in the sun--but that does not mean I have been completely idle. I have plans for a second Peterkin mystery game, which I hope to unveil in a couple of weeks.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could just spend all my time writing? Both games and books. I guess I could consider Patreon for that, but I figure the pre-order thing with Inkshares is better. A one-time contribution can lead to publication, which in turn leads to sales and royalties ... it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Speaking of games and books, the video-game oriented Nerdist contest just ended, and I am pleased to say that "Too Many Controllers" came in first. A number of you contributed to that win, and we’ve compiled a video to express our gratitude.

It’s a first taste of publication, folks. And that is bloody exciting.

And in the continuing series of introductions to the characters you’ll meet in "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", here’s (Lord) Oliver Saxon, the fifth and last of the club officers:

Here’s a bit of trivia that didn’t make it into the book:

In the UK, a military Mess is normally run by a Mess Committee comprising of seven members: the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and three members responsible for stocking the bar, organising the entertainment, and maintaining the premises. The Veterans’ Club is almost certainly derived from such a Mess, which suggests there ought to be seven members on the board of officers, not five. I blame Bradshaw for this: it is my belief that he proved so efficient as Secretary that he swallowed up the offices of the Treasurer and the member responsible for maintaining the premises. No doubt, once he’s gone, the Vet will find itself in need of an additional two officers on the board to bring them back up to seven.

Then again, has the Mess Committee always been as described, and was it so in the days of the club’s founding?

Until next time: have fun and keep reading.

Dear friends and followers,

We stand today at 388 orders. Things picked up a bit this week, and 400 is just around the corner. It’s very exciting, and I thank you all for getting us here. Somehow the thought of being in the 400s makes the achievement of 750 seem that much closer, that much more real.... I should reiterate, by the way, the we go into production as soon as we hit 750, not when we reach the final deadline. This means that the sooner we get there, the sooner everyone gets their books.

If you haven’t checked out the accompanying text adventure game, "Mustard, Music, and Murder", yet, I encourage you to do so.

Speaking of games, it’s the final week of the Nerdist contest. "Too Many Controllers" is currently in the lead, but, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, it ain’t Game Over till it’s Game Over.

Every order helps.

My own personal stake in "Too Many Controllers" aside, there are some worthy contenders in the top ten right now. "Squids In" should, I think, appeal to anyone who enjoyed Landon Crutcher’s "Monkey Business"--which I did. In a way, I see them as spiritual siblings, and it would be great to see them side-by-side on a shelf in matching formats ... part of a series of zoological comedy, perhaps.

In the last Inkshares blog post, the top ten contenders answered the question, "who would you cast in the movie/TV version of your book"? Well, my contribution to the anthology is clearly a John Cleese movie. But what about "Murder at the Veterans’ Club"?

I’d been thinking of Aidan Turner in the role of Eric Peterkin, based solely on Turner’s performance in the latest BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s "And Then There Were None", even if he’s technically too tall for the part. Thoughts?

Don’t give me that look, Mr. Turner. Sure, it’s a bit early to be thinking of casting actors in the roles, but some people like to be able to visualise this sort of thing.

With that in mind, I bid you all a good week. Have fun, and keep reading.

Dear friends and followers,

Two days ago, we celebrated Canada; tomorrow, we celebrate the U.S.; and yesterday, we hit 375 orders, the exact halfway mark to the full-funding goal. It is perhaps of somewhat less national significance than the other two, but it is certainly of great significance to me. So I thank each and every one of you who have contributed so far. Thank you for bringing me as far as you have.

And we have news. As hinted in the previous update, we have an Interactive Fiction game to go with our novel: "Mustard, Music, and Murder", in which you may step into the shoes of Eric Peterkin to solve the murder of an elderly investment broker....

It is also July, which, quite aside from holidays of national importance, means it’s time to hand in a cheque to our friends at Chez Doris. I was unable to do so on the 1st, as the offices were closed for Canada Day, but I will be handing this over tomorrow morning:

My ongoing introduction of the various characters in "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" seems almost like an afterthought, now. Nevertheless, here is Jacob Bradshaw, the club secretary.

And that’s enough news for the moment, I think! Until next week, have fun, and keep reading!

I think having an Inform7 game that works alongside the novel is a great idea!