Tantalus Depths is only 3 pre-orders away from reaching Quill! Let’s get there tonight!

Story update: The Tantalus System
 

Tantalus is an O-type star 27 light-years away from Earth, relatively near Vega. It is orbited by 14 planets (3 gaseous, 11 rocky, named "Tantalus 1" through "Tantalus 14") and one large brown dwarf called Ixion, which orbits between Tantalus 8 and 9.

The Tantalus system was identified by Exotech industries as a promising location for new deep-space mining operations, due to its abnormally high number of rocky planets. A claimstaking probe bearing a SCARAB unit was immediately sent to the Tantalus system to evaluate the resource viability of each of the 14 planets, only to discover that all of them seemed all but completely depleted of heavy mineral deposits, making them unfit for any long-term mining investments.

Unable to return to Hegemony space on its remaining fuel reserves, the SCARAB AI selected the most promising planet to claim. It selected Tantalus 13, due to the presence of a few moderately large cobalt deposits.

As the SCARAB unit entered into orbit above Tantalus 13 and searched for the optimal location to land and begin its operations, it discovered an unexpected windfall: at the base of a large asteroid crater near Tantalus 13’s south pole, SCARAB detected a massive deposit of unusually pure platinum. It landed there, and immediately set to work building itself and further exploring the unexpected treasure that awaited its arrival.

Want to learn more about what SCARAB found there? Pre-order a copy of Tantalus Depths today, and you’ll learn more than you bargained for...

Tantalus Depths is only 14 pre-orders away from Quill! Come on, everyone, we’re almost there! Let’s have one more big push to get us over the line!

It’s Character Update day! For our first character spotlight, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Diamelen’s troubled medical officer, Dr. Ramanathan Bachal. 

 What role will this haunted doctor play in the events on Tantalus 13? Can the crew of The Diamelen depend on him when disaster strikes, or will he become a crippling liability? Find out when you pre-order Tantalus Depths!

Well, unfortunately despite the boost from syndicate backing, we have not been able to reach our goal of 250 pre-orders by June 5th. We’ve come up 22 orders short of that lofty goal, so the free short story promotion won’t be offered at this time. I’ve decided to set that as a goal for the 300 order mark: Once we hit 300 orders (however long that takes) I’ll make my short story The Perspective Machine free for all for 5 days.

We’ve made a lot of good progress this weekend, and I do fully expect Tantalus Depths to reach the Quill goal some time this week. Don’t forget to show support in any way you’re able, either by bringing friends or family in to buy pre-orders or simply to spread the word on all social media platforms. Remember: this whole project can only succeed with your help.
Meanwhile, if you have already helped me out as much as you can, maybe turn some attention towards a buddy of mine, Joni Dee. He’s helped me a lot with my own campaign, so if you haven’t already supported his novel, And the Wolf Shall Dwell, please consider lending him some support!

Fantastic news! Tantalus Depths has received the tremendous honor of being backed by a syndicate!
Tantalus Depths has been made the official June pick by the GREAT SCIFI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE. I can’t begin to express how honored I am to have Tantalus Depths earn this great syndicate’s support. We are now only 29 pre-orders away from Quill!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Matthew Isaac Sobin and all the members of this syndicate for this gesture.

We’re getting really close, everyone. I can feel it! Keep sharing and promoting Tantalus Depths whenever and wherever you can! 

So, as I announced earlier today, I’m planning on structuring my reader updates in such a way as to deliver more interesting content in a more regular fashion. So, I’ve decided to take up a sort of content schedule going forward. Here’s what I’m thinking for now (highly subject to change)

• Mondays: Character update. In these updates, I’ll focus specifically on one of the eight characters in Tantalus Depths and tell you a bit more about him/her/it.
  

• Tuesdays: Story update. For these updates, I’ll share a bit more each week about the story itself, shedding light on some of the aspects of Tantalus Depths that don’t give too much away.
  

• Wednesdays: Recommendation update. These updates will have nothing to do with Tantalus Depths at all, but will instead focus on books being funded by other authors on inkshares that I’d like to shine a spotlight on.
  

• Thursdays: Lore update. These mini-updates will focus on elements of the world-building I’ve done for the universe of Tantalus Depths. The things I discuss in these updates may be barely glimpsed in the book itself, and may only even be mentioned, but they nonetheless play an important role in the way this universe functions. 
  

• Fridays: Vlog update. I plan to do a weekly vlog during this campaign where I’ll sit down and talk with my supporters face-to-screen about how things are going with the book, how I’m doing personally, and whatever else should strike me as relevant at the time.
  

• Saturdays and Sundays will be the days when I get the half hour or so of sleep I allow myself every week or two. Other than that, I’ll likely spend them mainly putting together the content I’ll be delivering in the coming week.
  

On top of this regular schedule, I’ll definitely be sending updates about any important news (like I will when we hit that EXTREMELY CLOSE QUILL GOAL).

Hopefully this’ll be fun and engaging for you all. Feel free to share your thoughts on the idea!