Weeks ago I made a promise. I told you that I would explain what hitting 250 pre-orders meant. I never intended for so much time to lapse between then and now. Thank you for being so patient. Most of all, thank you for not punishing me by taking your book order back. You may laugh, or groan, but that particular fear has denied me many hours of sleep, I swear. 

It’s high time that I make good on my promise. Now that I’ve obtained that magic number of pre-orders, Inkshares will publish Where the Sun Sets as part of their Quill Imprint. Books belonging to this collection receive light editing, limited distribution (including physical and digital on Amazon), and fulfillment of copies to backers. In short, hitting 250 was like flicking a switch. At that moment what went from “You might get this book,” transformed into, “You will get this book.”  

Since that day something else more marvellous has come to pass. My big dream has grown a bit bigger. It has grown to include the dreams of another. I’m over-the-moon-so-freakin’-happy to be sharing with you that Maria Laguna-Valenzuela, the artist responsible for the whimsical and wonderful seeding bloom that graces the cover of Where the Sun Sets, has agreed to partner with me as an illustrator! Over the next three months Maria will bring to life the enduring love and magic of the Gibbons’ world in ways I never expected. Furthermore, Maria is just as excited as I am to be creating with the goal to support other creators. What an outcome! I couldn’t be any happier. 

This partnership means that it will take three months longer for the book to get into production. Production won’t begin until April at the earliest. This prolonged timeframe means that I have another opportunity to try and gain enough pre-orders to receive full publishing services from Inkshares. But most of all, this partnership means that when you do finally get your copy of Where the Sun Sets, it will be that much richer in content and imagination. 

You’ve given me the opportunity. Now it’s up to me to not squander it. I’m tickled pink (and honoured as all hell) that Maria has chosen to help me make this story that much more special by throwing her creative weight behind it too. (I’ve elaborated more on this and other things here on my blog.)

Finally, when I kicked this whole thing off I had it in my head that publishing under two names was a good idea that would ultimately benefit future philanthropic initiatives. I’ve since realized that the distinction is arbitrary, and will be publishing all titles under Donna Litt. Rest assured, all author proceeds resulting from the publication of Where the Sun Sets are still dedicated to supporting creators in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

I think that’s it! Please hit me back with any questions. Thank you Maria, and thank you all for your generous and kind support.

Donna
PS - Happy 2017 from the desk of Bill Watterson, comic available here.

Happy New Year everyone!

If you haven’t had a chance to read it, here is a really great post by Inkshares’ CEO that really resonated with me: 

http://blog.inkshares.com/post/155632230065/the-coal-car

When I started working on "To Live and Die in Avalon", it was a spur of the moment decision so I could get into the Nerdist space opera contest. I had one chapter, a rough outline and not much else. Although I managed to hover around 20th place in the contest out of about 100 submissions, I really had a hard time marketing a book that was not done, that was barely realized. When the campaign ended I stepped away from everything having to do with the novel so that I could refocus and come back with fresh eyes and a fresher mind toward finishing and refining a novel worth reading. It has been nearly a year since I entered the space opera contest and the book is miles away from where it was. First of all, it’s a more or less finished novel of nearly 100k words with a lot of big ideas, some personal themes that transcend the sci-fi setting, more fully defined protagonists and villains and the framework to create more stories in a world I’ve spent a lot of time building, breaking down and rebuilding. 

I want my story to be told and the chance to write more stories. I realize now, through this entire experience with Inkshares that this is what I most want to do. I have always believed that the story comes first and my name on the book or even my picture in the back a far distant second. I want people to read this crazy sci-fi story and get something out of it, some thrills, some laughs, maybe some tears and then be ready to see these characters and their world progress into new and exciting directions.  That’s why, no matter what happens, whether I relaunch a successful campaign on Inkshares or not, this story will be told and I will find the tools, the feedback and the support I need to make sure it is the best version of the story possible. Because I’m not in a rush to have a book out there just so I can brag about the fact that I wrote a book. Anybody can write a book, but I want to tell stories, and I’m happy to be among a plethora of authors who want the same.

Thank you,

J

P.S. The current draft has been sent to beta readers for feedback, I will let you know how that goes in a future update!

It is a new year! I hope 2017 finds you happy and healthy. Fae Child is sitting at 152 copies sold, which blows my mind (in a good way), but there’s still a long way to go. 98 copies to pre-sell before the end of February, which, I don’t need to tell you, is only a month away, and the shortest month of the year.

I am doing a Twitter takeover for Young Entertainment Magazine ( @youngentmag ) tomorrow about my experiences as a first time author, which should be entertaining at the very least. If you don’t follow me on Twitter, my handle is @hanejolly - I look forward to seeing you there!

Progress on the first draft is continuing on pace. I’m very happy with how things are turning out, and I think you will be too.

Lastly, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you send one friend an email about Fae Child? Here’s a sample email you can copy/customize for your own use:

Hi (insert name)!

I just pre-ordered a new YA fantasy book called Fae Child. It’s a sweet, exciting book about a girl who accidentally falls into the land of the Fae, and her father who will stop at nothing to find her. You can read some sample chapters, view a book trailer, and order a copy at https://www.inkshares.com/books/fae-child

I really think you’ll like it!

Cheers,
(your name)

We are now approaching THE FINAL WEEK for The Phantom Forest to hit its publishing goal! It is, as they say, the final countdown. We’ve had an awesome week with tons of orders coming in (THANK YOU to everyone who jumped on the wagon!), but we still need 59 more for Inkshares to pull the trigger! 

So please do continue to tell your friends, your book clubs, your Twitter followers, etc! If you’re already a follower of the book here on Inkshares but haven’t yet pre-ordered, I’d love your support this week. And of course, MAJOR THANKS to everyone who has nominated the book for syndicate picks thus far! That is huge, and I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed for good news on that front next week. 

This will be my final transmission until we hit the goal. So... GO TEAM! You know what to do!

Liz