Updates, Faoii! Listen up!

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.

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

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year.

Now that we’re through all of the holidays, I wanted to make sure everyone got an update on what’s going on with "Shadow King."

First, while we have officially made it to the Quill funding level, I’ve extended my funding window a little (into February) in order to accomplish a few things. First, of course, is to drive some more pre-orders before everything moves into production. Second, this extra time is letting me incorporate some of the excellent feedback that I got from the Launchpad judges into the manuscript before anything is turned in to Inkshares.

I’m also happy to report that "Shadow King" is being considered by the Fantasy Syndicate for January. I’m very happy about being considered by this group, and I hope that later in the month I can share some good news on this front. And if any other syndicates are looking for a great book to support this month, let me know!

Additionally, very preliminary work is being done on a new -- and MUCH better -- cover for "Shadow King." Many thanks to my friend, Charlene, for applying her considerable talents to this effort. I’m sure it will look amazing when it is done.

Now, along with polishing up the manuscript in preparation for production, I’d really like to bolster the recommendations and reviews on my Inkshares page. If you’ve read my sample chapters, please consider taking a minute or two to pen a review for my page -- let other readers know what you think! And if you have a book on Inkshares as well, I am happy to return the favor!

Those are the biggest things going on -- Thank you all again for being on this crazy-wonderful ride with me!

Best, Susan

PS., As always, if you haven’t pre-ordered a copy yet, there’s still time! You can find ordering info and my sample chapters on my Inkshares page: www.inkshares.com/books/shadow-king.  And feel free to share that link!

Happy New Year!

I hope this update finds you all well and relaxed after the holidays. Now the competition / campaign has finished, I’ll be sending out reader updates for Human Resources less frequently. The competition was intense, but the publication process should be a more measured journey. I’ll aim to update you all roughly every month. If you would like to chat, or get some questions answered, I’m happy for you to reach out. You can get hold of me on Inkshares, on Facebook, or Twitter.

Before Inkshares can commence the publication process, there is some remaining work I need to do to tidy up the manuscript. To make sure I don’t hold this process up, I’ve taken the leap and will be writing full-time through January. I’m one week into this and it has been amazing — something I never thought I’d be able to do, and wouldn’t if it wasn’t for the support I’ve received from my wife.

The Walls are Closing In has reached 100 followers!  As promised, I have used a random generator to select a winner for a $50 Etsy Gift card.

And the winner is .... Jaclyn Young