So, in a previous update, I mentioned the upcoming Blood Dawn promotional event, Blood Dawn Risk, to help boost John Robin’s project in its final days of support before the year long funding period ends.  At the time, I hadn’t been told if I could start garnering actual orders to raise support of my dragon, Branakataurai, in the battle as it unfolds.  I know have been given the go ahead.

So, here’s the deal.  Please go to this page and preorder a copy.  Be sure to let me know if you did.  Why?  Well, as an added incentive, I’ve got three games on Steam I’m giving away to the first three people who do so and let me know they did.  I need to know so I can make sure John Robin knows who is supporting which dragon in the battle!  What games am I giving away, you ask?  So glad you did.  Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (one of the best in the Star Wars video game legacy), Star Wars Dark Forces (I played the crap out of this in college; such nostalgia over this one), and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (a sequel to the previous game made several years later).  First one in gets their choice of the three!  Why am I giving away these games?  Well, for one, I already own all of them!  Shows you right there what I think of them.  But, in truth, I supported a charity by purchasing a bunch of games through a vendor that donates to them.  Some of you may be familiar with them, Humble Bundle.  These games were in the package so in a way, you’re helping support charity.  Or you’re reaping the benefits of me doing so.  Whichever works for you.  But you have to order Mr. Robin’s book first!

What are you still doing here?  Go get his book pre-ordered!

The book. It is out. It is out officially and should, as of this writing, be in the hands of almost everyone who’s ordered it.

The launch party was small but fun. I’m thrilled by who managed to be there and sad about those who wanted to attend but were unable. It was a learning experience and I’m glad I got to try this out in a safe environment surrounded by familiar and supportive faces. Anyone who knows me is aware that I’m not exactly comfortable with some of the required self-promotion activities surrounding the publication of a novel. Amongst others, there’s reading from your own book which is helluva intimidating to me. However, it’s part and parcel of what I want to do and if it’s something readers want, I’ll do it.

First public reading: Done. The ice is broken. It wasn’t so bad. I think I’ll be fine doing it in the future.

For those who might have missed it; I was on Sword & Laser on the day of release of The Life Engineered and it was awesome. I really enjoy chatting with Tom and Veronica. I got to answer some questions from readers and I swear Veronica’s eyes lit up when I mentioned that sex between Capeks wasn’t impossible. Let me know if I hallucinated.

Speaking of Tom Merritt. I was a guest on his other podcast, Current Geek, hosted by Scott Johnson. Current Geek is the kind of podcast that sounds fun to be a guest on and it’s been on my bucket list of appearances for a while. Good news: Even more of a blast than anticipated. Give it a listen. Hell, go subscribe; it’s a hell of a good podcast.

That’s it for now. I want to thank everyone who was at the party, including fellow Inkshares writers A.C. Baldwin, André Brun and Christopher Huang. Check out their books. Now! I also want to highlight the efforts of Cara Weston who put together a Google Hangout so a few others could attend virtually. Check out her book too.

So what’s next?

• Hopefully more media
  
• Finishing the manuscript for the sequel to The Life Engineered
• Maybe another short story in that universe to bridge the two books
• Pushing really hard to get A God in the Shed to 750 pre-orders. Expect me to enlist your help very soon.

As always; thank you my fellow sentients. It’s a fascinating ride and I think there’s some really awesome stuff on the horizon for The Life Engineered. Never forget that you’re the ones who made it happen.

Cheers

JF