Greetings wonderful followers,
Sorry for the long silence. I’ve have my nose to the grind stone, working hard to make Beyond the Code the best it can be. But even with how hectic this time of year can be and how hard I’ve been working I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a Merry Christmas or happy which ever winter holiday you celebrate.
I know it’s been one hell of a year for everyone but it’s almost to a close so try and take some time to reflect of the good things that have happened and the great things we still have.
I, for one am grateful that I got the chance to connect with all of you. Thank you all for the fantastic support you all have given me and I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Kelsey Rae Barthel
Happy Holidays readers!
So, I’ve been spending my Holiday break refining the latest (third) draft and we are now sitting at about 94,000 words, twenty-three chapters, a prologue, epilogue and a partridge in a pear tree. I’ve beefed up the novel with more detail, more backstory, and a parallel series of flashbacks that take place in the swinging sixties that’s adds more context to the motivations of the main characters. I also think the addition of a prologue (much like the cold opening of a Bond film) and an epilogue (much like the post-credits scenes we see so often nowadays) really adds a bit more bang for your buck, story-wise as well as leaving the door open for future installments. It’s a constant process, but I think I’m just about the point where I can hand this off to beta readers to get some much needed feedback.
And what say you, faithful followers, about possibly relaunching an Inkshares campaign? Not now, I’m not at that point just yet, but perhaps in a couple of months after Holiday fatigue has worn off. The novel has evolved so much since I first started working on it over a year ago and I feel much more confident that I can get people excited about it and see it become a reality. Without the pressures of a contest or a crowdfunding campaign over the past few months, I’ve been able to really crack this open and refine it and there’s still more work to be done. Exciting times!
I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and Happy New Year!
J
Long time no write, readers! I hope this email finds you all well. There are now 253 of you following Witherfist - which is especially cool since 253 copies have been ordered. There are just 10 days left during the ’Funding’ period - which means only 10 more days to purchase a signed paperback copy of Witherfist. Once the book leaves its ’Funding’ period, any paperbacks you buy will not be signed as a matter of course.
On a related note, I have a small number of signed ’samples’ of Witherfist available. These are booklets, about the size of a comic book, that I had made up to promote Witherfist at a local convention. They contain the draft content of Witherfist that you can read right now on Inkshares, as well as a couple of pieces of artwork that I’ve previously shared.
If you have preordered and would like one of these, please get in touch with your address details.
That aside, there isn’t much in the way of news to share right now. Work on the book continues at a good pace and I should have more to share with you in the new year.
Thank you all for your continued interest and support. If you’re feeling generous and in the mood to buy more books, please check out Fae Child by my good friend, Jane-Holly Meissner.
Thanks again,
~ Jenny
It’s alliiiiiiiivvvvveeee!
More accurately, it’s desiiigggnnnnedddd! A huge congratulations and thank you goes out to Maria Laguna-Valenzuela for putting her energy behind this project and coming up with such a mega cover. I, for one, like the book so much more now! (Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a fan, but now it’s got a certain je ne sais quoi about it, you know?) Maria was inspired to help me create even more meaning behind this story, and I’m honoured to be partnering with her in this way. Thank you, Maria.
From my last update you already know how blown away I was by all the submissions and support I received, and that hasn’t changed. Still blown away, still happier than a pig in... ahem. Thank you to all who helped make this happen.
You can’t see me, but I’m dancing right now. Exactly like this guy.
.
Just over 20 days left to my first goal of 250 pre-orders, and because of all you folks, I’m only SIXTEEN units away! Pretty unbelievable. Thank you for reading and continuing to believe in this project.
Donna
PS. In case you missed it, the dandelion on the cover depicts Vole and Bay, Vole being the yellow petals and Bay the fluffy flower. Vole is giving up his last 25 years of life depicted by the falling petals, and the fluffy seeds are Bay’s wishes getting fulfilled. These seeds travel and can land wherever the sun sets, or in this case, on one of Bay’s wish list of places.
After much deliberation, I have decided on a launch date for the pre-order campaign for The Walls are Closing In. To provide a nice buffer after the holidays before gouging everyone’s wallets, the pre-order campaign will commence on the 13th of January - also known as Friday, the 13th. Hopefully not too ominous.
http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m742mhxoxf1rvqh1lo1_250.gif
Well, nothing much new on the "Wings of the Pirate" front. I finished another polish on the manuscript and am waiting for the final chapter-head illustrations from my Artist pal Al Bringas. He has done a fantastic job with them all and I can’t wait to show you all when the book comes out next year.
If you’re up for reading a bit more of my non-Western stuff, I put up another novel project of mine "Africa Tusk" which I have completed the first draft on. It deals with the fight against elephant poachers in Africa and the possibility of using drones...
Have a wonderful Holiday Season, I will be updating you more in 2017!
Cheers!!
Eric H. Heisner
Writer, Actor & Filmmaker @ www.leandogproductions.com