Friday, October 5th, 7-9 PM at The Book Cellar in Chicago for THE ANIMAL IN MAN LAUNCH EVENT!!!

What better way to celebrate this announcement than with some new character concept art? Fresh from the digital canvas of the super-talented Nic Morales, may I introduce you to Zariel, also called “Old Four Swords,” and I think you can easily see why. 

Zariel is a genetically engineered octopus, hailing from Peskora, the tropical archipelagian nation far to the west where vast numbers of aquatic species dwell. Each of the four swords he wields are a technological marvel, capable of cutting any material clean in half, no matter its molecular composition. There is, in fact, a moment or two in The Animal in Man Part Two: Ferocious Heart when the lone octopus literally brings about the collapse of a tower.

Do you like this art? Did you like Nic’s previous concept for Saghan? Would you like a chance to have a signed poster of this thing hanging up in your office? From now until October 5th, all you have to do is make an order of The Animal in Man: Violent Mind or show up for the launch event at The Book Cellar to enter in person for a chance to win these!

Find me (and the event) on facebook, Follow me on Twitter, Follow both The Animal in Man Part One and Two on Inkshares! 

Updates, Faoii! Listen up!

It’s Pub Day!

I’ve been having a blast all day talking up the book, hosting games and giving out prizes, watching the reviews come trickling in. I almost forgot to ping you all and let you know the book is officially out there. Published. For reals. We actually ran OUT of books, if you can believe it. Multiple outlets are out of stock of the paperbacks, that’s how well today has gone. I am told that if you order them Ingram will print them to order, so if you’re looking to get a physical copy, ordering from Amazon or walking into a brick and mortar store will probably be your best bet.

And once you have read the book, please consider leaving a review. That would be super cool. So far readers are loving the book. It’s got five stars on Amazon and Goodreads, but the more the merrier, so please consider taking the time to toss a review up on your platform of choice.

I’m beat. It’s been a long, amazing day. I love you all.

May the Code replicate Eternal.

To all my backers-

We’ve reached a new milestone! Today I held the first copy of Indispensable in my hands. Bright orange, yellow-lettered, and filled-with-content, the book really exists now. It’s exciting and strange to realize that not only is the book out of my hands, it’s turned from one manuscript into hundreds of copies.  

And speaking of hundreds of copies, they are coming your way! You should receive an email tonight confirming your details to deliver your pre-ordered copies.  Whether electronic or physical, they should be delivered next week.  

Thank you for all your support, my friends!
Meredith 

Hello friends and supporters!

I mentioned this briefly in my last update for Tantalus Depths, but I don’t think I actually shared it in a Proteus update, so I’m amending that now. We’ve received one more extension for Proteus, making our new deadline the end of August. I didn’t want to do it, but with about 270 orders left to go, there was no chance I’d hit the goal otherwise. With our new extension, we should have no problem hitting the 750 pre-order goal on time though. We’re almost two thirds of the way there, so with your help, we should definitely be able to do it!

In other news, the amazing Jacqui Castle just interviewed me for Writing Bloc. We discussed the merits of crowdfunding and worldbuilding, and I shared a few insights about the writing process for both Tantalus Depths and Proteus. Check it out here!

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a huge announcement for Tantalus Depths!

Last week, my development editor, Matt Harry, sent me his notes on my last draft of Tantalus Depths. They were sparse this time and easy to address, so I made pretty short work of them. Last night I submitted my third full draft with the new changes added, and Matt gave this draft his seal of approval. We are officially done with the development edit stage!

So what does that mean? Well, for the moment it means we wait. In case you hadn’t gathered by now, the editing process is very much a “hurry up and wait” kind of deal. There is a queue for the copy editing stage, I’ve been told by the Inkshares staff that my copy edits probably won’t start for a month or so.

That might seem like a bummer, but it’s not. Once the copy editing begins, the gears start spinning a lot faster. I’ll be given a full production schedule, and we’ll finally be put on a set time table, with hard deadlines. We are almost at the top of the roller coaster now, and when we get over this hill, we’re going to seriously move.

I’m personally grateful for this downtime, for one very specific reason: Proteus.

I’ve had Proteus’s campaign extended one more time, and it now runs until the end of August. I didn’t want to, but we were down to just under two weeks to go and about 270 orders to go, so there’s just no way I was going to be able to hit that goal without driving myself insane. Fortunately, with the extension, I should absolutely be able to finish funding Proteus on time, and with this gap between Tantalus Depths’ editing phases, I should be able to finish the Proteus campaign before Tantalus Depths goes to the next stage of edits. I’ll finally be able to give Tantalus Depths my full attention during one of the craziest parts of the editing process.

The development editing process for Tantalus Depths was stressful, but absolutely worthwhile. I can’t wait to see what the next few steps in this process are like, or to see the finished product that is steadily creeping closer. Thank you all so much for supporting me this far. I know it’s often felt like nothing is moving anywhere, but fortunately I can say we’ve made major progress getting through this stage.

Greetings hexers and machina jockeys,

Today emails are going out with the ebooks of Sister of the Circuit. By now everyone who ordered physical copies should have them in their hands, which means Isidore and Dax, Surge and Evite are ready to sear your eyeballs with their adventures. 

It’s a surreal day. 

For my part I have been working with the amazingly talented Jill Crenshaw, finalizing the audiobook. My plan is to have that launch on July 3rd along with the paperback and ebook publication date (you know, for people who aren’t awesome backers like you). If you’re the sort of person who likes your books read to you, it will be available on Audible and I’ll send out a link when it’s ready.

If you’re a fan of reviewing things, would you mind reviewing the book once you’ve read it?  Every voice talking about Sister of the Circuit on Amazon, Goodreads, iTunes, whatever, is a huge help.  

Thank you so much for your support, and have a great weekend.