Greetings Everyone,

Long time no update. And there has been news. Oh how there has been news. But also, there has been school and so I’ve been hunkered down with tales of prophecy and murder while contacting scientists who monitor space debris and...well, that’s all done now. School is out, so instead of all that writing, I can spend my time doing...other writing. But like I said, first...news.

I write audio drama/radio plays. (I might have mentioned it.) So naturally one of the first questions I was asked (via the Our Fair City Tumblr page) was whether or not there would be an audio book version of An Unattractive Vampire. Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought, being too preoccupied with "Oh my gosh, I have a real, physical book out." But Inkshares thought about it. They thought about it a lot.

I am incredibly pleased to announce that an An Unattractive Vampire audio book is currently in production at Audible. Oh...you know Audible, the leading provider of audio books. They only sponsor about every podcast ever. (Hence why I know they’re intro pitch.) I am very lucky that they have picked up the audio rights to my book and will keep you all posted on this story as it progresses.

Also, I am pleased to report that we are just four reviews shy of hitting our first magic number (50) on Amazon. What does this mean? It means An Unattractive Vampire will show up more in Amazon searches. Which means more eyes. Which means more purchases. Which means money, which means time, which equals writing. (Because that’s how math works. So, please...go to Amazon and review An Unattractive Vampire. I’ll wait.

Other, other news:
A few more positive reviews went up on HorrorTalk.com and Fanbase Press. You can check them out here. Or you know, send them to friends. 

Did I mention that I write audio drama? Well I do and my first episode of Our Fair City Season 7 went out last week. After last seasons cataclysm learn the (tragic?) fate of our lovable molepeople in "A Molepup Misadventure."

So about this audio drama thing. (Pretty sure I mentioned it.) This last weekend was also the HEAR Now Festival in Kansas City, MO, celebrating audio drama and my MAT contest winning piece "Last Transmission" was an official selection for the podcast showcase. (In case you missed it before, you can listen to it at the Midnight Audio Theatre website.)

At the end of June (beginning of July) I will be in Minneapolis for CONvergence. I’ll be doing a couple panels. plastering the convention with postcards and posters, and making my second attempt ever at playing D&D. So if any of you are up in the Great White North, come say hi and watch me flounder around as I try and not judge myself for not being Critical Role. 

That’s all for now.

Hello my Knightmares!

Thank you, so very much, to all those who purchased over the weekend. We started the weekend in the low 60s and finished in the low 80s. I can’t thank those who purchased enough. I feel reinvigorated to keep pushing.

And a special thanks for my second SUPER READER, Mr. John Abbott. Thanks, my friend, I appreciate it so much. (For those of you who do not know, a Super Reader is someone who purchases 3 or more books–you can buy up to 10 books per person. When you buy 3 or more, you get your name printed in the back of the book as a special supporter of the project.)

With this push, I have come up with an idea. I have realized that to be successful in this campaign, I cannot bear the burden of selling alone. To respond to this realization, I have come up with a new referral program!

If you refer 2 or more people to buy a book, you will receive a FREE t-shirt!

If everyone who has bought a book so far were to refer at least 2 people, we would be within a half dozen books left before we hit the 250 pre-order goal. Now, I fully realize this is wishful thinking, but I do believe many of you know at least 1 or 2 people who might appreciate this kind of book. So please, give it a try and earn yourself a free t-shirt!

NOTE: If you refer people, please make sure to contact me and let me know who you referred. I cannot keep track on my end.

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What does this proposed T-shirt look like, you say? I’m glad you asked. Please vote on the two below designs!

Design 1:

Front

Back

OR Design 2:

Front

Back

VOTE NOW!

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THE KNIGHTMARES excerpt:

“Have you never learned to defend yourself?” Thomas whispered.

“In my day,” said Gene, emoting his best grandpa impression, “we didn’t need to learn to defend ourselves. When we battled and lost, we hit the reset button. Or we used the Contra-code and got thirty extra lives.”

“Brilliant. Was every man in your day no more equipped for the world than a stuffy affluent english woman?” Thomas growled.

Hello Friends:

I’ve been staring at this blank page for 45 minutes trying to figure out what to say. In the wake of the Orlando shooting, I keep going back and forth struggling to decide what is the right way to express my anger and hurt.

As a gay man and as the founder of the Write Out Loud Syndicate I think it is important to remind my readers and supporters that homophobia and transphobia continue to be a reality in our country. The LGBTQ community has won significant battles in the past years, but there are still plenty of people vulnerable to violence and discrimination.

I know that love and action are the answers. So I will focus my anger into action and fight the hateful rhetoric flooding the internet with love. This afternoon I will attend a vigil in memory of the victims. I encourage you to do the same in your area. Show your support; show that you are not afraid to stand next to the LGBTQ community. 

It is not the violence against us but our courage what define us.

In this link, there are other ways in which you can help.

Love

Ricardo

Dear friends and followers,

Today, 12 June, is day number 85 in the campaign. The suggested timeframe for a campaign is 90 days, which means that, had I not specified my timeframe, this thing would be over this coming Friday night / Saturday morning. At present, we are at 349 pre-orders, and you know what? It would be really nice to end Friday night at the halfway point of 375. That’s doable, right? If you know anyone who might be able to help, please encourage them to do so ... and if you’re still on the fence about ordering, I encourage you to come down on this side of it. The grass is greener here.

With the writing for "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" done and simmering on the back burner, I’m focussing more on my short story for "Too Many Controllers". How does a Wodehouse-inspired tale of a VR gaming companies, ruined castles, and stuffy aristocrats strike you? Well, if not Wodehouse, then at least Westlake ... that should give an idea of where I’m thinking of going with this.

With the Nerdist contest going on, I thought we might take a look at a couple of the other books in the contest:

1) "Reb1rth", by Xavier Auger-Mailhot. I remember reading one of Auger-Mailhot’s works, once upon a time: a very rough thing hot off the NaNoWriMo press. I remember thinking to myself as I went along, "my goodness but this reads like a video game". And now he’s written something that’s actually about the fusion of reality with video games, and I know he’s pushing his strengths on this one.

2) "Squids In", by Matthew Poat. An octopus gets hold of a controller and proceeds to dominate the video game circuit. Poat has some prime comedy material invested in this, and, from what I’ve seen, it is indeed hilarious. I get the impression that this is going to be a madcap caper with wacky hijinks in abundance, and I’m looking forward to see this book happen for real.

That’s it for this update. Until next week, have fun and keep reading. Cheers! And here’s hoping to hit that 375 milestone by Friday night!

Hey, superspies!

Hey Guys and Gals. If you have watched, read or heard any news this morning it’s a pretty depressing Sunday. Not really the best day to review a funny book but I wanted to thank those of you who got a review in yesterday so the Review-A-Thon continues.

If you feel like leaving a review today, you can do it here.

My heart goes out to everyone touched by the tragedy in Orlando this morning.

Race to 100 reviews on Amazon!

I even created a graphic for this sh*t so you know I’m serious! Right now we’re at 17 and we’re not stopping ’til 100 you dirty little monkeys!

LEAVE A REVIEW HERE!

Thank you guys for all the support! Get in there with those reviews! Remember you don’t have to write much, just a couple words an a couple stars will do!

XOXO    - Landon