Some of you have already ordered Manifesto: A Tale of Murder, and for that I am eternally grateful.  I am working hard and making progress on the current draft.  It is now a certainty that my manuscript will be ready to turn in for editing the day my funding campaign ends.  

Also, I have decided that the campaign could use a boost in the final days of the Crypt TV contest.  So, if we can get Manifesto: A Tale of Murder into the top three of Crypt TV when the contest closes, I am going to donate my first royalty payment from sales of the book to Wounded Warrior Project.  It is a charity that has helped personal friends of mine, and I have seen the difference they make in people’s lives. 

So, help me out, help out a good cause, and get an awesome book!  Everyone wins!

Halloween Update! Today’s lore is going to be about Vampires... because... well..

So... onto The Staking of Vampires

Vampires have undergone significant evolution since their initial debuts in legend. The book, Vampire Evolution from Myth to Modern Day, covers their transformation in great detail. From old tales depicting vampires as reanimated corpses, wraiths dressed in tattered burial shrouds, or even Japanese folklore. But commonly today, the stake through the heart is seen as a metaphorical silver bullet to the vampire. From catatonic immobilization to instant destruction—the current legend is flashier than its origin.

The belief was that corpses, were crawling out of their coffins, and feasting on their relatives. So burial practices simply advised nailing the corpse to the bottom of the coffin. It didn’t need to be wood or even through the heart. A steel stake or a rock, driven through the rib cage would suffice—almost like pitching a tent. Which, ultimately, seems a lot smarter than trying to stake a vampire who is currently active and wields powers of the undead. A bit of pre-emptive action and safety measures regarding the undead never hurt anyone. 

Next week I’ll cover Trick-Or-Treating or the Witchfinder General. I’m saving some Seventh Age news for later and closer to launch date. So for now..

Hey Friends,

It’s nearly All Hallow’s Eve, and that means the contest shall end very soon, but not my campaign. Lots of progress to share!

1. 80 Pre-Orders Away From Guaranteed Book Publication!
2. We’re Over 100 backers
   
3. Less Than 10 New Backers Needed to Place in Geek & Sundry Top 10! 
4. Art Giveaway
5. Monsters

 1. 80 Pre-Orders Away From Guaranteed Publication!

So we’re making progress. How much? We’re edging ever closer--only 80 pre-orders away from hitting the Quill marker of 250 pre-orders. Hit that, and we’re guaranteed at the very least that Kingdom of Dreams will become a published book! So if you were planning on ordering an extra copy for that special someone, please do so now. Otherwise, feel free to order extra copies for libraries and middle schools in particular. Let me know if you have any questions. Remember, ordering an extra book also doubles your chances to win my raffles. 

2. We’re Over 100 backers! 

So we did it! We finally crested the century mark and stand at 101 backers as of this update. The significance is startling and humbling as you are the first 100 backers of anything creative I’ve ever sold. Which leads to...

3. Less than 10 New Backers Needed to Place in Geek & Sundry Top 10!

That is correct. Out of 400+ entries in the Geek & Sundry Fantasy Contest, our little story has caught the back end of the lead pack and is within another 10 new backers of starting to move up inside of the top 10 for the very first time! 

4. Art Giveaway

Because we reached 100 backers, that means the next raffle for original art is upon us. I’ve pulled the list and will run the randomizer over it and will reveal the winner in the next couple of days. I’ll also include the poetry from the book that goes with the picture. Oh, which brings up the next giveaway...

5. Monsters

In the spirit of Halloween and for us to finish up the contest strong, if I get another 25 new backers to pre-order between now until Halloween, I’ll raffle off some original charcoal sketches of the monsters that appear in Kingdom of Dreams. Look for some descriptions of them and general background in the coming week.

Thanks again to my new backers, you really do give me new life and motivation each and every week; and of course, my original backers as well, for continuing to evangelize and refer my book, send me encouraging notes, and tolerate my posts--which must be getting a tad stale by now. I appreciate everyone’s tolerance levels and look forward to reaching new heights!

Best Wishes,

Kevin

Greetings, Faoii!

Tonight I did an interview about The Last Faoii with Vagrant Kings Podcast. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m excited to share. Click the link to listen in!

https://soundcloud.com/vagrant-kings/interveiw-with-tahani-nelson-the-last-faoii

Happy Monday, all! Guess what? We’re now at 152 copies, 132 readers.  This means Witherfist is now less than 100 copies away from Quill publication. I hope you’re excited about that as I am!

With new readers joining us, Witherfist has now taken the 8th spot in the Geek & Sundry top 10. There’s a narrow margin between myself and ’The Delicate Art of Soulripping’ - and ’Sorcery for Beginners’ is hot on both of our tails! Ahead, ’The Living God’ has a decent but not unshakeable hold on 7th place. I guess what I’m saying is - the final week of this contest is going to be exciting and every preorder now could mean the difference between shimmying up or sliding down the top 10. 

I had a great weekend at a local convention, giving out postcards and printed samples of Witherfist. I was one of only a few authors at the convention - the big draw of the day was the actor Jerome Flynn, who plays Bronn on Game of Thrones - but there were plenty of people interested in finding out more about the book and Inkshares in general. 

Here’s a picture of me, manning my little stall, wearing my Witherfist t-shirt. (Not pictured: my glamorous assistants or the unspeakable amount of Haribo that was consumed over the course of the two days at the convention.) 

 A couple of dozen people took my sample chapters (which were printed by the AwesomeMerchandise company, check them out if you’re in the UK!). Overall, it was a very enjoyable weekend and I’m hoping that many of the people I spoke to will be joining my list of followers and readers on Inkshares very soon. I think I might even have recruited a few would-be authors into joining the community. 

Thanks for reading and, as always, for your support!

~ Jenny

PS. Here’s a bonus work in progress bit of character art, this time of one of the book’s antagonists: Karaben. She is a peer and former ally of Irusai’s who has also made an ink pact with an ancient spirit. Unlike Irusai, whose tattoo is on her hand and arm, Karaben’s tattoo extends from her lower lip down over her throat and connects her to a crow spirit. I won’t tell you exactly what ’power’ she gains from the spirit she’s connected to, but I will say this: Karaben acts as a spy and interrogator of sorts for the Empress and the people she questions are often found as eyeless corpses.

Hello all!

Fae Child is still moving forward. I have been working on the manuscript in my spare time, and hope to have it completed in the next two months. In other words, before the campaign is over! We have 67 days left to make 175 orders (to reach Quill) which means I just have to sell 2.6 copies every day until the end of the year! Is this insurmountable? No, it isn’t, but it does mean that I’m going to have to start doing something different, because what I have been doing is only bringing in 2-3 orders a week.

In that vein (of making changes) I have commissioned a bit of artwork. This is Abbie, after she first comes through the pond into the Otherworld.

There will be more to come! Please share Fae Child’s link with your friends, and make use of the "recommend" button on the page. I am thinking up a giveaway for referrals to launch after we’ve hit 80 preorders and I’ve given away the last dragon. 

Thank you all for your support,

Jane-Holly

Greetings, Faoii!

Are you the type of person that likes to listen to chapters rather than reading them? Well, then you might like this audio version of Chapter 1 (I put it on youtube because I figured that was one of the more convenient ways for people to listen in). 

Hail Bards!

I found this in a library in the Ancient Heights, somewhere beneath the earth and stone. It is incomplete compared to the scrolls within the Acropolis, but it does shed light on many key events in the realm of Tír na nÓg. 

The Golden Age

11500 BCE - The Peak of the Golden Age of Man the Eternal City of Formene is founded.
9500 BCE - The Goddess Rested
9000 BCE - Adam Breaks his Covenant
8000 BCE - The Acropolis is constructed
7500 BCE - The Goddess Wakes and Adam’s Rebellion begins. The Goddess forges The Fist and uses the Womb of Creation to give birth to the Fair Folk.
7000 BCE - Druid’s Oath is Constructed
6705 BCE - The Battle for the Eternal City takes place.  Adam is slain by Dagda.

The Silver Age

6700 BCE - The Reign of King Dagda Starlight Begins. Three millennia of relative peace ensue between man and the fair folk. The descendants of Adam that have not been captured flee to the farthest corners of the world not to be seen in Tír na nÓg for millennia.
6695 BCE - The Houses and Courts of the Conclave are established.
6694 BCE - The Aélfar settle in the Vale and begin the construction of Moon Grove
6680 BCE - The Jótun settle in the Shimmering Peaks, fortifying the ancient citadel of the Forbidden Crags.
6672 BCE - The Dweörg found the city of Zaragzar in the Ancient Heights
6300 BCE - The First Dorcha begins - Under the Rowan Moon Amyrannii is born.
6285 BCE - Under the Oak Moon Amyrannii is named to the Order of the Derwyddon
6200 BCE - The First Dorcha is ended. Amyrannii is the Hero and is named the ArchDruid of the Order
5500 BCE - The Dweörg encounter the Gnomos and the city of Faleris in passes of the Ancient Heights
5200 BCE - The Second Dorcha begins - Under the Holly Moon Bécuille is born.
5185 BCE - Under the Oak Moon Bécuille is named to the Order of the Derwyddon
5078 BCE - The Second Dorcha ends.
5040 BCE - The House Coldhorn and the Tarb’fear leave the borders of King Dagda’s Kingdom and sail for the Isle of Ice.
5000 BCE - The Dweörg finish construction of Stonehome and the Black Door.
4860 BCE - War between the Senarran Beast Riders of the Great Expanse and the Aélfar break out.
4600 BCE - The Third Dorcha begins - Under the Hawthorn Moon Mog Rioth is born.
4585 BCE - Under the Oak Moon Mog Rioth is named to the Order of the Derwyddon
4450 BCE - The Third Dorcha ends. Ballaton of the Seraephym lays the final blow to the spirit of Salos.
4252 BCE - The future Ensí of the Empyrean Cult of Sumer is born as Ubara-tutu in the land of Sumer.
3500 BCE - The Waverunners find a pathway leading from Tír na nÓg to Tír na Beo at Godwit’s Reach.  Birds from the other world have made their way to Tír na nÓg.
3450 BCE - Penitents Vow is settled. Humans form the religion of Penance for their sins. Millions flock to the new religion making the pilgrimage through the Ancient Heights and the Wailing Wastes of the Western Reaches. The Exodus to the Western Reaches causes more strife between mankind and the fair folk.
3260 BCE - Ensí Ubara-Tutu ascends to lead the Empyrean Cult of Tiamat in Sumer.  He convinces his followers to leave Sumer to reclaim the land of Adam.  They embark on a 40 year long voyage across the void, conquering and enslaving as they wander.
3100 BCE - The Empyrean Fleet is scuttled on the shores of the Sea of Mere along the Neck of the Vale. A skirmish ensues but the interloping humans are given safe harbor by King Dagda to settle on the other side of the River of Orlond. The Fourth Dorcha known as the silent darkness begins.
3098 BCE - Small numbers of the Aélfar begin to go missing
3063 BCE - The Iron King’s Rebellion begins
3062 BCE - The Iron King’s forces are defeated in the field at the Battle of the Broken Tower Winguric Ironwood is defeated and slain in a mine shaft.
3062 BCE - Under the Hazel Moon - Yaegar Ironwood is born to Winguric and Máire Ironwood. He is taken from Máire at birth.  She is believed to have been killed while resisting the Oak Watch who took Yaegar. Yaegar is given to a family in the East Quarter of Formene, he grows up in poverty and crime.
3055 BCE - Under a Willow Moon Renwick Waveborne is born somewhere on the waves of the Void.
3022 BCE - Under an Oak Moon, Morika the 23rd Incarnation of the Druid Priestess Pythia is born.
3020 BCE - House Stonehome begins purchasing enslaved humans to do labor within the mines beneath the Ancient Heights.  They delve too deep and open pathways to the Kobold Underworld. They keep the threat at bay and keep it secret from the other Houses of Tír na nÓg.
3018 BCE - Samsara : Under a Beech Moon, Phaero : Under a Blackthorn Moon, Arabella : Under a Rowan Moon, and Nastas : Under an Alder Moon are born.
3015 BCE - Settlements begin to disappear without a trace in the Shimmering Peaks. Most turn a blind eye.
3002 BCE - The events of The Lore of the Aos Sí 

Just a small update on this chilly Tuesday evening. Three new readers threw their support behind Witherfist earlier today, putting us ever-closer to 7th place in the contest top 10.

It occurred to me this morning that I’ve yet to share on Inkshares the character art of Sunderei, the Imperial scribe who appears in the third excerpt on the Witherfist project page - so here he is! 

~ Jenny

No map today, because I’ve gotten a bit lazy in my efforts to convert the rest of my continent map over.  When I do get around to finishing there will be 5 more pieces, bringing it up to an 8 part map.

I do have new content to share though.  We hit 50 unique readers over the weekend, so that means I get to upload another chapter to add to the already way too long list.  I fear I may be addicted to sharing chapters.  Remember that for every 20 new unique readers who order I’ll share a new chapter, so for everyone following who hasn’t ordered get to enabling me already!  Seriously though, thanks to everyone.

I’ve decided to abandon the sequential release of the chapters this time, because I’ve been wanting to share what is one of my favorite fight scenes of the book for months now.  Because of the leap ahead that’ll happen I’m going to summarize what leads to this scene. 

At this point in the story it has been revealed that Palkaz has come to the mainland to hunt down his brother(and the titular Magus) Pentaz and drag him back to Thierdenvolgenlund to face real justice for his use of magic.  There’s a couple of reasons for this, but you can be certain that one of those is Palkaz’ wounded pride after Pentaz so thoroughly humiliated him during his escape.  His pursuit has led Palkaz to a small village in the Frozen North, where he soon discovers that Pentaz’ actions as he was passing through has led to the village being plagued by a shall we say "sizable" threat.  The resulting confrontation does a good job of showing off Palkaz’ snarky confidence as well as his unshakeable determination(not to mention his combat abilities).

The upload always messes up my formatting, so I’ll have to take time to fix that.  You should be seeing the new chapter before too long today though. That’s all I’ve got for today.  We’ll continue our dragon talk this Friday.  Until then, thank you all for your time and support.  Keep reading and enjoying!