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Hey, gang! It’s been a while. But I’ve kept myself busy! Let’s catch up some, shall we?

1st - Too Many Controllers was pulled from production for reasons beyond our control, but you can already find some of the stories from those amazing authors elsewhere on the webz. (Before you ask, if you invested, yes, refunds will be coming soon, so I’m told)

"So, what’s that mean for your short story, "1989?"

Glad you asked. I am currently working on plans to expand it into a longer tale. Right now I’m not sure if that means a novella (a short novel or long short story) or a full-length novel, but I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

2nd - I’ve been working on Timeless (working title), the indirect sequel to Ageless. I have planned the entire story and it seems to be turning into a full-length novel. I was hoping for something along the lines of a novella. But, alas, it seems that the life of Eugene will not be abridged. Things have been going well with the writing. I am about halfway through the first act with hopes of finishing the first draft by April. Follow the Inkshares draft page HERE.

And here’s the placeholder cover too!

3rd - I have a goal for 2017 to write one short story a month unrelated to any other thing I’m doing. I wrote one in January with the hope of giving it to you guys for free. But it needs a LOT of love, so maybe I’ll hold off on giving them out until they have seen a good bit of revision. I already have my idea for this month’s story. I’m eager to get it out of my head. Incidentally, the January one has a working title of "Cause & Effect."

4th - Happy Valentines Day! Much love to all who have supported this crazy dream of mine. Thanks!

TREKONOMICS nominated for best audiobook of the year!

Dear all, friends and readers,

I just learned that Trekonomics was nominated for an Audie Award (the Oscars of audioboooks) in the business and personal development category. It is quite an honor to have a book on a list next to works by Stephen King, John Scalzi, Colson Whitehead, Siddhartha Mukherjee etc.

The audiobook, read by the amazing Oliver Wyman, can be sampled here: http://amzn.to/2avFi4F

Thank you all for your support and friendship,

As usual, Live Long, and Prosper!

Manu

ps: here’s the (image) announcement for the business/personal development category.

Just a quick update on where things stand. In the next 24 hours we should be done with developmental editing and sending the manuscript over to copy editing. The manuscript is in really good shape. There are still some typos to fix and a few scenes that we’re working on, but I’m anticipating we’ll knock those out tonight/tomorrow morning.

Copy editing should take about a couple of weeks, meaning we should have a final version of the manuscript going into formatting on the last week of the month. This will enable Inkshares to print "galleys" (promotional versions of the book) by the end of the month, which is very exciting.

In the mean time, I need to do my "author picture" for the inside sleeve of the book. I have something cool in mind, but as I’m not very photogenic, it may not work out. Still, I’ve enlisted the services of my friend and photographer Lai Long whom I believe will endeavor to make photographic miracles happen.

I’m told everything is all set for the book launch at San Diego Comic Con in July. I’m not really sure exactly what it is that we’ll be doing there to promote the book. Maybe I’ll just do a little interpretive teleportation dance while wearing a futuristic LED suit. Probably not that.

So excited you guys. Jazz hands!

Tal

Friends!

I apologize for the lack of updates. My nose has been pressed against the old grindstone, and in spite of a slew of interruptions and several "I’M THE WORST WRITER IN THE WORLD I F*****G QUIT WHY DIDN’T I GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL" text messages and the holiday season sucking the dregs of my soul out of my withered retail worker body, I will be handing what I’ve managed to cough up to the copy editor on Tuesday. As in, less than a week from Tuesday.

This time last year I barely had 75 pages of what would ultimately become the one-act novella that started everything. As of right now, Devil’s Call has 151 pages and I still have about 20,000 words to write before it’s "finished," but it will be a quick 20,000 words. I’m not sure at which point things will shift from "Surreal" to "My Life Now," but I have an agent and a promotional schedule and Devil’s Call has a cover, which if you haven’t seen it yet

I’ve ganked it from Target.com’s website for your viewing pleasure.

According to the schedule the lovely Avalon Radys put together for me, I’m going to start being way more vocal about the novel’s progress starting in March, so enjoy the silence while it lasts.

-J.