Hi everybody,

My apologies on what was probably a surprise today when those who’ve pre-ordered JIHADI BRIDE had their contributions returned. If I can make a long story short, when JIHADI BRIDE entered the Inkshares Mystery and Thriller contest almost three weeks ago, I believed that was the best avenue toward publication. Despite a strong start in the contest, over the past week I’ve since become convinced that this is not the right time or method to seek publication and so I decided to drop out of the contest and remove JIHADI BRIDE from funding status so that all backers would receive a refund.

I am extremely grateful and humbled for all the support during the campaign, and I would like to apologize for having wasted your time. One thing I’ve learned so far as an author is how precious everyone’s time is and consequently, how big an ask it is to support a crowdfunding campaign, or read a book, especially when there are so many other things you could spend your time on. For that reason, I hope you’ll give me the benefit of the doubt when I say that ceasing the campaign was not a decision I took lightly. That said, I’m also extremely confident that this is not the end of JIHADI BRIDE’s journey toward publication, and I hope you’ll allow me to pass on further developments when they happen. Conversely, I’ll also pass on updates through my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/AlastairLuft.

Again, thank you for all your support and all the best,

Alastair