I promised if Tantalus Depths reached 500 pre-orders by July 16, I would upload the first chapter for all to read. Well, as promised, here it is.

I also promised I would upload a special video of me reading it to you. Also as promised, here it is.
 

I hope you all enjoy. It is a shorter chapter, and mainly consists of setting the stage and making introductions to our cast (which is why I chose to use chapter 3 as my main sample chapter instead of chapter 1, since I felt it gave a better impression of the book’s overall tone).
When Tantalus Depths reaches 600 pre-orders, I’ll release chapter 2 and another video reading. I might even throw in a video of me reading chapter 3, if it’s something people want.

Keep up the good work everyone! This insurmountable task is starting to feel really doable. Thanks to all your help, we’ve made it this far. We can make it the rest of the way too.

Hello everyone,

Two quick updates, the first being confirmation that Alban Fischer is the artist who is designing the cover for The Battle Within. Had a great phone call with Alban last week, as well as with Emily Zach from Girl Friday Productions, and I’m excited to see what the first round of designs will bring. For a taste of what Alban can do, please check out his portfolio at: http://cargocollective.com/albanfischer.

The second update is that I’ve just launched my official author page, www.AlastairLuft.com. It’s a fairly simple page, but I think it will meet the intent of providing a virtual shingle for me to hang out while also hosting a blog that I’ve started. I’d love to get feedback on usability and layout, so please check out the site, send me critiques and feel free to share.

That’s it for today, as always, thanks so much for your support.

All the best,

Alastair Luft

Tantalus Depths has just received one of the biggest conceivable honors it could have been given on Inkshares.
I am indescribably honored to announce that Tantalus Depths has been selected as the July pick by the Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate.
 
I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears mentioning again now: one of the primary reasons why Tantalus Depths was written in the first place was to create a story with a strong female lead. I wanted to do my part to break the gender imbalance in sci-fi media. I wanted to write a female lead that could inspire and impress male and female readers alike. I took great pains throughout the entire writing process to make Mary Ketch feel like a real person, her experiences relatable and accessible.
To be honored by the Bechdel Syndicate is to be assured that I have, at least in part, realized my goal. Truthfully, this moment is almost as important to me as earning my full publication goal. If Tantalus Depths hadn’t been worthy of an honor like this, in my own eyes it wouldn’t be worthy of publication either.
With the support of the Bechdel Syndicate, Tantalus Depths is now ahead of schedule. We’re only 214 pre-orders away from our full publishing goal, and we will not settle for anything less than 100% success.
To the Depths!

Wow! @Kendra Namednil has reached the Quill publication mark for her book, Borehole Bazaar! Further proof to me that the Universe shines on happy, positive, generous people!

We’ve reached another landmark, at last. Late last night, Tantalus Depths finally reached and passed 500 pre-orders. That’s right: we are now three fourths of the way to the full-publishing goal.
 

We are now entering the final month of the campaign. As of right now, we have to bring in 247 more pre-orders within the next 29 days. It won’t be easy. We’re right about where we should be, but there’s still a whole lot more work to be done. If you’ve been holding out so far, now is the time to throw in your pre-order, or to bring your friends and families into the picture for their support. 
Also, even though the 500th order technically came after midnight, I’m still going to go ahead and put up chapter one and the video of my reading it, like I promised we’d do if Tantalus Depths hit 500 on the 16th. Expect those sometime tomorrow, along with our usual character update. :)
Keep pushing everyone! We’re almost home.

Holy $#(^!!!!!!  Okay, let me explain…  Hwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!  SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh my goodness, YES!!!!!  Dreams are AWESOME!!!!!!!!  OWWWWWW!  Okay, dreams are awesome, and so is my next door neighbor, but running through my backyard to tell her that I just funded leads to splinters.  Geesh!  Well, it’s only a little blood, so… Worth It!!!

Okay, breathing.  Good.  Thank you all SO EXPLETIVE much!!!!!!!!!

I’m kinda glad I wrote the bulk of this letter yesterday.  I’m so excited I keep typing in circles but that’s okay cuz I HAVE FAITH IN EVERY LAST SOUL OF HUMANITY!!!  Seriously!  All of you are amazing, wonderful, PHENOMENAL PEOPLE OF WORTH!!!!!  OWW!  Doesn’t matter if my foot hurts from that twig-thorn, I’m too happy not to dance!!!!!  Okay, the rest is from yesterday, so it’s probably cogent.  Love y’all.  Genuinely.  Love.  I… I’m gonna paint mugs and work on my short story and tell people they’re awesome and make the whole world feel as amazing as I do RIGHT NOW!!!  

For anyone who was looking to get the limited-run prize, tomorrow is the last day to pick up two or more copies of Borehole Bazaar.  This is a super-awesome opportunity to get a uniquely hand-illustrated collection of cute short stories mailed diretly to your home well in advance of your copy of Borehole Bazaar.  That said, I’m hoping BB will be up and ready SUPER quickly so it can get into all your happy hands!

This week, I hit 250!!!  What this means is that I have yet another three RAFFLE WINNERS!!!  The lucky winners are Rebecca Rubin, Crwebber707 and Lauren Huffman!!!  I’ll be getting ahold of you to hear your choice of prizes, but they include an etched glass mug, a hand-painted ceramic mug, a laser-etched coaster (or four!) or an entirely wooden (with hinges) book from those listed below!  If there is something else you would prefer, please just let me know!  I’m fairly crafty and I love my small power-tools!

The list of books should all be child-friendly but I’d advise giving each a once-over, especially A Simple Game and Forgiveness in a Latte.  This week’s selection, Kalla Names a Pup, is indented and alludes to cannibalism and death, so use extra caution with it.

Kiki and the Cantaloupe

Kiki Angers Ambition

Kiki meets Tranquility

Pretty Girl and Luchadore

Bosco Follows his Nose

Forgiveness in a Latte

A Simple Game

Telles Catches Hope

---->;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Kalla Names a Pup

As always, please Chase Your Dreams.  It’s worth it, as are you.  

Short update today!