Good day, Travellers! 

Time is going by fast. In just a few days the month of February will end and we’ll be entering March. The Nerdist contest closes on March 15. On that day the authors who’ve managed to hold a spot in the top 3 will have their books published. 

 I don’t know about you, but I want The Traveller’s Cup to be a part of that. 

I’ve been campaigning hard for this book, and I’ve started to get a lot of questions about overall theme and where I want to go with the story as a whole. While I must keep some of the mystery buried under lock and key, I thought I’d answer some FAQs here for you. 

1. Is The Traveller’s Cup a Standalone Novel or Part of a Series? 
The novel stands well on its own. Don’t get me wrong—I love to write sprawling complex series, but I don’t want to make you guys invest too much time to get a fulfilling story. There’s always a chance of the universe expanding. I mean it takes place in the depths of space, so there are a lot of places we could go. But right now I’m only focused on making this book the best it can be, with no plans for a direct sequel. 

2. What’s the Theme of The Traveller’s Cup? 
I don’t know if there’s a single theme, but I hope this story can open a few eyes to parallels in our own history about privilege and culture. I’ve had a lot of inspiration from historical events on our home planet, and it’s been interesting thinking about how similar mentalities would affect interplanetary settlers. 

3. Would I Like This Book? I Don’t Normally Go for Science Fiction or Fantasy. 
I hope so. My goal in writing his has been to make something approachable and engaging. There are planets and space and magic, but at the heart of it this book is an adventure story.     

If there’s anything else you want to know, just ask! I’m still selecting a sample chapter for you guys, which you’ll receive before the week is over. 

pew pew fire space lazer,
-AC

My wife just sent this to me. Now that I’ve finished fanning out, it occurs to me to wish with all my might that people in some far off future time might someday freak out similarly upon the discovery of some bit of MY half-baked ephemera....

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/16/unseen-jrr-tolkien-poems-found-in-school-magazine

Hello travellers,

As you have no doubt noticed, we failed to reach the goal. Well, I guess I failed mostly. But as they say, a failure shared is a lesson in self denial!  

Never fear, we will one day succeed! Of that I am sure.  

Meanwhile thank you one and all for showing your support.  Here’s to us!

For now adieu and then, for a while, silence...

As a further add-on to yesterday’s update, I’d like to outline some general info about both the Pictish-Tribes and the Imartii. As those who read the last update will know, I’m offering a limited-time promotion for *2* lucky individuals - chosen at random from the pool of Alethian/Wolf-Riders backers of my novel. These two winners will be able to create a character based on one culture or the other, and have their character brought into the books!

The Picts ~

The Picts are an elusive and mysterious culture whom dwell in the marshes and swamps far to the South of Dearean. Long ago, the Picts dominated much of the larger world, but a series of terrible catastrophes all-but annihilated their vast kingdoms, reducing them to  little more than a pale-shadow of their former glory. 

Few in number, the Picts rely upon ambushes and ranged-weaponry to defeat their enemies in battle. Due to their unrivaled eye-sight and reflexes, Pictish warriors can rain death down upon their enemies from across great distances before vanishing back into the woods, only to reemerge elsewhere to begin their assault anew. 

Until now, the Picts have remained content in their isolation, defending their borders when necessary, but otherwise abstaining from open interaction with the human kingdoms to the North. However change is on the wind. Deep within the heartlands of the Pictish-Wilds, something is stirring.  More and more of the First-Peoples are congregating together. It is whispered that they are drawn to the voice of an entity known only as; The Prophet. Who this person is, or what they want, is as of now unknown.

The Imartii ~

The Imartii dwell to the mountainous West, and are people built upon the worship of personal-exploit. The Imartii are divided into various city-states, each of which operates independently from one another. Though loosely unified by a Confederacy, the various city-states are not above clashing with one another, as they so often do. 

Imartii culture is defined by the search for personal glory. Heroes and adventures often set forth from the walled-cities to venture out into the greater world, intent on finding glory through conquest. This is achieved through the slaying of great monsters, the discovery of lost treasures, or other feats of valor, strength, or guile. The culmination of these many heroic achievements are the "Games" which play out at the end of every season. Each city-state dispatches its greatest champions to compete against those representing other members of the Confederacy, with glory and riches being rewarded to whichever state achieves the largest percentage of victories. 

Throughout much of Dearean, even occasionally within the hellish lands of Alethia, it is not uncommon to encounter hero-adventurers of the Imartii, intent on searching out their next challenge. 

So there you have it folks. Two (vastly different) cultures to pick from. So go pre-order a copy if you haven’t, and look forward to 2 new chapters coming later this week as we near the end of the campaign!