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!

Happy Tuesday, Space Crew!

My spirits are high because you all are amazing. We’re holding steady in 7th place, and the orders keep trickling in. So let me remind you of what that means in regard to the whole Nerdist/Inkshares thing. 

This book won’t be published unless we kick it up to third. And for that, only pre-orders count. If you’re still on the fence about ordering, let me know what would change your mind. If you have ordered a copy, think about who else you could share this with. Maybe you have a geeky uncle or you hang around a hobby shop. I need help getting the word out. You guys are my space crew. 

This publishing deal makes me a pro author. Inkshares has a team of very capable people like any traditional publisher. If I hit my funding goal they’re going to make sure The Traveller’s Cup is a well-vetted piece of fiction. I’m doing my part now to make sure it gets into their hands, with support from all of you. 

And in other exciting news!

Another Nerdist article coming soon. If you liked the last piece on space opera inspirations, you’ll be glad to know I’ve been asked to participate in a new article. Stay tuned for details and links. 

New sample chapter coming this week. You guys have asked for more, so I think it’s only fair to give you another glimpse at what’s happening with Damaus. You can let me know if you’re enjoying getting the beginning of the story or if you’d rather see something from later on too. 

Thanks again for all of your support. 

Your affectionately indebted cap’n,
-AC

 Hi guys!  

Not much news around here, but I still wanted to touch base.  I signed all the books for my giveaways thus far, and will be sending those out later in the week (we’ve got some rain coming in, so a trip to the post office with a huge pile of books to mail is not in the cards. I don’t want your prizes getting wet.)

Elan Samuel, a fellow inksharer with a couple of wonderful-sounding drafts, was kind enough to feature me on his awesome literary blog, The Warbler! You can read the interview/feature by clicking here. What a fantastic opportunity! Thank you again, Elan! 

Find Elan Samuel on inkshares and follow his work by clicking here.

I’ll keep it short this morning. I just wanted to share the good news, thank everyone, and remind everyone that you can always email me at madmrbutler@gmail.com if you want to talk about my book/your book/someone else’s book/puppies/kittens/sandwiches/whatever and if you are interested in a pre-order swap, please let me know! 

Anyway, gotta go! My car decided to have a failure in all four brakes and the ER I work in caught fire the other night, so gotta go deal with a couple of plot twists that were out of my control...ah, author humor...ok I’ll shut up now.

Thank you for all of the support, everyone! I’m off the next three days, so I will be posting new diary entries, new chapters, and new annoying updates.

Love to all, and may your brakes stay functional and may your emergency rooms stay fire-free!

-Michael

(Special shout out to my friend Matthew...if any of you are looking to email someone any positive messages, just send your email to me at madmrbutler@gmail.com, and I will promptly forward it to him. Let’s fill this guy’s inbox with positive vibes!) 

Dear friends, we have a publication date!! You will probably get your signed copy earlier, but the official release date is November 8th, 2016.

Part of me would have loved to pull a Beyonce and just "drop" the book without announcement surprising the whole world. But until I get to Queen Bey status I will be promoting this glorious date non-stop!!

And don’t forget, if you haven’t ordered your copy you are missing out!

Have a fantastic week!

We are now at 7 DAYS REMAINING and currently 208 sales towards our goal of 250 ~

As the final week looms over my head, I’ve decided to do something a little different. This week I will be uploading 2 new chapters, both of which develop the various nations that surround Yggdrassil. Alethia, the Bad-Lands, and Nin will all receive their fair share of exploration and more. 

Within the lands of Alethia, necromancy and other forms of fel-sorcery have become the norm as the kingdom’s population continues to dwindle while its needs to defend its threatened borders persist. 

But these locations and their respective cultures are not all there is within the lands of Dearean. To the East there are the Imartii - fierce and proud warriors, with each city its own nation - while to the South live the mysterious and nomadic Picts. A strange and little-understood culture, the Picts are elf-like in appearance, and attuned to the magical quantities of the world in a way few other races possess the capabilities to be. 

Artwork rights belong to Blood Rage - will hopefully have official work done soon of these groups. In the meantime this offers a work-concept of what I’m considering for these two cultures.

As funding continues for "The Children of the Forest" I’m looking to have *2* backers receive a special reward. In two random drawings, I will select two different customers of my novel to be featured as characters hailing from either the Imartii or Picts. The winners will have the ability to pick their character’s sex, have input on their origin, and even help choose their name and appearance! More still, once official artwork is scheduled, your character will feature prominently and you will receive a free and highly detailed print!

For this reward I will only be selecting from the pool of backers who have achieved either Alethian or Wolf-Rider status - but there’s still time to get your name in the drawing. All you need to do is upgrade your purchase to the 2nd or 3rd level, and that’s it - you’re in!

This is a really awesome and unique prize that will offer two lucky individuals the chance to personalize their experience with the opening novel in the series. Winners will be selected only on the basis that the book reaches its goal of 250 sales, so act quickly, and make sure you recommend and push the book to everyone you can.