Dear friends and followers,

Things are moving along, but at a slower rate than before. The plains of 300-400 really are a desolate expanse. I’m sure things will get interesting against once we crest that 400 order mark, even if doing so does not entail any references to impressive Spartan exploits.

I will be delivering the first donation cheque to Chez Doris on Wednesday. Right now, it’s an even $70: pretty respectable, I think.

Coming up this week is a new Nerdist contest! Video games! I will have a bit of a stake in this one, so expect further news.

And of particular interest to other hopeful writers, there’s DraftShares. Check out the related thread on the forum for more details, but the basic gist of it is the promotion of projects that are still in the draft phase. Readers, you may find some of the drafts highlighted next month to be of interest as well, so keep your eyes open.

As for what’s happening with projects in the funding stage, let’s take another look around the bookshelves....

1) "Tantalus Depths", by Evan Graham. An expedition discovers the "planet" they’re surveying is more than it seems, and their ship AI somehow has a stake in it. It’s a sci-fi thriller. I’m told that the "Evil AI" is a common trope, but I think this goes a little above that with its focus on motivation. If the planet is unexplored territory, how could it have any connection to the ship’s AI? I’d like to add that I found the excerpt to have a very nice feel for the "ensemble cast", even if what we see is entirely through one viewpoint character. It goes a lot towards immersing the reader, not only in the environment but also in the social context.

2) "Teddy Roosevelt and the Lost World: a Tale of the Dinosaur Century", by Lou Yuhasz. you know, I think that title says everything I could possibly say about the plot. You know it’s going to be an adventure to make H. Ryder Haggard proud, it stars an historical figure who could give good old King Leonidas a run for his money, and it involves dinosaurs. And yet somehow it’s managed to slip under everyone’s radar.

And that’s it for now. It looks like June is going to be ... pretty full of stuff. So, until next week: have fun, and keep reading.

Today is May 29th, and you know what that means! It means...that it’s probably somebody’s birthday, somewhere. Happy birthday, person I don’t know!

But it ALSO means that we’re only two days away from the Inkshares/Nerdist video game contest beginning. And I’ve got some cool news. See that boring grey area where my book’s cover ought to be? It ain’t gonna be boring or grey for much longer. I’ve got a kick-ass cover coming soon that ought to jazz the place up a bit. Now all I need are a few throw pillows and maybe a large oil painting of myself riding a bull.

SideScroller may have been written by me, but I never would have gotten this far on Inkshares without help. So let me give a shout-out to Tabi Card and James Rasile, who’ve both been invaluable to me thus far. Without them, I’d still be limping my way through the "Make An Inkshares Profile" page. Do yourself a favour and check out their books, "Scribbles" and "Cape’s Side Bay", respectively.

The contest begins in T-minus two days. Let’s rock this.

I have been quiet for way too long.  Sorry about that, I’ve just head a busy work schedule.  It has been nice to see new followers to the book while I’ve been largely inactive, so to everyone following the book whether new or old follower I just want to say thank you for sticking with me.

Finally, in case you haven’t already heard about it there’s an event on Inkshares starting tomorrow 5/30 and running until Saturday 6/4 called Draftshares, in which the current draft content uploaded for Exile, Magus will be participating.  Feel free to speak your mind fully about the book and project page, I have thick skin and truly critical feedback is always welcome.  Anyway, read more about Draftshares below, and thanks for your time everyone!

Tantalus Depths is just ten orders away from 200! Who wants to help get it over the hill? If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, now is the best time for it! If you have already ordered a copy, find a friend who hasn’t, and get them to do it. I’m sure you all have at least one friend who’s a fan of this genre!

  Bonjour, monsieurs and mademoiselles.

  Welcome to our 4th Detective Sunday! I can’t believe it’s been more than four weeks since I found Inkshares and decided to release my work here. Of course, none of this couldn’t have been possible without you all. I really appreciate your support. 

  Now, this update won’t really cover anything we’ve already been over this week, and the week before. This will be a relaxed, and open update about myself. I’ve talked so much about my book and our community here that I forget to introduce myself thoroughly so that you understand who I am. Wouldn’t you want to know the person you’re putting your money towards? I definitely would!

  My name is Anthony Jones III, other known as Trey (’cause the third), and I’m an outgoing person with high expectations for my success. From my friends’ viewpoint, I’m that weird funny guy who laughs at anything and is nice to everyone. Of course, my kindness may get abused, but I tend to choose my friends, and those I support wisely. Although, some may say I’m charismatic because I set examples of how to be capable despite the situation, and by being dependable, people looked to me for help when in a tight situation. The talent of being able to socialize and help people grow is a big thing in the world, and I believe everyone needs a little push in order to make it.

  I never had a drive to write when I was really young, but I did read books that interested me. I tried Harry Potter, but alas, it didn’t stick with me. I found myself more interested in books like Pendragon, Charlie Bone, House of Night, Hunger Games, and a few other series I’m having a hard time remembering. Those books had something special going on with them that lured me in, and it became a fantastic read with lovable, and hateful characters that made it so alluring. Still, there was a time I had stopped reading and became a more open person with my society. I grew distant from my casual reading sessions and went days without reading. Days went to weeks, then months, and finally years. It’s pretty weird that someone who doesn’t read decides to pick up a pen and write, ya’ know? 

  I wondered about why I decide to write, and the only thing I can say for an answer is that I wanted to be a storyteller. I wanted to be someone who could create and shape my own world, and make characters with complex lives that I could never have. Also, I wonder how authors feel when they write. Every author has their reasons, of course, but I’m asking when they assemble their plot, setting, characters, and so on--do they understand what they are writing? No one can understand these fictional lives we create, but we write it for our own happiness. It’s a deep thought that I’m surely exaggerating, but to you authors, know the reason why you write and push forward with that resolve. Whether big or small, that’s what pushes you to update consistently, possibly beg for support, and put yourself on the line between success and failure.

  I believe I’ve rambled on long enough haha! This is only a good portion of myself, but I think you all can understand the type of person I am from just reading this. Have a good morning/afternoon wherever you are.

  Au revoir, Sixth.  

Good morning Sleepyheads!

Some time in the past day or night, we broke 100! 

Welcome To The Company! This is my first reader update!

13 Followers. 13 crallow birds. I think makes a company. A Company of Crallow birds.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve added 3 Chapters to my draft page, some in depth details about my story, and even a brand new spiffy cover!

I’m participating in DRAFTSHARES next week! May 30th - June 3rd.  Be sure to check the page then and comment, recommend, and write up some positive reviews. Post them on Inkshares, Facebook, and Twitter. Feel free to critique hard (not too hard), seeing as I desire perfection.

Let’s grow the Company and ride the DRAFTSHARES publicity train straight into funding! More details to come!  It’s about to get real!

It has been quite some time since a little update on here...but, there’s children (plural) at my home now, and they both expect me to take care of them. Good thing they’re absolutely adorable...

Wow!! Mission 51 just keeps getting better and better!!

Finally they reached the top of a ridge, very close to their destination. Through the binoculars they could see a depression at the top of the next ridge, where the last of the dust continued to fall. There were large rocks to the west of the depression, obviously part of the shattered mountain top. But whatever caused it did not stop there. From their vantage point, they could see down into the lower lands of the valley further to the west. Juan pointed out to Juanito a long, dark streak in the land, heading northwest, in the direction of whatever it was they saw flash by overhead. In the far distance, they could see a rising tower of black, billowing smoke. They looked at each other, worried and wildly curious at the same time. Juanito pointed, “Vámos, Papi. Yá!”

Awesome!!

Thank you, Chris Pyke, and welcome to the Mission 51 creative team!

You can find Chris at his DeviantArt site, and at his PykesWorld weebly site.