Welcome to the morning after the snowiest winter blast that we’ve seen in six years in my neck of the woods. I have some exciting news today – the release of the first ever podcast episode where I am featured as the guest author!

It still feels strange to say that out loud – “guest author” – but here we are. 

I had a great time recording an epic fantasy episode of writingbloc.com’s Indie Writer Podcast with hosts Jacqui Castle and Cari Dubiel. 

You can access the podcast episode here.

Thank you again to Jacqui and Cari for having me! We talked about what makes epic fantasy epic, getting started as a writer of this weird stuff, my creative process, and some of the interesting aspects of world-building found in Bane of All Things.

Covered in local magazine

I was also humbled to earn some great coverage earlier this month from theHumm – my local arts and culture magazine. Thank you very much to editor Kris Riendeau and writer John Pigeau for making it happen.

You can read the full article at theHumm Online.

Giveaway on Goodreads.com

My publisher Inkshares also ran a Giveaway on Goodreads.com over the past few weeks. Up for grabs were 25 copies of the trade paperback edition of BoAT. Publishers run these Giveways in the hope attracting more readers (and buyers) who then will post reviews to drive that word-of-mouth buzz that is so vital to the success of any new novel.

I can’t say how successful this Giveaway will be in that regard, but I can tell you that by the time it ended last night, 3,815 people had entered to win one of those free copies! Here is hoping that a few of those folks who did not win a copy are now inclined to purchase one.

Reviews: Your opinion matters sooo very much

As I have noted before, reviews on the big sites Amazon and Goodreads are also crucial to drive that word-of-mouth buzz and help BoAT stand out in a crowded field. 

When you have had a chance to read BoAT, please post a rating/review online. Don’t fear to give your honest opinion – I can take it. No author can expect to please everyone all the time. What matters is having a sufficient volume of ratings/reviews for BoAT to attract attention.

That’s all for now. I hope you are finding BoAT to have been worth the wait. You can reach out to me at any time with your comments. Soon it will be time to talk about what’s up with the next book in the series, The Crucible Tree.

Stay safe and keep reading!

P.S.: If you have still not received your pre-ordered copy or copies of BoAT, please contact hello@inkshares.com. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you need to confirm what you actually pre-ordered those many moons ago in terms of ebook vs. print and number of copies. 

Hello All,

Six months have passed since the publication of The Bird’s Road. It’s a little odd having no writing or editing to do but I am content that it’s over. 

I had an opportunity to add pictures to the memoir but that seemed to add a level of complication I didn’t want to be displeased with, so I declined. I have created an Instagram @thebirdsroad for those of you that might be interested.  I’m adding photos in chronological order. 

To those of you that have posted reviews here, on Goodreads, and Amazon, I appreciate it.

Thanks for your support,

Sharek

Hello again!

I know... two emails in one week. But I thought I’d again remind everyone who pre-ordered Mission 51 to update their home mailing address with Inkshares, as the books will be mailed in the coming days/weeks. See the detailed instructions on how to do that below.

I had a chance to sign the books as promised. That was tricky, with COVID and all, but we figured out how to get it done! The books are now on their way to Inkshares’ fulfillment partner who will ship them out to your address on record at Inkshares.

If you have moved since you pre-ordered the book, it should be intuitive to change your address on your account at the Inkshares site after you click on the image in the upper right hand corner next to the little bell. But some people have had to do this:

1. Login to Inkshares.com

2. Press the image in the top right, next to the bell

3. Press "more", then "profile"

4. Press profile options in the top right corner

5. Account

6. Address

If you have any trouble at all, Inkshares would be glad to help. You can email them at hello@inkshares.com

Thanks again. Launch in T-minus 30 days!

Ferd

Hello everyone!

I have not reached out through this platform in a long time, but the publication of Mission 51 is imminent, and I wanted to mention a few things.

First of all, my heartfelt gratitude goes to everyone who purchased a pre-order, especially those who did so during the Inkshares/Nerdist Sci-Fi Contest of 2017. Those pre-orders kept Mission 51 in the top 3 of all contestants and garnered a full publishing contract. Since that time, Mission 51 has been in production, progressively improving the story. It is now fully polished and ready for publication.

The publication date is February 15, 2022.

I am signing the pre-ordered books as we speak.

IMPORTANT:

For those who pre-ordered here on Inkshares, like everyone did during the contest, it’s time to update your address. If you moved since that contest in the summer of 2017, you need to update your address with Inkshares so the book will find its way to you.

If you have not yet placed an order but wish to do so now, it remains available for purchase here on Inkshaers, and is also available on Amazon, B&N, Target…

Thanks again, everyone, for your support and your patience, and I do so hope you enjoy Mission 51!

Ferd Crôtte

Publication Date: February 22, 2022. 

Please LMK if you’d like to be part of the "Going, Going, Gone!" launch team. This is very important.

Video book trailer for "Going, Going, Gone!", by Emmy-nominated director Kirk Davis, on the website: stevehermanos.com.

Feel free to contact me: stevehermanos@yahoo.com

Lots of things to share! First, I hope you all had a marvelous holiday, whatever form that takes for you, and that you’re all staying safe and cozy! Much love, always.

Okay, let’s see...the Things, mostly just in the order I think of them...

First, I have a short story release tomorrow! January 8!

Good day! 

I hope you have had an enjoyable holiday season so far. Here is a quick update on a few things.

YOUR COPIES

 If you did pre-order an ebook copy (or copies) of Bane of All Things those many moons ago, you should have received an email from Inkshares around Dec. 7 to download the ebook file in the format of your choice. If you did not, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com. I can also look up your original order date for you. 

Print copies, meanwhile, continue to arrive. I have received notes (and lovely social media posts) from many people who did receive their trade paperbacks over the past week. If you have not received yours yet, I expect many more are in transit for arrival this week and next. If you have received a delivery and anything is amiss (such as not having received all the copies you should have), again, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com.

GIVEAWAYS

On another note, my publisher launched this morning a Giveaway on Goodreads.com that is open to both U.S. and Canadian residents. Giveaways are intended to drive interest in a book and attract more readers who will then post reviews. Up for grabs this time is 25 trade paperback copies. The Giveaway runs until Jan. 17 and the winners will be announced then.

In January, we expect another Giveaway to run with Canada’s own 49thShelf.com

IN OTHER NEWS

I recently had a great time recording an epic fantasy episode of Writing Bloc’s Indie Writer Podcast with hosts Jacqui Castle and Cari Dubiel.

We talked about what makes epic fantasy epic, getting started as a writer of this weird stuff, my process, and some of the interesting aspects of world-building found in my novel. Plus, I did a short reading. The episode will publish on https://indiewriterpodcast.podbean.com, Jan. 18. 

WHAT’S NEXT

Reviews!

Word of mouth and piles of reviews are critical to drive attention to a new book on Amazon and elsewhere. So once you have had a chance to read your copy of BoAT, please take a few minutes to also post a rating and review – it doesn’t have to be lengthy – to Amazon, Goodreads, your favourite bookseller, and so on.

With January just around the corner, and a certain virus that keeps finding new ways to reinvent itself, we face the long dark of Moria … again. But we’ve made it through before and we will once more!

Stay safe and keep reading.