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In the megacity Urb, Avrahim’s life is good. He has a prestigious job, a prestigious address, and an even more prestigious wife, but when he finds his life’s work - and his life - have been co-opted for nefarious plans, he decides to take them back.
S.E. Soldwedel sent an update for Disintegration

Hey, all. Happy New Year.

I hope that, despite the glut of bad news with which we were bombarded -- and the losses of more iconic people in one stretch than I can previously recall -- your 2016 was full of good news for you.

On the second to last day of 2016, I decided to draw again for the first time in about 14 years, barring those few things I’ve sketched out over that long stretch of time. It’s a work in progress, but I’m pleased with the result. To draw the four sisters from Disintegration, I derived inspiration from that famous, yearly series of photographs of four sisters that’s been floating around the Internet.

From left to right: Manon, Michele, Agnès, and Karin (Carina). If you click the image, you can see a less red version of it on my Instagram (please follow and like, and all that good social media whoring ;P ).

 

While I work on the cover for the book and incorporate the edits I’m receiving, I’ll be working, too, on visually realizing the characters through drawings. I’ve always thought Carina’s backstory would make a compelling graphic novel. That’s a back-burner project I’d love to someday bring to life.

The bulk of my time has been devoted to writing Integration and it’s surprising me how different a novel it is, and will be, from Disintegration. It’s so much more subtly science fiction. Not quite blink and you’ll miss it, but it’s much more rooted in (a close extrapolation of) contemporary life without the high-stakes drama of dystopic world war. It’s actually really nice to be able to describe the blue skies overhead. :D

I hope you enjoy this glimpse of the lovely ladies of the Derouard / Duvais family. If you would like to join those who are currently reading the book (and, I’m happy to report, really liking it), let me know and I’ll send you the epub of the manuscript that John Robin was kind enough to make for me.

To close, allow me to crib from one person that, thankfully, stuck with us through 2016:

Excelsior!

P.S. - Speaking of social media whoring, the facebook page for Disintegration has 69 likes. In the stilted English of my Russian cyborg Rozhenko: "Please to be the 70th" ... and beyond!

 

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    S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for Deus Hex Machina

    I’ve been here before, sitting in the quiet before the end, wondering what lies on the other side of the storm. I am the crazy person who has entered four contests on Inkshares, one of which I won with a group of amazing talents much larger than mine.  Four contests in a year. I can mark them like seasons in my life on Inkshares.

    The first contest was my introduction to Inkshares as a whole. The Nerdist contest came along at a time when I was waiting for my final edit to return on Shadow of the Owl, when I had already written a book, created a cover, bought my ISBNs and prepared to self-publish. I hit submit assuming many things, not the least of which was that it would easy (not unlike self-publishing on its own).

    Next I tossed Deus Hex Machina into the Sword & Laser the Sequel contest, largely because I already had a funding campaign for Shadow of the Panther up on the site and didn’t want to resubmit. I’m glad I made that choice, because while I didn’t win that contest, I did get far enough to grab interest in the project from outside and even eventually get the book a light publishing contract. The outside interest ended up pushing me to write a book while I was funding it (something I highly suggest no one ever do), writing a book I originally thought would never see the light of day. It was at this point that I promised I would never do another contest, by the way.

    When the Nerdist Video Game contest came along, I was at the right place at the right time with a group of writing colleagues who wanted to try something crazy -- submit an anthology. The result was a first place win for Too Many Controllers, to which I submitted a story I had been working on for years that is currently titled "Final Boss." I am incredibly proud of that story, mostly because it represents my overcoming a huge fear of short fiction that’s hounded me since I let fear push me out of the fiction side  of my creative writing degree at USC. 

    And now, The List 2016 is drawing to a close. In little under six hours I will be ending my first year with Inkshares the way I began it: Watching a contest end. I  find myself introspective (obviously) rather than dejected at the results of this contest. Sitting seventh in a contest that I was invited into is a rather big honor. I have a finished manuscript waiting until the contest closes today, one that I firmly believe is the best writing I’ve ever done.  No matter what result happens from this contest, I will be able to look back at this year with Inkshares and smile. I have one book published, two more in production once I send in DHM, and many more projects. I have found a community of disparate writers from around the world, and a strange and wonderful company that links them all together in this crazy publishing fever dream. 

    What’s next up for me in 2017? I am about to write another couple of short stories in the Shadow of the Owl universe. Once I have those done and published I’ll be planning out the sequel to DHM and then hammering out the next (and final) version of Shadow of the Panther. That book needs to be finished -- it’s been restarted so many times at this point that it must assume I don’t love it. Luckily I have the outline complete on what it’s going to look like, and I think I’ve settled on a premise that will fit the fantasy of the series while still innovating within it.

    Two stories, two books, zero contests: that sounds like a great year to me. If 2016 was the year of funding books, I think 2017 will be the year of writing books, and maybe even publishing a couple too.  That sounds pretty great to me.






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      S.E. Soldwedel sent an update for Disintegration

      Chapter 24 is a pivotal one in which a lot of things go down, one of which is a huge, violent melee incited by Major Gardiner, one of the major (ahem) characters. Gardiner is thin and he goes a little crazy. I describe him as context for the following little bit, which I especially enjoyed reading:

      “I need my mitts,” Macaluso said to no one in particular. He lumbered over to a teenaged boy who had climbed down from one of the transports.

      “Get me my mitts,” Macaluso demanded.

      The boy looked at him, unsure whether to mouth off or not.

      “Don’t fuck with me, kid, or I’ll sick that skinny psycho on you. He’ll pull your head out through your asshole and then I’ll fucking punt it back onto your shoulders just for good measure.”

      The boy’s eyes widened and and he scrambled back into the truck, procuring Macaluso’s mitts.

      “Thanks, kid,” Macaluso said. “Good choice.”

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        S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for Mission 51

        Earlier this year, despite some solid success, I let the Inkshares funding campaign for Mission 51 end without asking for an extension for two reasons: I wanted to focus on the writing and not on the campaigning, and I wanted to submit Mission 51 to Hollywood’s Launch Pad Competition 2016. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed it didn’t make it to the finalist group, but today I received some very strong encouragement!

        I received the formal Feedback Notes from Launch Pad, essentially an opinion about my submitted sample from an industry judge. Let me give you a few excerpts from the report:

        "This is a knockout premise, and those are very rare."

        "The fact that Mat’s story... is an immigrant story, takes this premise from being a great high concept to being a great high concept with real emotional subtext, and one that has resonance with our modern world today."

        "The pages here consistently communicate the story clearly, with great momentum, and a very palpable sense of empathy for ALL the characters... This is a great read, and a very capable execution of a highly evocative premise. This project has tremendous potential."

        "The quality of the writing here, not just on the conceptual level, but also in terms of the story in these pages and the writing of that story, is uniformly strong. The dialogue’s good too, voice specific and smart in its use of subtext."

        "This project feels like it has strong potential for either a TV or feature adaptation, and stands on its own as a great read as a manuscript."


        Well isn’t that just awesome!!! I am greatly encouraged that I am on the right track!

        Looking forward to the next suitable Inkshares contest so I can jump in and try again. I really want you to read the story!

        Peace, and Happy Thanksgiving!

        👽

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          S.E. Soldwedel liked an update for Dax Harrison

          (Long update ahead, bear with me)
          A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO PUBLISHING...

          Hi there, friends! Family! Fellow authors! Perfect Strangers! (Points to you if you get that reference)

          So the weird journey to publishing continues. Here’s a quick refresher in case you’re late to the party or if you simply forgot where we left off...

          -I launched a campaign at Inkshares to publish my very first sci-fi novel, DAX HARRISON!
          -With the help of reader pre-orders, I secured a light publishing deal. Huzzah! In short, Inkshares promised to publish my book to anyone who bought a copy, and continue to make it available online through all major outlets (Amazon, Barnes & Noble online, etc).
          -I handed over my manuscript and have since been waiting for my turn to begin production (copy editing, review, etc).

          BUT WAIT! THE PLOT THICKENS!

          Inkshares has launched a new contest titled THE LIST 2016, gathering a handful of the best projects which either did not meet their campaign goal the first time around, or only reached light publishing (like yours truly). The winners will be guaranteed FULL PUBLISHING. That means all kinds of fancy things that light publishing does not include, such as developmental editing, professional cover design, marketing assistance, and getting books into physical book stores.

          Why am I telling you all this? Because the contestants have been nominated by their fellow Inkshares authors. ...And guess who was nominated.

          Yep. I am officially part of this new shindig, courtesy of my fellow writers who believe in my silly stories, or maybe just like me as a person. Either way, I gotta say I’m pretty humbled.

          "HOLD UP, TONY! I BOUGHT YOUR BOOK AWHILE AGO, AND NOW YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU WANT MORE MONEY?!"

          No, no, no! Again, I apologize for the long wait for the book, but NO I am not asking you to buy the book again. The point of this contest is to gather unique readers above and beyond my current readers. That means fresh new folks to join the adventures of Dax. While I appreciate your support, I don’t need you to buy 10 more copies just so I win this thing. What you CAN do however, is spread the word to friends, family, coworkers, strangers in passing, anyone who might enjoy a good fun read like Dax. Just tell them to head to daxharrison.com!

          Per the contest rules, the top 3 books with the most unique orders will be guaranteed the full publishing deal. There are also guest judges who will have the opportunity to select 3 more winners of their choosing, beyond the top 3. So there will in fact be 6 winners total!

          "WAIT A SEC, TONY! WHAT GIVES?! YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE ALREADY GOING TO BE PUBLISHED! NOW YOU HAVE TO WIN ANOTHER CONTEST?!"

          No, no, no! I assure you, I will be published and you will have your book in your hands no matter what. This contest is more of a 2nd chance for the gold. If I fail, I will simply continue on with the light publishing deal as planned. So I have nothing to lose. But if I win? Professional edits, meaning the book will be better than ever. Cover design services, so I won’t have to pay out of my own pocket separately. Marketing support, needless to say, SUPER important. And getting my book into physical bookstores. Can you imagine walking into a Barnes & Noble and seeing Dax Harrison on the shelf?! I would melt, into a puddle of joy. A puddle, I say. And then I would apologize to the cleaning staff.

          Not to mention, higher sales = more incentive for my publisher to hurry up and get my book out there and into your hands! ;)

          More to come soon. See ya!
          -Tony V.
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            S.E. Soldwedel sent an update for Disintegration

            Budapest is proving the ideal place to get some work done. I’ve made a lot of headway the past two days and am a mere handful of chapters away from finishing this revision of the manuscript.

            Once done, I’ll deliver it to John Robin and Michael Haase and they’ll provide the last round of feedback. After that, it’s delivery time.

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              S.E. Soldwedel sent an update for Disintegration

              Hey, everyone. It’s a rainy day in Bilbao, which makes it a perfect morning to get some writing done. I leave for Barcelona in a few hours.

              I’ve excised 19 pages worth of over-exposition. The manuscript is getting leaner, the pacing is much improved. I’m trusting myself that I’ve imparted the important bits and I’m trusting that you can infer my intentions, rather than explaining every minute detail to death.

              Again, it’s a little hard to buckle down and work each day when I’m constantly on the move, but I’m chipping away. I expect this to be either the final or penultimate edit and I’m over 2/3 of the way through.

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                S.E. Soldwedel sent an update for Disintegration

                Hello, everyone. Currently, I am in Morocco. I was able to get some editing done in Sevilla and Granada, and I expect to get a little done in Tangier, too, but I’m going to go walk the Medina right now while it’s daylight and beautiful.

                The story is finished and has been for a while. I am now just refining the manuscript, bit by bit. As I mentioned, the feedback from my beta readers was invaluable, but more feedback wouldn’t hurt.

                If you’ve got any interest in reading the latest draft, let me know. I still owe Michael Haase a copy. He wrote The Madness of Mr. Butler. You should check it out.

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