I’m currently in the middle of a staycation here in the Orneck household. Movies, minimal cooking, discovering old restaurants made new...it’s heaven.  It’s been great to get my creative juices flowing, so I am sitting down to sneak some planning in for Chapter 8, the big set piece.  

Since my latest novel "Cupid by Proxy" touches on the cultivation and use of illicit plants for medicinal purposes, I decided to make a Buzzfeed post called "Ten Plants that are used to make Illegal Drugs". You never know, you might learn something. All of these plants appear in "Cupid by Proxy" which is currently in the Pre-Order stage. You can check my Buzzfeed post here - https://www.buzzfeed.com/matthewp4d317e6ea/ten-plants-that-are-used-to-make-illegal-drugs-2dqod

Tantalus Depths is only a bit less than 30 orders away from the 200 mark! Keep the support coming in! Let’s see if we can hit 200 by the end of the week.

Greetings followers,

I’ve been told by some that these emails are annoying. Then, on other occasions, I get actual positive feedback from others who I never would have thought bothered reading it. I am all for the philosophy that people want to be bugged the least, but then again you did back a project and deserve to know where we stand. So here goes:

We are just shy of 400 pre-orders - an amazing figure, with each and every one of you to thank immensely for it! 

The contest in which I’m raffling a new character bearing one of your names, is still up for grabs!! I have enough time to integrate YOU in the novel. Each order up to 450 = one entry. And don’t worry, the novel has British, Americans, Israelis and Arabs in it, so unless we have a Klingon winner (see below) - I will cope with anyone! 

Most important - I have pledged 3.5$ (2£) for every order placed using this link https://www.inkshares.com/books/and-the-wolf-shall-dwell?referral_code=e5706435 towards Norwood UK charity. Norwood is an amazing charity that is helping vulnerable children, children with learning and educational disabilities, as well as their families. If we reach the next 400 orders for Norwood I would gladly top up the donation so it will be a round 1,000£.

Whether you already ordered or not, you can help Norwood by placing another order, or by donating to them directly. Some children/families aren’t as lucky as you and I - and they need our help. Also if you think someone will enjoy my book and wants his order to count towards what Norwood does - don’t hesitate to email him/her the above link.

Thanks for your time and invaluable support!!

Joni D

Illustration’s source: Donal Casey

Dear friends and followers,

As I write this, we are at 303 pre-orders. Wow. I was sitting here yesterday morning, thinking, "oh, would it not be cool if we could clear 300 tonight?" And here we are. 303. You know what this means?

It means we now get to gaze across the desolate plains of 300-400 and despair.

Okay, sort of but not really. Clearing 300 is crossing a psychological barrier. It puts the end goal of 750 that much closer, and makes it look that much more attainable. It’s that first digit that makes the difference. We can do this, people. I believe this in a way I didn’t back when we were at 299, and I have you all to thank for it. (The image in the header above is from Jacques-Louis David’s "Leonidas at Thermopylae", because everyone knows "300" equates to "Spartan Awesomeness".)

So ... how about a look at another of the characters you’ll be meeting in this book? Introducing Patrick Norris:

And here’s our weekly look around the bookshelves on Inkshares:

1) "Upload", by Mark Meredith. In a world where people clone themselves in case of death, a New York cop has to solve his own murder. I just came across this today, and it looks SO GOOD. The writing has a deliciously gruff, cynical tone, the sort you might expect in a noir thriller--so I’m jolly well going to read it as one.

2) "Patria", by Robert Groves. A Mexican immigrant to the UK and his adventures with Mexican cuisine. I love food, and I love a story where food makes things better. And anyone who loves Mexican cuisine as much as Groves does (check out his MexiGeek blog) is bound to come up with something suitably poetic.

3) "The Dead Wizard", by Brian Marsden. I’m not a fan of the title, but hey, these things may be changed in production. It’s about goblins investigating a murder ... I’m hoping for a bit of a Pratchett influence, and maybe some observed interaction between goblins and other fantasy races. Also, goblins can be so damnably cute when they’re just messing around.

Clearly, the way to impress me is to include in your premise the words "investigate a murder". Can you blame me, really? Until next time: keep having fun, and keep reading.

Followers and readers, when the Geeks & Sundry contest ended, Jump the Gun had just made the jump to rank 11. Fantastic for a late entry.

Now I need your help. I just released the third chapter, so it is a great time to review and recommend the novel, on Inkshares and everywhere else. Please do so! Word of mouth is vital for the success of the campaign!

If you haven’t already, now is the time to pre-order. It’s a long way to go to 500 for this book to make Quill and be published. This novel is worth it.

I’m also saving up for an art comission by the fabulous Dakota to raise the visibility of the project! Check out her work, she’s brilliant.

Please pre-order, recommend and share. I need you!