Hello Everyone, 

Have you seen the emails yet? You did it! Thanks to your support, Inkshares will publish Lost Generation. Your support places an incredible faith in me, and I will give all that I have to deliver a product worth of the opportunity. In this update, I describe what is next, but first I’d like to give some thanks and recommendations. 

I feel incredibly lucky for the support of my amazing wife, Brenda. She was my inspiration when I doubted myself and a key supporter for spreading the word. I look forward to continued success with you in my life as we grow our family together and pursue our dreams. 

Thank you, D Kirschling, when I was uncertain you used your connections to expose a whole new set of readers to my work. You were the microphone that spread the word when I needed to focus on writing. 

Dan Rooney, you were a madman. You believed in my goals from day one, edited draft after draft, and always gave good feedback. You were up late with me, attuned to the heartbeat of the campaign. My work would be less without you. Take a breath and then maybe take your fiancé out to dinner for putting up with it all. 

Angela Antinucci, when I first took my campaign online, you pre-ordered it immediately, no questions asked. I had not even mentioned it to you yet. The world could use more people like you. 

I am so lucky to be a Sword & Laser winner, but before the project ended, I already won. The bonds and friendships that grew between me and the other writers are greater than any prize and will produce fruit for years to come. As we all fought for the coveted top five positions, nothing was certain, and some of us would not make it. As we celebrate this victory, there are several equally worthy writers that did not earn this chance. I would like to highlight them and ask that if you have remaining credits, or feel generous, that you support their dreams as well. They provided invaluable companionship in the late nights, and I hope to share self-space with all of them in the future. 

These Old Bones by A. J. Ainsworth 

A young summoner must travel a long and dangerous road to appear before a council of master summoners to prove himself worthy of their craft. 

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/these-old-bones 

Ghosts of War by Paul Robinson 

A military sci-fi thriller, 'Ghosts of War' is a planet hopping tale of revenge and retribution, born out of a love of Star Wars and science fiction. 

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/ghosts-of-war 

Rockets by Liam Dynes 

A young girl searches for a long-lost family secret in a world that has lost its capacity for wonder. 

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/rockets 

These writers deserve your attention and share my dream. Please consider them. 

In the weeks and months that follow, you will receive status updates on the project and updated drafts. I welcome your feedback and hope you will enjoy the journey to Lost Generation’s official release. Thank you again for your support. I will take this opportunity and create something truly special. 

PS. My wife has some free time from work, so I’m not proofing this. Sorry for any mistakes, but you have to enjoy life when it is available. Have a wonderful night!

The Milestone of May, or Where Projects May Fail

I set out at the start of 2015 to plan and write a book, so when I heard of the Sword & Laser Contest, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Preparation of the story elements was already underway, but writing was not projected to start until May 1st. I needed to do something. The contest stared me in the face, and the chance was too good to disregard.

Feverishly, I took the material I had, assembled a project page, and produced a plan for the campaign. I would accelerate the first few chapters and develop them concurrently with the summaries. I would advertise through social media, seek out local help, attempt to generate publicity, and build word of mouth.

Since then, I have dedicated my life to the project. If you are reading this, you likely know. When I'm not at work or with my son, I'm either writing or campaigning, and my wife, who has supported me all the way, rarely sees my face. I have pushed myself, listened to feedback, and revised my work over and over. I am confident in the product and overwhelmingly proud every follower and every pre-order, but despite the incredible support shown to me, at this moment, I don't believe it will be enough.

I hoped by diversifying the campaign into multiple channels, one would catch. Advertising generated likes and mentions but did not convert. Local support fell through. I failed to find sources of publicity. And the word of mouth, though minimally successful, was not enough to keep the project in the top five. The flames were stoked, but the fire would not burn brightly.

What does it mean? 

I am unable to muster any publicity in May while I maintain my writing schedule. It falls to you, the reader to spread the word. Read chapters one and two. Do you like them? Would you like to see more? Could you get a friend or family member to pre-order? Don't like what you see? Have questions or thoughts? Send me feedback at joe.terzieva@gmail.com. I require your input to ensure the final product is of the highest quality. It is still possible that we can build a groundswell and earn a position in the top five, but I need your strong involvement to make it possible. Trust me when I say, I've explored and exploited every lead I know and I need your help to extend to a wider audience.

What happens if we miss the first milestone?

If we don't end in the top five at the end of May, the goal shifts to the final milestone for funding July 15th. We will need one-thousand total pre-orders by that date. This goal will require some serious public chatter, so if milestone one looks beyond reach, I will dedicate all campaign effort to find blogs, podcasts, anything that can spread the word. If the word gets out, and the work is high enough quality, it will catch, and we'll get our numbers.

What happens if we fail?

We don't fail. The project was a success the day it started. The incredible support, the lessons learned, it is all indisputably the greatest reward I could receive. The writing schedule remains unchanged. The book will be written, but it will be edited and finalized out of pocket, rather than with the support of Inkshares. The final product, from a production and a distribution standpoint, will suffer, but the story will not change. I will determine the platform and method of delivery and you will read a tale you will not forget.

Please, check out the chapters and spread the word. Only with your help will this succeed.

To all who backed me on the first day, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are just the best. If you know anyone who loves science-fiction, loves books, or loves to back projects, please send them over. This will not succeed without your passion and support. 

Now that you've preordered the book, I will keep you up-to-date with the latest progress details, but I also have a wealth of ancillary photos and information to share as I go along. To save you from the mail blast, I have set up a Facebook page to contain this information. Like the page if you are hungry for more.

https://www.facebook.com/terzieva.writes

From here, I have several avenues to cross and I will determine how best to spend my time. Progress on the structural elements of Lost Generation continues, while the preorder campaign demands that content is produced to build and maintain momentum.

The deadline for the chapter outline nears and fleshing out the story beats and character motivations are priority number one. My primary barometer for success on Lost Generation is to create well-defined characters who live in a fantastic, yet believable world. A solid outline sets the blueprint to ensure smooth sailing as the chapters take shape. For the preorder campaign, I hope to polish more preview content and produce a simple video explaining my motivations and goals to be uploaded on the project page.

Thank you again for your support. Please feel free to comment, discuss, or ask questions on the project page. 

Thank you. You inspire me to produce content worthy of your imaginations and your time.