Dear friends and followers,

It continues to be slow on the pre-order front--Summer is meant for lazy, restful naps in the sun--but that does not mean I have been completely idle. I have plans for a second Peterkin mystery game, which I hope to unveil in a couple of weeks.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could just spend all my time writing? Both games and books. I guess I could consider Patreon for that, but I figure the pre-order thing with Inkshares is better. A one-time contribution can lead to publication, which in turn leads to sales and royalties ... it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Speaking of games and books, the video-game oriented Nerdist contest just ended, and I am pleased to say that "Too Many Controllers" came in first. A number of you contributed to that win, and we’ve compiled a video to express our gratitude.

It’s a first taste of publication, folks. And that is bloody exciting.

And in the continuing series of introductions to the characters you’ll meet in "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", here’s (Lord) Oliver Saxon, the fifth and last of the club officers:

Here’s a bit of trivia that didn’t make it into the book:

In the UK, a military Mess is normally run by a Mess Committee comprising of seven members: the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and three members responsible for stocking the bar, organising the entertainment, and maintaining the premises. The Veterans’ Club is almost certainly derived from such a Mess, which suggests there ought to be seven members on the board of officers, not five. I blame Bradshaw for this: it is my belief that he proved so efficient as Secretary that he swallowed up the offices of the Treasurer and the member responsible for maintaining the premises. No doubt, once he’s gone, the Vet will find itself in need of an additional two officers on the board to bring them back up to seven.

Then again, has the Mess Committee always been as described, and was it so in the days of the club’s founding?

Until next time: have fun and keep reading.

I know I said that my previous update was going to be the last one until the contest came to a close but I just received a note from fellow Inkshares author Christopher Irvin that a guest blog post all about SQUIDS IN that we put together a while back has finally gone live. You can read it here - http://christopherirvin.net/2016/07/13/inkshares-interview-matthew-poat-squids-in/

Christopher is currently funding his illustrated novel WRESTLETOWN and it both sounds and looks absolutely awesome. I certainly have my physical copy ordered and I would encourage you to go and order a copy too - https://www.inkshares.com/books/wrestletown?referral_code=9df46898

With regards to the contest, it looks like 5th place is out of reach now after a surge of support for "Mothering : The Game" but I don’t begrudge that. The book is wonderful and I myself have ordered a few physical copies.

Now I just need to try and secure 6th place which may prove tough since both "SideScroller" and "A Soldier’s Crest : Imperium" are currently nipping at my heels. If only I could get Hendrix the octopus to help out, but he’s gone AWOL.

Matthew

This is not a drill...only one day left to get your preordered, first edition copy of the gaming anthology Too Many Controllers.  I will be contributing a cyberpunk short story to this future masterpiece, and if you are a fan of Deus Hex Machina, you are gonna want to read this story because it’s canon.  Tomorrow the funding period ends on TMC, so now is your last chance to get your copy.

I am in the planning stages of my short story, but will have it completed by the end of the month. Here’s the premise: Amiina Kym is a brilliant research scientist, the sort who graduate from med school at 18 and complete grad school in a year. Being in the 28th century, she attended university virtually, she spent her entire grad school career working to create a cure for the horrible disease that killed her mother. But she’s at an impasse. 

First there’s the fact that she’s living out on a floating algae farm off the coast of Orange County. It’s not exactly like you can get research supplies easily when you’re on a former oil rig in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Second is that although she’s narrowed down the last component she needs for the serum, that component no longer exists; it was killed off centuries ago by the Los Angeles Plague.

So Amiina is stuck in her research, stuck in a dead end job playing nurse to a bunch of crotchety algae farmers, stuck without a degree to justify the time and expense she’s poured into this serum. The only thing that saves her from going completely insane is Dyad Online, the VRMMO she spends every spare moment playing, and her dashing battle partner known only as Harrow.  When fighting the last boss of the game becomes much more than just getting the world first kill, Amiina learns that digital decisions have real world consequences.

Right now I’m running with the working title of "Final Boss," and I’m excited to delve into a world of high stakes gaming, digital adventure, and virtual romance. Want to know more about Amiina?  Then preorder your copy of Too Many Controllers today and find out which DHM character makes a cameo!