Hello explorers, investigators, and general purveyors of the strange and the occult. Another update awaits you for The Darkest Places ~ When last we left off with the narrative, an evil ritual ended with blood, though not perhaps with the blood of the expected. A terrible evil has entered the world, and the question now turns to how, and why...

Chapter Two is now live, introducing to readers the characters of James Porter and Professor Richard Forsythe, the presumptive heroes of this dark tale. I hope everyone enjoys, and remember, it’s never too late to throw your support behind The Darkest Places. While currently we may be down, this contest is barely even started. 

Enjoy ~ 

Early end-of-week update! I usually try and give you a nice send off into the weekend with one, but I have really exciting news to tell you!  Sorry for the length!

The Epic Fantasy Syndicate chose The Living God as their September book to support. I woke up this morning with this lovely email waiting for me in my inbox! I’m honored and ecstatic to have their support this month. (And you unknowingly gave me an amazing birthday present! Sept. 26th!)

Magic, multiple universes, fantastic writing, and best of all it’s just the first in a series of four books. The Living God is everything The Epic Fantasy Syndicate could possibly ask for.

There are so many wonderful books and authors and I’m honestly just really warm and fuzzy from the support I’ve received from both the Syndicate and the other members of the Inkshares community this week. You guys are fantastic. 

As you know, I’ve got the book cover incentive running, where if you pre-order The Living God you get cover art designs for as little as $10. A pretty good deal considering a cover designed by a professional cover artist can run you upwards of $150 - $200. The initial goal was to help get The Living God closer to its Quill goal, but it has also given me immense fulfillment. 

I’m a graphic designer by trade, and an illustrator and writer by passion. I got into graphic design because of books and a desperate calling towards the publication design field. There are slim pickings in that area right now as far as a career, so I veered off into web work because... bills. I  freelance doing publication design and cover design just to maintain the connection to that part of my soul. 

Doing these covers for authors has brought me so much joy. I love making them. I love the excitement those authors show when they get that shiny new cover. I put a face to their book, if you will. I just really love helping authors. So, check out the authors who have supported The Living God in more ways than simply pre-ordering. They’ve given fuel to my soul.

Storm Song by Allison Griner
A Tale of Ghosts and Guardians by Ryan Cook
The Spark Internal by Jacob Browning
Squeaky Clean by Steven Barrie
Are You Sure You Want To Quit? Alisa King

There are a few others that are in the queue for production: a chapter illustration for Sunshine is Forever by Kyle T. Cowan, and covers for Merlin Unmasked by Christina Enquist and Awakening by Michelle Morone. 

News:
Did an interview for the Inkshares blog where they asked the Top 10: What fantasy world would you live in and why? 

I did an interview with Geekadelpia and I am just waiting on that one to role out so I can share it with you.

Also, I was told not to put more than three or four chapters up because not many people would be interested in them until they got their copy of the book. What is your oppinion on that? Do you want to see more? Is your decision hanging on that next chapter posting? Let me know with a DM!

Character Bio:

ODAN MARKI

Odan Marki was an orphan Ice Mage taken in by the army, as most children with the promise of power are. He was raised within the palace walls from infancy to adulthood and views the King with reverence. He sees Yarin as his father figure. He hates Saran because of her willful defiance of her father and her disrespect. He silently holds a competitive need to outshine her in the hopes of winning Yarin’s favor.

Faoii! Today marks a HUGE victory for us!

Please greet our newest warriors on the field. 35 fighters joined our battle today, as we’ve been backed by the Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters syndicate! This is the greatest honor I could have expected for The Last Faoii on inkshares (other than publication). I am proud to display their medal on our wall. Between that and the Teen Reads syndicate medal, people will soon recognize our merit.

Here’s what the syndicate had to say: 

"Nelson has created a fully realized world with many amazing fully developed badass female characters. At the helm of this adventure is a protagonist to keep your eye on- she’s smart, she’s flippant, she’s unstoppable with a sword and she’s about to undergo the loss of her sisters...Join the Faoii now for fierce battles, witty banter and a main character you’ll fall in love with!"

I am also proud to say that their support has brought us to 7th place in the Geek and Sundry contest. We’ve risen higher on that hill than ever before, and we’re constantly getting closer to the summit. We can do this, Faoii. Shields up!

Faoii-Tahani