Howdy! And my sincerest best wishes for you and yours through whatever hand this mad time may have dealt you.

Just a quick update. Earlier this week, I received my third editorial letter for Bane of All Things from my awesome editor, Sarah Nivala. Sarah is quite happy with where we are with the current draft and so am I.

Through two rounds of developmental editing that enriched description, provided more context for readers to be better be able to get a handle on the complexity of this story, and to make my characters and their interactions with each other more engaging, BoAT has gotten a little thicker -- from 129,000 words as first submitted to Inkshares, to 158,000.

Formatted as a trade paperback, this equates to about 500 pages. That’s still relatively lean compared to many of the epic fantasy titles out there these days that are bending bookshelves, but Sarah has offered some great ideas on how to tighten up the story. (Hint: Chapter Four may be the new Chapter One).

Over the next month, I will be working on those revisions, and then BoAT will be handed off to Inkshares CEO Adam Gomolin for his thoughts.

At present, we still don’t have a publication date. Due to the impact of pandemic lockdown measures on bookstores and the kind of public gathering launch events that are key to a successful kick-off for a new book, Inkshares is not releasing any new titles until 2021.

As soon as I have insight on when BoAT may finally be in your hands, you will, too.

On the cancer front, I have continued to be in good health since my last update. Today marks five weeks into my one year of gene therapy medication that promises to beat this thing forever. I am glad to say that the side effects of the meds have so far been less severe than I had feared they might be.

Stay tuned, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued faith and patience.

Cheers

Leo

Aloha All,

I hope this Lost in the Fog update finds you all safe and well.  While our world has been upended by a dangerous and awful virus, I’m choosing to focus on whatever positive news I can get.  Thankfully, there is plenty if you seek it out. 

First off, the healthcare workers all over the world are such amazing heroes, and I cannot say enough thanks to all of those amazing humans. I think of that great quote from Mr. Rogers, who was told by his Mom when he saw scary things as a kid to “look for the helpers”.  There are so many incredible helpers right now saving lives and we need to salute them every day.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I also love that there are millions of people around the globe protesting and taking a stand against racism.  I wish the despicable things that propelled this movement never happened, and I pray for the family and friends of all of the victims.  But so wonderful that the world is changing because of this moment.   

After pondering all of this important stuff, I’m tempted to end this post here. 

But as this is an update for all the terrific people who pre-ordered my novel, I’ll quickly share some good news.   I just heard back from the amazing people at Inkshares (my publisher), and while they are not yet reopened because of the pandemic, they hope to do so soon.  

And I was informed Lost in the Fog will be released in August.

I’m so happy that the book you all graciously ordered long ago will finally be in your hands and e-reader devices very soon.  I hope you’ll find it fun, mysterious, entertaining, suspenseful, and well-written.  When I get a specific August release date, I’ll share it with you as soon as I know.   But for now, lets celebrate this positive news!  

Feel grateful to be working. Being a remote-working introvert, not much has changed for me. Hope all is well with you my friends and fellow writers. Are you using this time getting busy with writing? 

Read an article about the state of booksellers in this pandemic time. It concerned me. Folks are likely shopping at Amazon to get their book fix. I do too, but thought: What if I bought some books on Inkshares? We all have an interest in keeping the enterprise sailing along, right? Whatever happens happens, but I still believe, so I committed to buying five books. Here are my picks:

Abomination

https://www.inkshares.com/books/abomination

Dracula vs. Hitler

https://www.inkshares.com/books/dracula-v-hitler

Welcome to Deadland

https://www.inkshares.com/books/welcome-to-deadland

The Love Fool

https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-love-fool

One Murder More

https://www.inkshares.com/books/one-murder-more

The Talkers are Talking

https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-talkers-are-talking

Okay, there are six now—all trade or hardcover books, me being an old school boomer who likes his paper. Some of these are on my Kindle app but they’re dead to me there. And The Talkers are Talking is still in production. Darn! Guess I’ll have to wait for that one.

Hello friends and Family

Feb. 19, 2020

Hello everyone! I know it has been a long time since I’ve updated through Inkshares while The Devil Inside was waiting to enter production -- but I have great news! I received word on Valentine’s Day that The Devil Inside has been assigned an editor and is officially moving into production. I don’t have a specific release date yet but it will be sometime this summer (I’m guessing August).

For all of you who were so awesome during my funding period and pre-ordered a copy, that means the wait is almost over. As we get closer to the release date, I’ll get in touch with each of you to remind you what you ordered (and when) so that you know what to expect when the book releases. (And if you haven’t ordered yet, now’s a great time to get your pre-order in and be one of the first to get a copy!)

I will be sending other updates as production progresses but will likely send them via my e-newsletter because I have a number of contacts outside the Inkshares platform as well and I want to streamline my messages. If you would like to be on that mailing list -- and I promise, I don’t spam! -- please go to my website: www.susankhamilton.com and fill out the form. Once I get that notification, I’ll add you!

Thanks again for your patience. I can’t wait for all of you to have your official copy of Devil to finally read!

Best,

Susan

Aloha All,

I’m happy to share with you that Lost in the Fog is nearly ready to reach your hands and eyes as a published book!  Inkshares is currently doing the design pour, which is one of the final steps before it’s printed.  While I don’t have a hard date yet, publication will be either this April or May.

I also have the cover I can at long last reveal to you! 

Lost in the Fog shares a few strands of DNA with the Maltese Falcon, the Big Sleep, and a few other of my favorite classic mystery novels.  And the cover is a pulp fiction inspired throwback to those books, designed by the immensely talented team at Coverkitchen.  I present it to you below.

There was a ton of back and forth and revisions, and I’m thrilled with their final version.  Although I love the old pulp covers, I wasn’t sure if it would work for my book, and originally considered more modern designs.  But in the end Xavier and Rafa of Coverkitchen came up with the throwback concept, and nailed it.

So excited to be in the home stretch, and I’ll continue to keep everyone updated!

Greetings wonderful followers!

Today is a very special day. Two years ago today, my first novel, Beyond the Code, was released out into the world. Alot has happened in that time. I’ve met tons of like-minded writers from all around the world, Beyond the Code has been praised by several professional book reviewers, got it made into an audiobook, got Beyond the Code on bookshelves of major bookstores along with doing signings at said stores, and spoke as an author at a couple panels at a writers convention.  It’s been a crazy couple of years and, even though I’m not at where i wished I would be, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. It isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but those small victories are earned and I am grateful for them.

I’ll admit, these last two years have had there share of bumps. I’ve had to take a hard look at what I truly wanted, both professionally and personally, and it made me re-evaluate my stances of things. I’m still figuring out the kinks in my future plans but I think I’m getting to a good place, slowly but surely.

Sorry for digging deep on you but I was feeling nostalgic, due to the date, and I wanted to mark the occasion with something. Not with links or pleas to check out my work, but with a heart felt thank you. Most of you are the ones who decided to follow and support my work in the campaign stage and I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for all of you. So again, THANK YOU!!

The sequel is coming along and I am super excited about where it’s going. Once I get my footing on it, expect some teasers in the future and I may be reaching out to some of you in the beta readers stage. Wish me luck.

Kelsey Rae Barthel

Hi, backers!

I’m not going to lie - I’ve been in a rut with this book over the past several months. I’ve completed several other projects since then, and I haven’t felt the same connection to it that I have in the past. I spoke with my editors at Inkshares, and we’re taking another approach to the new draft. It feels weird to revisit my old words, but I’m looking at them with a fresh eye, which is good.

I’ve updated my Inkshares page with the first four new chapters, if you’d like to take a look here. Please feel free to send me your thoughts! I’d love to get this thing in fully polished shape for you to read in its entirety soon.

Thanks for your support over these past two years.

Cari

Well it has been a minute!

Greetings wonderful followers!!

We have gone through another holiday season and rampaged into a new year. I hope you have all had a fun and eventful time. Speaking of eventful, things have been happening with Beyond the Code and I want to share the news.

First off, for my Edmontonian followers, Beyond the Code has been included in the Capital City Press Collection. This is a program within the city of Edmonton to include works from local authors into the city’s many Libraries. This year, the books chosen will be featured in the brand new Stanley A Milner Library in the downtown core. See the link below

https://epl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2044774005

Secondly, the Beyond the Code audio book has received several reviews through Audible.com and now is standing at a 4.7 rating. Check out what they have to say and if you sign up with Audible, you can get an audio book for FREE! See the link below and give it a shot.

https://www.audible.ca/pd/Beyond-the-Code-Audiobook/B07XVNFSDS

Next thing, Beyond the Code has been reviewed on Onlinebookclub.org. 3 out of 4 stars!! Follow the link and see what they have to say.

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=129849

And last but not least. This is something I am very excited about. Sometime ago, I entered Beyond the Code into the 2019 Screencraft Cinematic Book Competition and, I am happy to tell you, that Beyond the Code has made it through the first hurdle and is in the Quarter Finals!! Follow the link below if you want to know about the contest and the other Quarter Finalist and wish me luck. They will be announcing the Semi Finalist on Feb 12th.

https://screencraft.org/2020/01/08/2019-screencraft-cinematic-book-competition-quarterfinalists-announced/?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019+Stage+Play%2C+Book+%26+Short+Story+Quarterfinalists+Announced

Thank you all for your continuing support and feedback. If you haven’t already, make sure to give Beyond the Code a review on Goodreads or Amazon. Reviews are the lifeblood of every Indie author plus, I love to hear what you all thought of my work. 

Thanks again for all your continuing support and I hope to bring you good news in the future.