Happy New Year Everyone!  I hope that 2019 is off to exactly the start you were hoping for.

I recently discovered a review that was posted back in December. That was quite the nice new year discovery!

I wanted to let you all know that paperbacks of More Fun and Games are now available! You can get them the following ways:

Your own friendly local bookstore can order them through Ingram. It’s ISBN 9780578214610 
or
You can order them through Amazon 
or
If you would like a signed/inscribed copy, you can order them through my own friendly local bookstore, The Briar Patch.  If you had previously ordered the ebook on release day, you can use the code EBOOKFUN to save 99 cents on the purchase. You can put in inscription requests in the comment section at checkout.

I’m also determined to write more this year, which at least so far has exhibited itself in the form of working on my webpage, authordavebarrett.com. In particular, I’m going to be writing mini-blurbs/reviews of books as I read them this year. I’ve got two posted already, though I’m certainly not going to maintain a two-book-a-week pace. I’m also going to try to keep up with my blog.

As always, you can follow me on twitter or check out my facebook page.

And not but least, if you’ve already read More Fun and Games and haven’t left a review at your favorite etailers and Goodreads, please do so! A review is like giving an author a hug!

Thank you all for your continued support.

Dave

Oh My Darlings, Happy New Year!

Sent version three of MINE back to the Inkshares Dev Editor today.

That Dev Letter document was a powerful learning vehicle for me. I’ve read it many, many times, and the guidance it provided should translate into an improved story for your enjoyment. (Not to mention my other secret weapon...)

Also, took time to work up another cover comp for the project entry. Can’t go back to the original title. Although nothing is for certain, the current title, MINE, is working well for me.

Check it out: https://www.inkshares.com/books/murder-happens

A lot of excitement around the recent contest winners here on Inkshares. Looks like a lot of original work and promising premises from talented authors. Looking forward to seeing those projects in print.

Also, picked up ESCAPE! Writers Bloc Anthology, available here: https://www.amazon.com/ESCAPE-Writing-Bloc-Anthology-Cooperative-ebook/dp/B07KPZRP39/ and savored a couple delicious stories already.

So, things are progressing. Thank you for your support, and your patience.

Dean Fearce

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were wonderful and that your 2019 is off to a good start.

It’s hard for me to write without starting with this-- my Grandma died on the morning of the 19th. My grandma, Kathleen, was a third caretaker for me as a child. I lived with her during highschool. She taught me how to sew, how to crossstitch, and how to drive. Her extensive book collection and daily reading habit influenced my own love of books and I’m sure are part of what led me toward being a writer. I’ve been feeling like I can’t do much writing until I write about her, but I’m not really ready to do so extensively. So I’ve put it on the backburner-- I’m letting it simmer til the right words are ready to come out, and I’m working on other things. 

One of the three protagonists in Rock of Ages is inspired by my Grandma, and I’m sure when I start working on that storyline again, it will be tough. I’m working on Cassidy, the modern 20-something, right now, and I just got to the part where she’s visiting her grandma in a care home. It’s intense, but I hope my experience visiting my grandma in the days before she died, and my love for her, will show. I read the most recent version of the prologue out loud to her and it was some of the most aware and awake she was during our visit. I’m so glad she got to hear it, and so sad she won’t get to read the whole thing. 

On a happier note, I’ve created a year-long reading challenge for writers. Take a look and let me know if you plan to try it!

And on a much happier note, though Rock of Ages is still deep in the editing process, as of today I am officially a published author! It’s publication day for the Writing Bloc Anthology, ESCAPE! We started out as a little support group and soon decided we would be much more than that. We put out a call for submissions, engaged in an extensive peer editing process, and utilized our varied talents to take on design, marketing, and distribution! We made a real book with 20 great stories in it! 

My story, "Aspirant," is about an aspiring nun at a Zen monastery (based on Deer Park in Escondido). She’s there trying to escape a past of sexual trauma but at a young adult retreat develops a crush on an attendee. She has to decide whether to remain at the monastery or pursue her promising new love interest.

The whole anthology is only $2.99 today but will go up to $5.99 tomorrow! Please consider ordering it and supporting independent authors and publishing! I’m so excited to hear what you think about my story!

I’m wishing you all a very happy New Year. I hope it is everything you want it to be.

Hey everyone!

Hello my friends, and Happy New Year!

I know I’ve been missing for a bit, but I’ve been hard at work. And I didn’t want to update you with nothing to update. Sorry for the prolonged absence. It’s been a crazy year. 

But 2019 is already starting out to be a big success. As I have several outlets to update to, I decided to condense everything into the following blog post: 
https://talltalestold.com/2019/01/01/the-tale-of-my-first-published-work/

Long story short, as far as The Man Who Stole The World goes, I’m still hard at work, and I thank you all for your love, support, and patience. 2018 was a rough year, a busy year, but ultimately a good year. The book is still on, it’s still going to be a while, but it’s going to be great. I promise. 

Let me know if you have any trouble reading the blog entry or if you have any questions. 

I’m still here, still working, and, as always, I love you all.

I wish everyone a healthy and happy 2019. 

-Michael

The 14th has come and gone, and the Inkshares Mystery & Thriller Contest is over. Unfortunately for us, both "Richly Drawn" and "Ripe for Execution" put on a last-minute spurt and forged ahead, leaving us in fourth place and off the winners’ podium.

HOWEVER

While we don’t have a guaranteed publishing deal, we still have a chance. Inkshares is currently evaluating each of the entrants for inclusion as an "additional winner". A number of contest entries have been counting on this "additional winner" spot, I believe; but I also believe that fighting for a top three spot (even if we failed!) has put us in a much better position to get it.

We should know by January whether we’re going to get the go-ahead after all.

In the meantime, pre-orders remain open on "Cat’s Paw" until the end of January, and Christmas is almost upon us. I don’t know about you, but I refuse to let any of this get me down. May the new year bring all the best we could hope for!

Today is the one year Anniversary that U-turn at Next Synapse has been out among the wild world of cinematic literature. In other words, my book’s birthday. Woo Hoo!

Thank you to everyone, especially the Inkshares team who has made this dream into a mouth watering reality. It has been quite a year; Sold a little over 400 copies, including three at Skylight Books, not to mention 4 Amazon reviews, and did someone say audio book for 2019??

If you have not checked out this adventurous tour o’ madness and whimsy, I encourage you to do so. I would love for this book to sail to new heights, for I am not done with this story yet. Not by a long shot. 

Stay tuned for up to date latest news:

Insty & Facebook

As of this writing, we have about FORTY-TWO HOURS LEFT on the Inkshares Mystery & Thriller contest. If you haven’t placed a pre-order yet for "Cat’s Paw", now would be the time to do it.

From the last will and testament of Sir Lawrence Linwood, dated 14 September 1914:

...However, in the event that I should die from unnatural causes, that is, by another’s hand; and, assuming the identity of my killer remains a mystery to the police; then, in lieu of the above, I bequeath the entirety of my residual estate, less the bequests listed in the first section, to whichever of my three children (Alan, Roger, or Caroline) first identifies my killer to the police....

From Sir Lawrence Linwood’s letter to his younger son, Roger Linwood, dated 28 March 1921:

...As such, I will be contacting my solicitors within the next week to alter my will in your favour. I’m afraid Alan will not be pleased, but as he has no time for England, I have no time for him; and Caroline, of course, never expected anything to begin with. Keep this information close to your chest. If anything should happen to me....