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!  

Hey everyone,

It’s been a minute since my last update so I hope you all are well and getting in some good reading time as we head into summer. I’m finishing up Suzanne Collins’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (a Hunger Games prequel that is way better and more engrossing than I was expecting) before moving on to John Grisham’s Camino Winds. With everything closed, what else can you do but read (and eat)? But there are worse things to spend time on, right?

I wanted to drop in and say that I had a great phone conversation with Adam (Inkshares CEO) this week. Despite the brutal beating that COVID is putting on indie authors, bookstores, and the publishing industry in general, Inkshares remains in good shape, which means that Showtime will continue to remain in development until its eventual publication.

“But when?” you’re no doubt saying, crossing your arms as you furrow your brow and twist your lips into a pout. “I ordered that book months ago!”

Okay, okay. Cool it, Patrice. You know your blood pressure gets high when you get excited. Let’s chat.

Up until now I’ve worked with Sarah on the developmental edits stage. Now, after two rounds of feedback and drafts, Showtime will be turned over to Adam to read the most recent draft. (For all you kids keeping count at home, this is the 3rd.) He’s got a couple manuscripts in the queue ahead of mine, but his goal is to get back to me with notes and feedback in 4-6 weeks. You can wait that long until another update, right? By then you’ll have prepared for the beginning of summer, eaten your Fourth of July hotdogs, and wished me a Happy Birthday (June 17th *cough, cough*).

A big source of my concern has been Showtime’s word count. Since Inkshares greenlit Showtime for publication, it ballooned from 109,000 to 127,000 before settling down to a more reasonable 118,000. It’s not a ridiculously high number for a suspense/thriller, but the general publishing world guideline is around 100-110k. The cause of the growing word count came from deepening the layers of my characters, so you can imagine my relief when Adam assuaged my concern by saying that he’s not worried about word count if the character work necessitates it. After all, if you care about a character and become invested in their story, you’re going to want to spend as much time with them as possible. Adam seemed to share my belief that characters dictate the word count, not the other way around.

So that’s where we stand with Showtime for now.

In related writing news (when do I have any other kind?), I recently finished the second draft of my third book, Monsters, which is currently in the hands of nine of the best beta readers in town. It’s lean, mean, and hopefully will scar a few people for life. With any luck, you’ll be seeing it in the future as well.

Thanks again for your continued support. I’ll be back with a new update when I have more news to share.

Ricky

Hi there,

I hope this message finds you safe and as healthy as possible given the circumstances. A lot has happened since I last updated you on my memoir, When Force Meets Fate. 

I am so grateful that you ordered the book and I’ve been meaning to reach out sooner but COVID started and flipped everything upside down. The good news is that, while the pandemic has unavoidably delayed the release of my memoir, it’s still going to happen. Right now we are shooting for a January release. It’s later than I had hoped, but with everything going on in the world right now, I think it’s for the best. My hope is that by January COVID will have calmed down and there will be better opportunities to promote the book. 

Right now we are waiting for the manuscript to be copyedited, then we will wrap it up and do another round of promotion before releasing the book. I’m also trying to figure out how to do an audiobook, which will likely be a challenge considering speaking is painful for me. But hopefully we can find a good narrator and get it listed on Audible and other audiobook platforms.

That’s all I have for now, but rest assured we are working hard to get the book to you. I will update you on any new developments. Thank you again for ordering the book. I’m excited for you to read it. 

Stay safe,

Jamison 

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.