OMG, I just had to report on this! Rob Batten and his Human Resources has just won one of the major prizes in the 2016 Launch Pad competition! He is one of the two recipients of the Scott Free prize. That’s Ridley Scott!!!

Congratulations, Rob! What a terrific accomplishment! I am happy for you, and actually, this helps us all on Inkshares. It helps solidify this platform as one that can deliver top-notch works, with ideas suitable for mass consumption. We are on Hollywood’s radar! Thanks, Rob!!

Again, congratulations, Rob! Great job! :D

You might remember the mock Thanatos covers I made a while back as promotional material. Well, I revisited those, edited them - and here they are! There’s an edited version of the original and a brand new, minimalistic one too.  These are just for fun - the cover from Inkshares will most likely take a completely different approach - but these give some good insight into the aesthetic of Thanatos. Now I’m back to writing!

HELLO 

IT’S ME

(did I already do this reference in a previous update? whatever, my memory is shot to hell right now so i’m gonna go with it)

I WAS WONDERING IF AFTER ALL THESE MONTHS YOU’D LIKE AN UPDATE

TO GO OVER EVERYTHING

I’D FORGOTTEN HOW IT FELT TO DEPENDABLY SEND UPDATES AND MAKE PROGRESS ON MY MANUSCRIPT

...The world has shifted, a new human exists that didn’t exist outside my body before, and I’m BACK. 

Here’s the peanut that has been taking up all of my time and energy and brain power:

This is Eleanor. She’s the bee’s knees.

Now that I’ve gotten through a few weeks of recovery, I’m back to editing my book! The crazy postpartum hormones left me wanting to read a ton of emotional books, watch a ton of science fiction movies, and listen to a bunch of new music. I think I’m filling up my creative tank while I rest my brain and body, and soon I’ll be able to make those next-level edits that really polish my book into something special.

I’ve been listening to these songs over and over again, for reference (sorry not sorry to all the pop music haters):

Let’s Hurt Tonight by OneRepublic

I’ll Be Good by Jaymes Young

I Found by Amber Run

Go listen to those while eating oatmeal cookies and crying, and you will have insight into my brain right now. 

I’ll let you all know as soon as I send out the second half of my book to beta readers (because no, I didn’t get it done before the baby came... the end of pregnancy is hard, my friends) and then I’ll tell you when the thing is done done. 

And then I’ll cry some more!

It is now one week to Christmas, and a bit under two weeks to the end of The List. On the 30th, we shall see how our pre-order volume measures up against everyone else’s--I’m expecting a bit of jump in everybody else’s pre-order volume over the Christmas holidays as they meet up with distant relatives they haven’t spoken to all year, so let’s try not to get left behind. Make sure you’ve got your pre-order in!

Competing in The List ... well, that puts one in mind of a certain sport, doesn’t it?

Except the jousting in this List is done with pages. (And did you know that the official state sport of Maryland is jousting?)

Eric Peterkin, the hero of "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", doesn’t joust, but he does have dreams of Arthurian chivalry. The novel compares him to Sir Pellinore, one of King Arthur’s knights of the round table: according to legend, Sir Pellinore’s primary hobby was the pursuit of the mythical Questing Beast, a creature with the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the feet of a deer, and a constant sound in its belly described as like "thirty brace of hounds a’questing"--hence its name. (Apparently the verb "to quest" once meant "to bark". Think of that the next time you read of heroes gone a’questing.)

The comparison is rooted in Eric’s Quixotic need to go chasing after something--anything!--and, in the novel, his "Questing Beast" is the identity of the murderer. Just as Sir Pellinore isn’t happy unless he’s out chasing his Beast, Eric won’t be happy unless he’s doing the same. Not that he’d ever admit it, of course.

In the meantime: happy Christmas, everybody! And may your new year be awesome!

Hey Everybody.  I took a hiatus from Inkshares because I had some creative differences with the site and so I could finish up Seven Days Dead on my own.  It’s done and self published on Amazon and Createspace now, and I remembered why I came to Inkshares in the first place: Community.  I’ve gotten some really good reviews and support on Seven Days Dead but, By Jove, it’s beyond difficult to get people to rate and review on Amazon.  Since that’s a direct impact on sales.....well, you get the picture.  So I thought I’d get The Lion in Darkness rolling again on this site, amidst folk who will appreciate it.

So.  The Lion In Darkness is taking preorders again and there are more chapters up on the page for you to read and hopefully they will entice you to support the project.  Be on the look out for these chapters to hit your inboxes soon.

Thank you all, and lets try and get this one published by someone who ISN"T me!

Happy Holidays readers!

So, I’ve been spending my Holiday break refining the latest (third) draft and we are now sitting at about 94,000 words, twenty-three chapters, a prologue, epilogue and a partridge in a pear tree. I’ve beefed up the novel with more detail, more backstory, and a parallel series of flashbacks that take place in the swinging sixties that’s adds more context to the motivations of the main characters. I also think the addition of a prologue (much like the cold opening of a Bond film) and an epilogue (much like the post-credits scenes we see so often nowadays) really adds a bit more bang for your buck, story-wise as well as leaving the door open for future installments. It’s a constant process, but I think I’m just about the point where I can hand this off to beta readers to get some much needed feedback. 

And what say you, faithful followers, about possibly relaunching an Inkshares campaign? Not now, I’m not at that point just yet, but perhaps in a couple of months after Holiday fatigue has worn off. The novel has evolved so much since I first started working on it over a year ago and I feel much more confident that I can get people excited about it and see it become a reality. Without the pressures of a contest or a crowdfunding campaign over the past few months, I’ve been able to really crack this open and refine it and there’s still more work to be done. Exciting times!

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and Happy New Year!

J

With only 20 days left, I know it’s still possible for "Tales From Mist Lake’ to get in the 250 goal. However I know it is very slim. Only 6 orders have been processed. Not sure if this has to do with the stories or marketing. I’m not really sure. Really could use feedback in the event it does not meet preorder goal. In the event I do not make the orders needed I will push out another campaign in March with paperbacks instead of hardcover. (Hopefully I can change that does anyone know?)

Since the original stories were implied to be interconnected I have been revising many of them for a smoother connection that gives each story a connection to another. In many cases it will connect to the next short story. (Sorry I have not posted more updates)

Please spread the word about my work. Or give me feedback on ways to improve the stories.

Take a look of the new working cover.

Thank you again for your time. I hope we can get the ball rolling. I just want to thank my followers for keeping up with me as things go along.