Fortunate enough to make my living as a cook, photographer, and designer, fiction is a complement to...
Happy Valentine’s Day...it’s time to give you all some love.
Sunday review/recommendation time. I would have been posting up hours ago, but I am easily distracted when there is snow falling and stray cats feeding outside my back door.
Just as a reminder folks, bold text always denotes an embedded link with my updates. Before I get to my recommendations I’ll give you a quick behind the scenes on my planning for the future of Exile, Magus. I’m thinking about making a few changes to the story(the most major of which is a new introductory scene if I can only think of one, perhaps a prologue of sorts), and to aid in this I have enlisted the help of a few beta readers. The feedback I’ve gotten so far has been insightful and quite useful in keeping my thoughts un-nebulous and mostly focused.
I believe I’ve mentioned it before, but in case I haven’t: my dream layout for Exile, Magus would have a piece of full page cover art in front of each Part as a sort of illuminated title page. To work towards that end I’ve been looking around for artists and have now got quite a long list which I’d like to work with, so I’ll be stopping my search and actually sending out messages to said artists to see whose work I can actually afford. I hope to have a total of 14 pieces of art for Exile, Magus, and if I can find money for it I hope to work this into a giveaway when I most likely relaunch my campaign at a date yet to be determined. No promises or details though, because its far too early for either.
With that out of the way its time to get on to the recommendations. I still have my old shortlist that I’m working through, but I also can’t help but keep getting distracted by some of the wonderful new projects brought out of the woodwork by the current Nerdist Space Opera contest. Since I’ve covered most of the projects on my old shortlist, I plan to cover one book from it, as well as two space opera books today, next Sunday, and then alternate Sundays with this same layout until the contest ends. For the space operas I’m going to try to focus on one which has not made it to the top 10(because who doesn’t love an underdog) as well as one which is in the top 10.
Children of the Wise Oak by Oliver Tooley: My inner pagan has long leaned to the Celtic, so the opening paragraph with its excellent use combination of vivid imagery and Celtic mythology to describe a sunrise was simply mesmerizing to my mind’s eye. From here Mr. Tooley continues with a masterful technique, easily blending exposition, mythology, imagery, and characterization to settle me firmly into the mindset of this particular group of ancient Celts. With this foundation it is impossible not to get swept away into the compelling narrative.
I’m very disappointed that this one hasn’t received more attention yet, it really is a superb work of historical fantasy. Hopefully most of you simply haven’t found it yet and now that I’ve pointed it out to you we can get this book the attention it deserves soon, since its funding deadline is drawing very near - sometime around 3/16 if my math is correct.
To Live and Die in Avalon by Jason Chestnut: Mr. Chestnut’s first chapter succeeds in combining two genres which I’ve always had a (perhaps unsavory) love for - 60’s spy movies and classic science fiction serials. With imagery and characterization absolutely dripping with the sleek and sexy 60’s style blended so well with action and aliens that would easily fit into a Buck Roger’s adventure, To Live and Die in Avalon is such a joy to read that I can’t wait for more.
This is my underdog space opera recommendation, and I cannot understand how it hasn’t already broken into the top 10 on its own. Check it out for yourself and see what I’m talking about.
The Traveller’s Cup by AC Baldwin: I’ve long been a fan of the intermingling of science fiction and fantasy(even doing it myself at times), so how could I possibly pass up reading a book with the premise which it seems one may be able to sum up as a space race/treasure hunt amidst a civil war between space dragons and wizards?
The opening uses well-crafted narrative to quickly give us the exposition and characterization we need to get a good feel for the dynamics between the lowly Grays and aristocratic Lumens, as well as to give us insight into the mind of our unlikely protagonist as he is drawn into the race quite on accident(or his own foolishness, take your pick). The high quality of writing and promise of the concept leaves me desperately hungry for more of Ms. Baldwin’s story.
This is very near to being an underdog in the space opera, sitting at position 10 in the contest as of this writing. I hope to soon see it race up to one of the top 3 spots and stay there.
Wait there’s more! I nearly forgot this bit. I had promised at the end of my campaign that if Exile, Magus hit 300 followers I would post the final sections of Part 6. Well, we passed the 300 mark days ago, so I will be posting up and sending out those sections sometime in the week to come.
That’s all I’ve got for this time, thanks for your time and enjoy yourselves!
Hi guys, so we have 4 days left and unless there is a huge Hail Mary pass coming my way that nobody’s bothered to tell me about, this book won’t make the Quill imprint. Between being sick and work deadlines (I work in film so everything is now, now, now) I’ve not been able to focus on the campaign as much as I would have liked, especially as a few things fell through. But rest assured that this doesn’t mean this book is dead.
I wasn’t depending on this campaign to finish the book, since it’s already been completed and had a first pass at editing. One of the huge attractions of Inkshares was being able to afford to work with one of their professional editors (if we’d reached the 750 mark). So You Might Be a Vampire was first serialized on Wattpad and has over 690K reads over there, and I honestly thought that this would be a good way to get some traction out of the readership, but there is a huge difference between people who want to read for free and people who are willing to pay for it. A small number of Wattpad readers have followed (Hi Sharyl), but ultimately some people are really hard to lead and see an author trying to make a living from a book as "selling out". Go figure, right?
Anyway, my point is this: it’s not going to make it here on Inkshares, so I will make it available to everyone who has ordered. I will get coupons for Amazon for those supporters who wanted the paperback (via CreateSpace). Digital copies will also be available via iTunes and Amazon, so you can read on iPad or your Kindle.
Book 2 (So You Might Not Be Human) is almost complete and you might see that popping up on Inkshares, so I hope to have your support with that (I’ll have a much better campaign planned), especially after your receive your copies of So You Might Be a Vampire.
Thank you for all of your support. You guys have been great.
Greetings, everyone!
I hope you’re enjoying a lazy Sunday, or getting the most out of this love-holiday, to close off a great week. My week has been a roller-coaster ride full of marketing and networking, trying to make sure that The Traveller’s Cup continues on its path toward publication.
First, there’s a new blurb up on the page. I ran this by a group of my writing friends and they agree it packs a better punch, so I hope you enjoy it too. And also that it spurs you to send the link to all your friends.
Second, you guys are amazing. Thanks to you we’ve managed to stay fairly consistently in the top 10. Maintaining this means more exposure for the book, and inspires me to make sure it’s a story worthy of your pledges. For proof of the exposure, check out the article Nerdist did about the campaign, where you can get some details on the inspiration that went into The Traveller’s Cup.
Lastly, despite all of this great news, we have a long way to go still. If we all share with our friends and communities enough to get one more order each, we could reach first place. Please help me make this happen.
With all the warm Valentine fuzzies you could ask for and then some,
-AC
Behold! The very rare, snowy update!
Hey everyone. Sorry to be so quiet as of late. There’s been a lot going on between grad school and...well mostly grad school. But I’ve spent the last two days in the library preparing presentations (and writing a short story) so hey, let’s have some news.
An Unattractive Vampire Update:
This week I gave final notes on the e-book version of the book. So everything is on schedule for people getting their books on time. (I know because lots of you keep asking me about that.) Additionally, Inkshares is in talks to throw a launch party here in Chicago. I won’t put out too many details until things are finalized, but keep the evening of Friday March 18 free or rather, come do your St. Patrick’s Day weekend drinking with me at soon-to-be-disclosed location (well probably before and/or after soon-to-be-disclosed location. I doubt the bookstore actually serves booze.) There are also other things in the works that I probably can talk about, but hey let’s be mysterious and pretend I can’t. So yes, hush, hush, secret, secret, upcoming podcast appearances. Shhh....you read nothing.
Also I have five hundred shiny new postcards that will be finding their way into every coffee shop I can find.
Inkshares:
There’s a new contest! The Nerdist and Geek and Sundry are holding a series of themed contests to publish more books. (Swoon.) The first one runs from now until March 15 and is all about Space Opera. Now, I’ll be honest with all the work I’ve been doing writing stories about Nikola Tesla and ghosts and reading Arthurian legends (you know, like you do in grad school) I haven’t had a chance to check out what’s out there. But I will (soon) and you should. So visit the contest page here and see what’s what.
Other News:
On February 5th, it was announced that for the second year in a row, I was a winner of the Midnight Audio Theatre Scriptwriting Competition. What does this mean? Well, it means that Midnight Audio Theatre will be producing my piece "The Fairie Wood"--a tale of an arrogant lord who learns it does not pay to run afoul of fairies--will be produced sometime this year. So yay! More good news. (For those who might be interested, I will you link you to my arctic horror piece from last year, "Last Transmission."
I feel like there’s more to tell. There probably is and I’m forgetting it (or maybe that’s my homework. AAAAAH!) Anyway, I hope you all are well and I promise you will get your books soon. This isn’t just all an elaborate scheme to steal tens of dollars from you. (Or is it? MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)
Announcing Blood Dawn Risk!
Coming soon, to see the Blood Dawn funding campaign to an end, I will be hosting a game!
I wanted to take a moment today to discuss some of the features of the upcoming game, its purpose, and how you can personally get involved.
Blood Dawn Risk will see God-Kings and Dragons competing for control of territory in the world of Blood Dawn. Those who have achieved official God-King or Dragon status as of today — by pre-ordering three or seven copies of Blood Dawn, respectively — will be prime competitors on the map. Did you only order one copy? Or did you miss your chance to be a God-King or a Dragon in time for the game? There’s still a role for you in the game! If anything, you’ll be courted by other God-Kings and Dragons, hoping to get you to ally with their forces.
In the set-up of the game, laid out on the official Blood Dawn map, God-Kings will have Houses assigned to a territory. Houses want to gain control of as much territory as possible, by expanding into neighbouring territory. There are rules in place, though, so Houses can’t just rampage across the land, doing what they want! A house must have a troop strength equal to or higher than that of the territory they wish to claim.
Houses may wish to overtake territory already claimed by another house! If this happens, then the Houses will move to the game’s built-in dice combat system to battle against each other. The winner will claim the strength of the House they’ve overpowered. Houses may also form alliances with each other, if they choose to get along.
But this is the world of Blood Dawn, where nothing is easy.
Hidden covertly in unclaimed territory will be the Dragons. If a House tries to claim territory that a Dragon is inhabiting, the House must battle the Dragon, using the dice combat system. If the House wins, it adds the strength of the Dragon to its troops. But if the House loses, then the Dragon can start roving the land, leaving death and destruction in its wake!
Houses and Dragons can add to their troop strength by pulling their friends in to pre-order a copy of Blood Dawn. Each pre-order equals one boost in strength for a House’s troops or hit points for a Dragon. So, to win, you or your alliance, must bring your fantasy-loving friends into the fold, selling them on Blood Dawn!
And with this game, there are lots of fantastic prizes. While some of the prizes are yet to be determined, the grand prize, awarded to the Dragon or House that emerges triumphant, is one to make any Blood Dawn fan envious! The winner (or winning alliance) will receive a one-hour Skype conversation with me to discuss the formation of a unique nation that will then be worked into the next revision of Blood Dawn! That’s right — the winner of this game gets to help craft the novel!
Through this game, we will achieve a boost in pre-orders of Blood Dawn. If we can hit 750 pre-orders, Blood Dawn will qualify for the full Inkshares publishing imprint, which includes comprehensive editing, full publication, wide distribution, and promotion by Inkshares. So, by helping to win this game, you’re helping Blood Dawn reach many more readers.
The official rules, game web page (complete with dice combat and a chat terminal), and your place in the game, will all be announced soon! Houses and Dragons will have a chance to amass allies shortly before the game is officially launched.
I want to take a moment to thank the amazing people that are helping see this game from vision to reality. Joseph Terzieva, author of The Lost Generation, is writing all of the game code and compiling all of the programming. Cara Weston, author of She Is The End, helped craft the initial idea and really pushed me to see it through to completion. And John Anderson, my artist, has coloured my map and is creating custom emblems for Houses, Dragons, and other game components. If you haven’t already pre-ordered Joseph or Cara’s books, please click on the links above to pre-order their books and show your appreciation for the incredible work they’ve done.
I will be contacting all of the God-Kings and Dragons soon to get them started on preparing for the game — so if you’re one of these people, keep an eye on your inbox for an email from me. And if you’re not one of these individuals, still keep an eye on your inbox for the email announcing the start of the game — you can check out the webpage and follow along, and perhaps pre-order a copy and ally your strength with a Dragon or House!
Thank you so much for your time.
John Robin
