Yesterday I got the clearance from editing master extraordinaire Matt Harry to start writing my final draft of Deus Hex Machina. Today I built my new editing scene list to help as a roadmap for what I’ll be doing for the next month. As you can see, most of the book is changing in some way, although a lot of the changes are going to be minor.  I love this part of the process: Getting to dive into the book, polish up the rough edges and round out the wonky corners. It’s like falling in love with the story in a completely new way.

I’m unsure what happens once I’m done with this draft, so for the moment I’m going to assume that I go into an edit phase like the rest of my cohort. My guess is that such an edit will be very brief because we spent so much time upfront preparing for the 4th draft writing phase. 

I can’t help but smile to think how far Isidore RAM has come. I am so proud of this little book, I can’t wait for you to get a chance to read it.

Cheers,

Amanda

If you followed along last year with my updates on the publication of These Are My Friends on Politics, you’ll recall that the real stars of those updates were the pictures of my 16-year-old dog Nina.

Last month, she passed away. I haven’t brought it up much because (a) I didn’t feel like it and (b) I didn’t have anything valuable to say about losing a beloved pet beyond the fact that I do not recommend the experience. For those who didn’t know Nina firsthand, I’d rather leave you with something uplifting that characterized her life than simply share some sad news amid the endless bad news that keeps hitting us these days. 

 So I did the reasonable thing and wrote and illustrated and published a book about her instead. It’s nothing extraordinary — look, *you* try making a book in a month in your spare time during one of your busiest work periods of the year — but it conveys much of what made Nina such a big deal in this little corner of the world. And it has some pretty pictures in it. And it’s more funny than sad. And perhaps it’s a nice distraction and reminder that the world isn’t all bad even if we’re threatening to end it with simultaneous nuclear and civil wars. 

 Anyway, it’s available now if you’re interested in taking a look. Thanks for reading, and enjoy. If you have any dog-loving friends whom you think would enjoy this, please pass it on. 

Amazon (paperback and Kindle): dog.billyok.com/amazon 

iBooks: dog.billyok.com/ibooks

Kobo: dog.billyok.com/kobo

Barnes & Noble: dog.billyok.com/bn

Indiebound: dog.billyok.com/indiebound

I have a tendency to disappear sometimes. Actually, to escape. And at times escape so thoroughly that it’s like I can feel the whole Earth turning beneath me, forgetting it’s left me behind. ...but then I snap out of it, and I realize it’s really just my fault. I’ve been quiet a little too long. This reader update is long, long overdue.

As of this writing, The Animal in Man has sold 495 copies. As of months and months ago, that number was practically the same. I realized today I would very much like to see 500, and I’m asking all of those who have followed the novel recently to make a pre-order and help me achieve that goal. Of course, I’ve also been working on my sales pitch:

The Animal in Man is like Lord of the Flies, but instead of asking whether young men beguiled by the beast inside can ever be human again, the story asks if there’s something human already in every beast. Instead of stumbling, terrified, through a jungle of fear, they are born in a world of constant violence, perhaps designed that way by its creator. Are we so very different, I wonder. 

The original description I typed years ago when I first launched the inkshares page are still true, perhaps more than ever before: The Animal in Man “is our story. The story of mankind." But if words alone aren’t enough to earn your pre-order, then consider these images.

When you read The Animal in Man, what you’ll see first is this:

But it’s really all about this:

It’s about why anyone would ever think violence could be the answer. It’s about my belief that all of us at some point in our life have heard that whisper inside our hearts that says this it might just be. 

Is it?

Big news: The Cradle and the Sword will be available August 15, in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

Big news, part 2: I’m selling it directly, rather than through Inkshares.

Here’s the purchase page, which is currently a preorder page. If you want to make sure you’re at the top of the preorder list, just enter your email in the form.

I’ll be back in touch soon with more updates. Just let me know if you have any questions.

Exciting days are ahead!

--Ben

I’ll never get to hold my debut novel for the first time again, and that’s awesome.

Last week I went up to Inkshares headquarters in Oakland to sign all of the preorders. Each preorder has a number signifying that you were one of the first four hundred people to preorder a paperback.

And there’s more good news! The books are shipping today! You’re getting the book before it even comes out because you are awesome!

I hope you are happy with the product! Please be sure to rate the book on Goodreads as soon as you finish. After August 29th I’ll send out another update asking you to review the book on Barnes and Noble and Amazon as well. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33534889-sunshine-is-forever

My next book KARID will go up for preorders soon after Sunshine is Forever is officially released. Be sure to follow the book so you can get a unique signed paperback of KARID, too. Follow here: https://www.inkshares.com/books/karid

Thank you for your continued support,

Kyle T. Cowan

Monthly update time for Human Resources!

Last month I mentioned the focus of the developmental edit had been on expanding the world-building and firming up some of the science behind the novel. I’m pleased to report that is now complete, I have new beat sheets and scene outlines, and am officially writing pages again!

Speaking of science, the _MIT Technology Review_ just published a very interesting article on CRISPR being used to edit the DNA of human embryos. Why is this interesting? Because this application of CRISPR is a key trigger for the creation of the world in my novel. I’ve uploaded a special new excerpt to the Inkshares site telling the history of the world, from today to when my novel starts. You can read it here.

In other news, I took advantage of receipt trip to Sydney (the setting for the book), to further explore some of the relevant locations for scenes. I use the apple maps 3D city render, along with google street view extensively, but there’s nothing better than standing on-site. A couple highlights below.

Sydney Botanical Gardens, looking at the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. In 2120 this is The Farm.

Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2120 this building stands at the main gate of The Farm, and is used as the Warden compound and clinic.

St Mary’s Cathedral. Adjacent to the Southern end of The Farm, the interior is used for storage in 2120.

That’s all for now — I need to get back to the manuscript and finish writing it so you can all read it.

Cheers,

Robert.

Greetings, Hexers!

Dear Supporters,

Those of you who ordered print books should have your copies by the end of this week (August 5) If you haven’t received them it may be because you changed addresses. But if that’s not the case please let me know and I’ll see that you get one.

Thanks you so much for your support and your patience. I do hope you enjoy the book.

Mark

PS. I’ll keep you posted on what comes of it.