Today is Publication Day for the Bones of the Past!
It has been a very, very long road to get to this point: I started writing what would eventually become the Books of Dust and Bone in January 2010. I made my way to Inkshares in late 2015 and launched my funding campaign on December 18. With support from you, my readers, I managed to place in the top 3 of the Sword and Laser contest (The Sequel) and on January 15, 2016 won a publication deal. Today, the book is available in hundreds of brick and mortar stores across North America, not to mention a number of online retailers worldwide.
I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the final product!
Once you have had a chance to read The Bones of the Past, I would really appreciate a review! Reviews are the single most important factor in the continued success of a book. Just a short note (a sentence or 2 is all it takes!) to tell other people what you thought really can make all the difference. Those who would like to help even more – please copy and paste your review to all of the sites listed below!
Thank you all yet again!!!
My sincerest apologies, dear readers, because “The Animal in Man” hasn’t made it into your hands yet. I’ve only recently learned that its production was delayed due to the book’s length.
I’ve been chipping away at the word count as much as I possibly can, but between my familial responsibilities and my new high-school teaching gig, there’s not much time left in the day for editing. I’ve been tasked with cutting 42% of my novel, so it’s going to be some time I’m afraid. I’m slitting the throats of some characters I cared a lot for, but I’m allowing a few others to live a bit longer.
One of the main characters who will not be cut is Feyn, the white wolf. Twenty years ago, when the campaign to eradicate all the insect Thraxians came to its close, Feyn - a Leoran knight of some renown - set off for his homeland, eager to see his wife and children again. When he returned at last, he found his estate ransacked, his castle burnt to the ground, and his son butchered. And he found the butchers. They soon overpowered him, struck a fatal blow across his face, leaving a wicked scar from his mouth to his ear, and threw him into the ditch alongside his wife’s corpse. But Feyn did not die there. During the attack, Feyn’s body fell unconscious as its parasitic spirit inexplicably fled. He regained himself - his true self - down there, in the dark. Feyn became something else entirely that night. A true animal.
So Feyn stays in the story. He’s been dead once already, you see. It doesn’t suit him.
I commissioned the character sketch for Feyn from the ultra-talented Ronald Orrego. You can find more of his work here, as well as his contact info if you need him. Tell him Joe sent ya.
Stay tuned, dear readers.
Hello everyone!
I have lots of great stuff to share today!
First and foremost – The Bones of the Past eBook is ready and available for download for those who pre-ordered through Inkshares!
To grab your copy, just go to the book page here: https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-bones-of-the-past
After you log in, there should be a ‘Download’ tab under the cover image. The book is available in both EPUB (Kobo/Apple) and MOBI (Kindle).
This should be available to you if you ordered an eBook or if you ordered a hardcopy. If you haven’t received a notification email from Inkshares about it, and the download tab isn’t appearing for you, a quick note to Hello@inkshares.com will get it sorted out quickly.
Second - Paperbacks should start going out sometime next month. I’ll be down in the San Francisco area signing the backer copies on May 8th. Your books will start shipping out shortly thereafter!
Third – For anyone in the Ottawa area (or willing to travel!), Chapters Rideau will be hosting a launch event for the book on May 30th from 6-8pm. Come join us for a reading, coffee, and swag, as well as some appropriately themed baked treats from Lolai’s Yummies! For those who asked – there will be lots of paperback copies available in the store that night :)
Full details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/126870887829199/
Thank you all again and again. I cannot express how grateful I am for the support you’ve shown me, and the help in getting my story out into the world!
Exciting news, faoii! Listen up!
Today has been a wonderful day. It was the first day that I felt like myself since I got sick over a year ago. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like everything was going to be okay. Honestly, I had gotten so used to feeling run-down that I had forgotten what a true faoii feels like. I remember now. And it’s wonderful. Today was filled with hope and it made all the doctors appointments, fear, desperation, and pain of the last several months seem worth it. Things are getting better, faoii. We are going to make it.
But, here’s what YOU care about: Five minutes ago I sent in The Last Faoii manuscript to Inkshares. It is the first step in the march to publication-- the march to our campaigns ultimate and most glorious victory. Ready your weapons, faoii. The final battle is about to begin.
Shields up. Now and always.
Faoii-Tahani