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Author of Sister of the Circuit, Shadow of the Owl, and a recipe for a pretty decent mushroom fritta...
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Amanda Orneck sent an update for Sister of the Circuit

It’s taken me nearly three months, but I am proud to say that the latest draft of this novel has been submitted to the editor.

If you recall, during the spring 2017 I was invited into the first Cohort for Inkshares novel production. Part of that process was looking at the story from the bones up, and during all the work I did for the cohort I realized that the current title of the book doesn’t really fit what it’s become.

Initially this was a graphic novel, a sort of retooling of Akira except with mechs. As I continued to write, the story morphed into something deeper, an exploration of what it means to treat technology as a sort of religion, and what would happen should it actually become one. As such, Isidore’s journey became much more tightly focused on her relationship with the Church of Technology. And the title of the novel, one that used to be about this fun sort of sci-fi romp, didn’t make sense anymore for her story.  

As I wrote this latest draft (number 4), I started thinking about the title and if it still served the story. I came to the realization that it did not. Therefore, I’ve decided to change the title of this book. Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the new title: Sister of the Circuit. As soon as I made the commitment to the new title, I got super excited about how it connects to the themes of the current iteration of the novel.

Now I step back in the editing queue to wait my turn to see what Inkshares thinks of the book. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I’m going to pass the time working on another project to give myself some space from Circuit.


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    Amanda Orneck liked an update for Disintegration

    It’s been a long time.

    I haven’t had much to say, so I’ve laid off bombarding you with updates that contained no news. However, a few months back, I was told that Inkshares is ready to begin producing Disintegration.

    I was overjoyed at the news, as it’s been quite a long road, but the road is yet longer. Alas. Inkshares has asked that I pare by 50,000 words the manuscript I submitted. This is no small feat. I managed to trim 20k by eliminating some character backstory and world-building, by sacrificing some parts that I felt were illuminating but weren’t essential to the overall plot. But another 30k remain to be pared. And that task is much more daunting.

    Of course I’m in love with my own words, but I do realize that they’re not all golden and they’re not all necessary. That’s why the first cut was relatively easy. I want the story to be full and rich and chock with the kinds of connections and background that make it an epic, immersive experience, but the logistics don’t really allow that, since this is my first commercial book. The business of books asks "Who the hell is this?" of an unknown author, and "Why the hell is his book so long?"

    Inkshares believes that my book will have wider appeal if it is narrower of width. That perhaps a skinny spine might entice a casual reader to pick it, on a whim, from a bookshelf ... where a fat one would not. I would like my book to be published, so I accede. Or, I am attempting to. It’s been slow going because I’m a full-time public school teacher and a graduate student and my "free" time is the time I spent looking at the backs of my eyelids.

    But the book is coming. A version of it, anyway. A heavily abridged version that will, I hope, be a leaner, meaner, quicker, punchier version than my originally submitted draft. It’ll be such a rousing success, flying off bookshelves due to its striking black and red, and thin, spine, that the big, fat, unabridged version may well follow due to overwhelming demand.

    A man can dream. And, while this man dreams, he is working on paring a novella’s worth of words from Disintegration so, like a boxer, the book meets its target weight and is ready to fight for science fiction supremacy.
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      Amanda Orneck liked an update for Mission 51

      Quick update-

      The 94,200 word Mission 51 manuscript delivered to Inkshares is currently waiting its turn in the editing queue. I am told it may be after the first of the year before the Inkshares staff can "dive into it." - I think I can hold my breath that long!   


      Meanwhile, Mission 51 got a little press on Nerdist:

      https://nerdist.com/introducing-the-latest-winner-of-our-inkshares-publishing-contest/

      Peace and love to all!
      ~Ferd
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        Amanda Orneck liked an update for The Bones of the Past
        Lots more happening this week - The eBook for The Bones of the Past has seen a significant (and permanent) price cut! It’s now listed at $3.99 in the US and $5.00 in Canada!

        Also, on December 19th, the audio book will be available on CD in stores and online! It’s a great option for those of you who haven’t been tempted by an Audible subscription. The strangest thing about it all? The book on CD is significantly cheaper than the digital download (literally half the price!).

        Work continues on the Tide of Madness. I went through a short burn out phase in late October/early November and progress slowed down somewhat, but I’m rested and back at it now. I’m planing to have a new teaser posted on my Inkshares page and my website sometime in January. I’m taking a week off work so I can lock myself in and get some serious writing done as well as edit and clean up the new teaser chapter(s). There is some absolutely insane stuff happening in this book - the characters keep going off and doing things I had never planed on before but somehow it all ends up working far better for the story. 

        Thank you all for your patience - it’s going to be worth the wait!

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          Amanda Orneck liked an update for In Beta

          Ma readers:

          It’s a year and a half later, and IN BETA is done. Not finished, mind you. It still has to go through production, editing, design, etc. But I turned in the manuscript to Inkshares today. So the ball is, for the moment, out of my court.

          I’ll hit you up again when we get a production schedule laid out and I know when it’s gonna come out. But get excited. It’s a fun read.

          Once again, thank you for your patience.

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            Amanda Orneck liked an update for The Life Engineered

            Hello dear readers!

            I come to you with a humble request. My horror novel, A God in the Shed, has the honour of being a semi-finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2017. This is a big deal. What would make it an even bigger deal is making it to the next round as a finalist. A huge deal. Gargantuan really.

            All I as of you, is a few clicks.

            First, click here to get to the voting page. Then, while logged into Goodreads, click on the red VOTE button under A God in the Shed.

            There you go. With that simple gesture, you participate in what can be a huge step in my writing career and that makes you awesome. Hurry! You only have up to November 12, 2017 to vote!

            Thanks for the support!

            You’re the best.

            JF

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