Dear readers,

Today I want to tell you about a very special new book that’s funding here on Inkshares: my husband’s space opera novel, Infinity Mind -- a novel about a telepathic assassin on a future Mars colony who must break his conditioning before he murders his wife.

Here’s a video we did together to introduce his book and how you can help him reach his funding goal. (And also at long last: the secret of the science fiction book case in my office is revealed!)

Click the picture to be taken to Pat’s page where you can view the video (and pre-order a copy while you’re there):

Pat’s been watching me work hard on connecting to an audience for Blood Dawn here on Inkshares and he’s been lurking in the community for some time, but with the launch of the Nerdist space opera contest we both saw this as a great time for him to make his debut with Infinity Mind. That, and the fact that we both finished our manuscripts last December, so he’s now got his sights on publication.

It would mean so much to me if you could support him by pre-ordering a copy of his book. This book, originally called "Rebirth" when we met, was actually one thing that first brought us together. It was a stormy weekend in May back in 2011 (that weekend when the world was predicted to end) and we both trekked our way across Winnipeg to the Radisson hotel for the annual Keycon writing convention to learn about how to get our respective books published (at the time, I was writing a fantasy trilogy called "The Blood, The Sword, and the Shadow", my second novel). Neither of us found fame, but we found each other and soon we were critiquing each other’s work.

Eventually, we both shelved our work, deciding it wasn’t ripe yet, and we moved on to other things. But Pat always did intend to go back to his novel about Mars colony, its corrupt dictator and her power-hungry right-hand-man, and the mystery hiding far beneath the Martian soil -- and I was eager to find out more about where he was going with the big reveal at the end (no spoilers!). Finally,  last year, after seeing how beneficial the Author Accelerator program was for me, Pat decided to use it to rewrite "Rebirth". The result: Infinity Mind.

Again, the link to where you can view the video and pre-order a copy of his book: https://www.inkshares.com/books/infinity-mind

Thanks so much for all your support!

(And fans of Blood Dawn, boy have I got something cooking here for the final push -- reveal is coming sooooon!)

I attended a writing group on Sunday. It was fun to connect with other authors. We were a congenial bunch, and supportive. I passed out a few cards for Disintegration. They were receptive to it, in the room, but short of holding their faces to burning coals, I’m not sure those cards are going to equal pre-orders! Alas. :P

Hey Everyone. Pre-orders are now available for Pixilated Obsidian Roses. Please consider back this project. You know you have some Inkshares credits burning a hole in your pockets. :)

Today I officially head into writing mode. I took a break from writing to compete to my fullest in the S&L contest, and when that didn’t pan out I sort of hit a writing slump. I talked with some writing friends over the weekend, had them look at the chapter I have posted for DHM, and received some excellent constructive criticism. Man, I forgot how much I miss writing workshops!

The result is that I have committed to a writing schedule, and spent the morning plotting out said schedule on my calendar. I should have the book finished by April.  It’s not quite a Nanowrimo schedule, but writing a scene a day for five days a week seems on paper pretty reasonable.

I have already promised to post chapter two for you fine folks, and I apologize that I didn’t get that finished in a timely fashion and posted. I will remedy that hopefully by the end of this week -- at least that is my hope.  I will probably also post Chapter 3 when I get to it, but this project isn’t going to lay all its cards on the table. We have to maintain our air of mystery, Isidore and I.

Deus Hex Machina is an experiment for me. Can I write in a different genre and have readers respond?  Can I translate what was originally a visual work to a purely written format? Can I really turn this noveling thing into a career? All these questions still rattle around in my brain. It will be interesting to see what happens as 2016 progresses and I write this thing. Hopefully only good will come of it.

Shameless preorder request incoming:

Everyone I’ve shared DHM with has responded positively, and that is wonderful. Speaking of wonderful, I should be receiving my shipment of books to sign this week (UPS says they are currently in Colorado -- I hope they get some time to play in the snow), which means I will get the chance to send out my backer contest rewards to the nearly dozen or so winners I’ve had so far.  I am only 1 order away from the next raffle, which means I am also only 161 orders away from Quill.  If you have followed DHM and enjoy what you read here, please consider backing the book. I will continue to give away books all the way through 750, and might start upping the ante as I get closer to June. Right now though, 250 is the first goal.

Know someone who likes scifi? Share the book with them, encourage them to order, and encourage them to share as well.  Together we can do this.

Hello!

All, thank you for the support. Things have been progressing well... however, I need to shift up a gear if I am to hit my goal.

To that end, I pledge to give £1 ($1.45) to Cancer Research for every pre-order for the remainder of February.

--- Regardless of whether I hit my funding goal or not ----

I’m excited about the sequel. The heroine, Gwenn, is currently at the top of a mountain in the alps. Later she is going to jump off. But I can’t focus on that because I am spending too much time asking my friends to check out my book.