Brief update!  As has been reported, "Women Like Us" met its funding goal and will be published under Inkshares’ Quill imprint. But we actually hit that goal a couple of weeks before the funding deadline of 2/17, so if you still want to pre-order and haven’t yet, why not now? I am shooting for 300 because...why not? Meanwhile, design of the Honor-Derric-of-the-Beagle-Freedom-Project tattoo is in progress so more on that soon. And I have created a Facebook page just for the book. On this page I will include any updates on publication plus little things I think might pique your interest. For instance the first post is a picture of what Edith Vale’s house in Pasadena would look like because here is where much of the action of the book takes place.

If you like sprawling Paul Williams-designed Monterrey Colonials you’ll like this house too. 

So here’s the link to the Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook please head over there and hit that like button.

https://www.facebook.com/womenlikeusnovel/

Okay that’s it for now. Thanks again for all the support.  Stay tuned for more.

Greeting Jackolytes,

For those of you that operate on the moon calendar you will already know that Lunar New Year is pounding away at the door. And if you look a little deeper, you’ll see it’s the Year of the Monkey, specifically the red fire monkey. Monkeys are auspicious (and noisy, we have one visit our back yard regularly). With this in mind, I have uploaded a video which gives you some info on who I am and how Sync City came about. The video will hopefully be auspicious (feel free to share it and Sync City) and noisy (most of the talk takes place with me riding a motorbike). Check it out and get in touch with your inner fire monkey - your significant other will thank you. Please keep the faeces throwing to a minimum.

Cheers,

Peter

Hello from Bali! I’m currently writing from the veranda of a villa outside of Ubud, listening to roosters crow, plows till, cicadas drone, and Mandy snore. (Just kidding—she sleeps very soundly.) She has been in Indonesia now for several weeks on a work trip, and fortunately I was able to get a few days off to join her.

This place reminds of Ningyuan so much that it hurts. The motorcycles, the heat, being an expat again (if only for a few days)—it’s all bringing me back. I’ve even been toying with the idea of writing Daniel and/or Guillard into a third and final Asia book, in which we find the former working as a rice farmer, the latter married to an Indonesian woman. These are just musings at this point, though; the sort of things I only tell my backers...

While I’ve got you, here are a few updates about the book:

1) The reading at The Tattered Cover in Denver was a success. Had 25+ people show up. A big thank you to everyone who was involved. The store is extremely supportive of emerging authors, so please take a few minutes to stop by and pick up a read if you’re ever in Denver.

2) UMDC was featured in the San Jose Mercury News’ "Books by the Bay" column: 

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_29400081/books-by-bay-michal-mcclures-cuba-photos-show

3) It’s going to be included in the Expat Bookshelf section of the next issue of Global Living Magazine, due out in March.

4) I’ve submitted the novel to several book awards and blogs—just waiting to hear back. It is always a long shot, but you never know. Here’s one reviewer’s take:

http://kirti-m.tumblr.com/post/137509943052/new-year-new-read

5) The last event I have on the books is a reading at the Boston Public Library on April 7th. I’m also trying to set up events in Madison, CT and Philadelphia that week. Stay posted via Facebook, Twitter and these e-mail updates.

That’s it. Hope you’re all doing well. If you haven’t left a review of #upMdownC on Amazon or Goodreads yet, please consider doing so. Here are the links. THANKS!

http://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Down-Countryside-Quincy-Carroll/dp/1941758452

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26219934-up-to-the-mountains-and-down-to-the-countryside

Quincy

46 min ago, roughly, may be exact...Billy O’Keefe was the last pin of a perfect game (in bowling which is 300!) I have crossed my personal goal of the Inkshares campaign. There is an unknown future for this story, and the next step is still unclear. 300 though, thank you all, this is quite a thrill to say the least. 

Be sure to check out Mr. O’Keefe’s hilarious portrayal on how infantile some people get when talking about the one thing you should never talk about with your friends: Politics