Just a quick update and some math: we are now up to 620 orders with just 32 days left to reach 750. That works out to about 4 orders a day. Since the last update, 11 days ago, there have been 46 new orders which is right on pace. Thanks y’all!

These last orders are going to be the hardest, so please do share this book around and encourage your friends to support this project. I’ve created a facebook event you can invite friends to here: https://www.facebook.com/events/336202026717097/

We are almost there! Onward!

Summer has come and gone, and it was a surprisingly busy time. In Korea, we are enjoying the fall festival of Chuseok. I was able to spend the day in the mountain temple of Golgulsa for the traditional prayers. On the book front, I have a little piece of world building for you. Every fantasy world needs a map, so I have drawn one! On the left, we start at the city of Greater Riddare, the Imperial Capital. Traveling west from the capital, we make our way past the events of this book, out to our final destination. Through Quidor, which sits on the Great River, into Anthar and down to the edge of the Great Divide, where cultists of the Great Liche Dartaff attempt to summon demons, further west to the vassal kingdom of Rimarov, and its capital city, Sophia, until finally, at the end of the highway, we enter the vast savanna known as the Western Wilderland...
Enjoy this little artifact in all of its hand-drawn wonder!

http://i350.photobucket.com/albums/q431/Brendan_Thompson/Map_zpszcxdader.jpg

Hi there followers.  

I just thought I’d send a quick update to all you fans as I haven’t done one for a while.  At present I’m doing my final edit before handing it off to the folks at INKSHARES.  I’m working with the wonderful Sarah Caughie, alias best selling author Sarah Bryant  you can check out her Amazon page by clicking on her name link.  She’s a great choice for Quill members if you want to sharpen up your work prior to sending it off to Inkshares.  

I’m aiming for a publication date of early in the new year as I opted to avoid the Christmas (other festivals are available) bun fight and give my work the chance to miss being swamped by cookery books!  Also, it would appear that Inkshares is going through various changes, some of which have impacted on the speed of publishing process.  

Quill members I have been in touch with are finding it difficult to get a publication date from management, and without that information it would not be possible to mount a synchronised marketing plan...something essential for Quill authors in charge of their own campaigns.                       

A restructured royalty package also came with the possibility of marketing support for Quill  authors.  So until Inkshares has addressed that situation, and become able to give accurate publication dates, I think it best to use the time for editing Louisiana Blood rather than adding to their burden.  When I see things starting to move, and authors I know being given dates I will hand my novel over to Inkshares for final tweaks.

On a good note I see that Louisiana Blood is number one in the mystery charts!   I intend to make the follow up, BRUGES BLOOD as big a success!    Thank you all for your support, and anybody that wishes to snap up a copy cheap, go HERE.

Rise received its first industry review!  It was posted on Monday, but I just found out about it today.

 

Hello! You first 65 followers are the best. I really appreciate you all jumping in early and following the book. Honestly, I’ve had so much more positive feedback than I expected. It’s pretty awesome.

I shot a first attempt at a promo video for the book last night with the help of a paramedic buddy. I’m not sure how well it went but when I get it edited I’ll share it with all of you and see what you think. At this point I’m at the "gather followers" stage of the game. So if any of you feel inclined to spread the word, I would greatly appreciate it!

Here’s a little treat for following the book. Black Cloud is fiction but throughout the campaign I thought it would be fun to share little real world stuff from time to time. So here is today’s:

A couple weeks ago a patient had the following exchange with one of our local ER docs.

Doc: "So what brought you into the ER today?"

Patient: "I have kidney problems."

Doc: "Ok, what kind of kidney problems?"

Patient: "Well I had a dream that a falcon swooped down and ate my kidneys so I Googled it and it said that means I have kidney problems."

After the doctor had left the room I asked him what he was going to do. He smiled at me and said, "I guess I’ll check her kidneys."

As a writer it makes me jealous that you I can’t make up stuff as crazy as that. That’s it for now guys. Have a good one!

Hey there, I thought I’d update you on the progress with Pilot X as it’s been wending its way through the publishing process.

First our AMAZING cover is finalized. You’ll see it updated on the Pilot X page here. Let us know what you think!

Just got the copy-edited manuscript back. Copy edit is where they not only fix punctuation but also make sure the style is consistent and such. It’s less intensive than the developmental edit I told you about back in June. Just tightens things up so it all makes sense and looks good on the page. 

I sent that back Tuesday so we’ll hopefully be on our way to proofs and galleys soon!

All in all this means we’re still on target for a March 14 release. Thanks again so much for all the support.

Cheers,

Tom

5 until 5,000!!!

That’s my mantra for today. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Matthew Isaac Sobin and the members of the GREAT SCIFI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE for selecting Welcome to Deadland as their September book!

My request for reviews and the raffle for the Welcome to Deadland short story and postcard set is still ongoing with several ways to enter!

1. Order a copy of Welcome to Deadland through Inkshares. 

 2. Recommend Welcome to Deadland to a friend, and when they purchase a copy, you will both be entered. 

 3. Rate/Review Welcome to Deadland on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Each site you post a rating or review will count as one entry, by doing so on all three sites you will receive three entries. If you rate AND review the book, you will earn an extra entry. 

 4. Tweet me or post to Welcome to Deadland’s Facebook page fun pictures of your copy of the book or fan art from the story!

If you haven’t ordered a copy yet, or need a copy for a friend, today would be an awesome time to place an order and help us cross that 5,000 line!

Thank you all,

Zac

It’s September 15th! 

To some, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival. To me, even though I’m craving mooncakes, it’s the one year publication anniversary of The Battle for Oz! 

Can you believe it? It has been a year! After 3 months of crowd-funding, 9 months of production, The Battle for Oz hit the shelves on September 15th, 2015. Now one year later, the book has sold over 1000 copies, has been reviewed by Jack & Jill Magazine, has been chosen by the Inkshares Book Club, and maybe, just maybe, will end up as an audiobook in the future.  

But all those aside, I want you to know that I’ve not forgotten your support during the crowd-funding season. Your willingness to stand beside me and believe in my dreams made this book happen. Without you, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Without you, I wouldn’t have started another campaign on Inkshares. So thank you for your generosity and faith. 

If you’re a reader who’ve only hopped on after the publication of the book, I am still very grateful for your support. You’re keeping the book alive - making it relevant among the many books out there! So thank you for giving The Battle for Oz a chance. 

I’m extremely grateful to have you in my Oz adventure, and I’ll be continuing on my dream-chasing journey. If you’d like to come along, oh please do! You’re most welcomed. But if you’d like to get off here, know that I will always remember our camaraderie. 

Till the next epic tale, have a wonderful day!

*My new novel, The Slave Prince has entered the Geek & Sundry Fantasy Contest. Should you be interested in joining this adventure with me, visit https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-slave-prince and pre-order a copy!