THANK YOU so much for supporting Pilot X. We are halfway to the first milestone, the "Quill" goal that gets it published! I can’t believe it’s only been a week.

To celebrate the halfway mark, I’ve added a second sample chapter. This is the opening chapter of the book. It’s called Prologue 1 because the first few chapters set you up to tell X’s story, although they take place at the end of his adventures. It’s all part of the time travel fun!

Anyway hope you enjoy it and let me know if you’re curious about other parts of the book!  The first thing in the manuscript right now is a section on the three major races of the universe ripped from the Encyclopedia Alendia. Man the librarian was mad at me about that.

Thanks again!

Tom

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Many of you have seen the great Blood Dawn fan video (if you haven’t, click here to watch it now – it’s amazing!). In this video, several Inkshares authors talk about what they love about Blood Dawn.

However, the fan video is short. In order to build excitement, Cara Weston and her husband, Alex, brilliantly picked pieces of longer videos made by each of these authors. I wanted to take a quick moment today to share links to where you can find the other videos in their full form:

Craig Munro, author of The Bones of the Past and a winner of the second Sword & Laser Contest, talks about how excited he is about the new epic fantasy world of Blood Dawn. I’m indebted to Craig for initiating the push to get Blood Dawn fully funded at 750 copies and for his ongoing support.

Matthew Sobin, author of The Last Machine in the Solar System and another winner of the second Sword & Laser Contest, recommends in his video that you buy two copies of the new epic fantasy, Blood Dawn. Here’s a couple reasons why:

#1 - You’re going to wear out the first copy from over reading it again and again and will later on have to put it in a plastic bag on your shelf.

#2 - After finishing with number one you’ll be happy twenty years down the road that you bought that second copy when it’s a collector’s item.

Michael Sebby, author of The Inhabitants: An Unremembered Life, focuses on me as a leader in the Inkshares community and what he loves about Blood Dawn – the idea of a world where art is taken away from us is thought provoking to imagine; how I immerse myself into my characters and their stories, putting so much heart and care to make the world so rich with wonder. He also talks about my maps and calls them “Tolkein quality”, which is absolutely flattering!

Joseph Asphahani, author of The Animal in Man, also shares why he’s excited about Blood Dawn in his video. One thing I found particularly moving about Joe’s video is his comment on how I can breathe life into a world and move the story forward all in a single sentence.

Tyler Sparrow, a beta reader for Blood Dawn, mentions the mysterious and rich settings in Blood Dawn, calling it a character driven story with similar plotting to "Game of Thrones". Tyler has been so helpful in his feedback on Blood Dawn -- so be sure to watch his video to get the take of a die hard epic fantasy fan on what Blood Dawn is like to read.

Finally, Paul Inman, author of Ageless, talks about why he fell in love with the Blood Dawn. Paul’s book is coming out in a matter of days (you can help him get more exposure by voting on it here), and I’ve been grateful to Paul for his support and enthusiasm for Blood Dawn right from the day he surprised me with an email where he’d recorded the opening Rena chapter.

I hope you enjoy these videos, and please, if you haven’t already, order a copy of Blood Dawn now to help us toward the 750 pre-order funding goal.

Don’t forget: you can pledge your pre-order to one of our dragons or houses for the game. Please email me: johnrobinrt@gmail.com if you’d like to do that with your order (otherwise, all unpledged pre-orders will go in a special pool for the game’s surprise twist.)

TODAY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiUbEcwQ7xU

Join me and three other epic ladies of Inkshares on a LIVE Google Hangout as we discuss our science fiction stories, answer age old questions about women’s roles as creators in the genre, and probably make at least a dozen Firefly references.

Featuring:

Me!, author of She Is the End
@acwestonwrites

Elayna Mae Darcy, author of They Are the Last
@elaynamae

RH Webster, author of Lucky
@RH_Webster

Amanda Orneck, author of Deus Hex Machina and others
@amandaorneck

Submit your questions as a post on the facebook event page here, or message any of us on twitter! Follow the action using #WomenSlayingScifi! You can always watch later, if you can’t make the live event.

I hope you’ll check it out!

:) :) :)

Exactly 1 week from today my first newsletter will be sent out, so sign up for it here if you haven’t already!  On the 1st of each month I’ll be sending out a new one with an update on the current progress of getting Exile, Magus in shape for another run.  In addition I’ll be including other exclusive content and sneak peeks such as maps, articles describing background information on my world and its peoples, short stories, and artwork once I can afford to start the commissioning of such.

On the artwork front I’ve compiled a list of artists I’m most interested in doing each of the 15 pieces of artwork I want for the book, but I also know there’s always the possibility of talent hiding under my nose that I don’t even know about.  With that in mind, if any of you are yourselves artists, whether that is with drawing, painting, digital, or any other still-visual media I’m leaving out then feel free to contact me if you would be interested in trying to get a bit of side-work making a piece for the book.  Even if I don’t hire you for Exile, Magus once I’ve gotten this book out and start looking at really getting Exile, Hunted ready for publication I’ll need new art for it (18 new pieces actually if memory serves).  For now though my focus is entirely on Exile, Magus’ art though.  Contact me here on Inkshares, via Facebook or Twitter, or fully direct by email (redtom.mythmaker@gmail.com) if you’re interested.

That’s all I’ve got for now.  Thanks for your time, and hope to see you on the newsletter roster soon.  Enjoy yourselves and keep reading!

[No Easter Bunnies were harmed in the writing of this update] [...but there might be a hollowed-out bunny-human ribcage or two in the latest scene I wrote for “The Animal in Man.” No joke… Happy Easter.]

Good day, animals. **

Just a quick update to let all The Animal in Man’s followers know that its author is still alive and semi-well (wife just passed her flu to me, I suspect). Some of you have messaged me directly, wondering when the book will be released. Well, I cannot say for certain, and I hesitate to confirm anything, but by my best guesstimate you will have the completed story at your fingertips no sooner than late-2016. (In the meantime, there are PLENTY of other books on inkshares to blow your mind!) I might have mentioned this in a previous update… when I got back into writing it, I revitalized my outline and discovered that this story is much more massive than I realized.

“Why not cut it into a trilogy then, Joe?” Good question! The reason I won’t do so is because it’s ONE complete story, an epic adventure that ramps up quickly and never slows down, start to finish, all within about two week’s time (I think). It is, however, diced up into three parts… Maybe three and a half.

Some of the characters you’ll meet along the way, besides our heroic and cunning fox Maxan, include:

• A white wolf wizard (seen in chapter 1)
• His apprentices, twin squirrels
• An octopus samurai (guess how many swords)
• A one-winged eagle preacher
• A rhino who charges through buildings
• A grey horned owl sorcerer who never blinks
• A thousand-year old [senile?] snapping turtle
• A grizzly bear wasted away by poison

And more… I promise this is not going to be a cutesy tale of anthropomorphic, cuddly snugglemongers. No. It’s a tale about killers. Because in case we’ve forgotten… Animals are killers.

Are we any better?

Peace to you and yours this holiday.

** (My mom was wondering why I’m calling her an animal with every update... Kind of awkward... When I call you animals, please know that I do so with the utmost endearment, and remember that the question of whether or not mankind is any better than animal-kind is one of the central questions driving the story. Animals are also capable of love, I believe, and I do so love each and every one of you.Thank you for your support and attention.

All at once - the time has come:

I’m ready for it. I’M PREPARED FOR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.

Amazon has unlocked the ability to leave reviews for Asteroid Made of Dragons.

You all have the paperback and ebook - I need  you to go leave an honest review. Today, tomorrow - whenever you get done reading. It’s the most important thing you’ve done for me. As crass as it is to say - MORE important than backing the book in the first place.

Reviews on Goodreads are also great!

Even just clicking some stars is a huge help. Text reviews are monumental.

So please - as you finish reading, take a moment to leave a review. I want to know, I need to know - and if the book is going to stand a chance after the first couple of weeks, the world needs to know what you thought of it.

Other Articles of Note

• Spell/Sword and The Riddle Box FREE on Kindle 4/5-4/9.
  
• I still have download codes for the Audible audiobook of Spell/Sword - basically ask me for one if you want it? I will devise some sort of hoop for you to jump through.
• LAUNCH PARTY 4/5 Avid Bookshop - Athens, GA - 630p EST. (You all must be there. I’m going to drink too much and make people listen to me. It’s ALL I ever want.)
• Some upstart by the name of...*checks notes*...Thomas Ferret is taking the leap into getting his novel Pilot X published through Inkshares. I disapprove of this sort of rabble clogging up the halls here, but he’s a radio DJ and you know that medium is dying. Somewhere in the midwest, the Board and Grazer? It’s about farming and cows.  His alleged book is about time travel and I HATE THAT. https://www.inkshares.com/books/pilot-x

You’re going to be hearing a lot from me over the next few weeks. How are you? When are you all going to start calling in the tremendous backlog of favors I owe you?

Campaigning is hard.

Either you’re spending all your time working to find new backers or you’re worrying non-stop about not knowing where to look for new backers. I’m currently in later. One thing that is consistent however is the constant stress.

That being said, sometimes you get to do some fun things. Last week I was interviewed by the always charming Alicia Smock of Examiner.com about A God in the Shed. Being able to chat about the project with someone asking interesting questions about the book and story has reignited the fire of working on this story more than anything in recent memory. Check out the article for yourself. There’s some fun revelations about where I come up with some things and why I made some of the decisions for the story.

As always, if you know someone who might be interested in A God in the Shed, sit them down, look them straight in the eyes. Stare them down like you’re trying to see the color of their very soul. Look at them until they stop giggling and asking you what this is all about and instead start getting nervous. Then, tell them about how awesome supporting fantasy-horror books from independent publishers is and how A God in the Shed deserves their support.

Before I leave you, allow me to recommend a few books from friends on Inkshares: 

• A.C. Baldwin’s ’The Traveler’s Cup’
  
• Tom Merrit’s ’Pilot X’ 
• Christopher Huang’s ’Murder at the Veteran’s Club’

Thanks for supporting me and other independent writers.

JF