Picking up where Hans Christian Andersen left off, a mermaid made ethereal finds herself human once again. In this modern-day, urban fantasy novel, will history repeat itself, or will the little mermaid surprise us all?
Updates, Faoii! Listen up!
We’re doing a good job so far. 18 hours in and we’ve got 29 pre-orders. That’s more than halfway to the number 10 spot on the leader board. I still think we can get that number 1 spot and let EVERYONE know who we are-- but I’ll let you know when we’re at least on the map. Good work, Faoii. Keep it up!
Now, for the bad news: I got a missive from the head of Thane Studios today. Thane Studios is/was an ally that asked me to join their collective about a month ago. You might have seen their shiny medal on our front page. This was a big honor for me, because collectives usually have more money, viewers and marketing abilities than regular authors, and when he invited me to join there was a lot of discussion on how they were going to help me get the necessary pre-orders to publish. In payment, they were to get 12% of the royalties of the books that were pre-ordered after I joined the collective.
Today, exactly 18 hours and 29 pre-orders after the beginning of the campaign, Thane Studios said that they wasn’t going to be able to help me market, after all, and told me that I could opt out of the collective. That’s all well in good, but Inkshare’s contract on the matter decrees that he still get his 12% within 30 days of me opting out (supposedly because it’s assumed that at least some marketing was done prior to this, and therefore at least some of those pre-orders could have been because of the collective’s influence). On paper, it makes sense. In reality it means that 12% of every pre-order thus far (and for the next 30 days) goes to these people who did absolutely nothing to assist with seeing The Last Faoii become reality, and that fills me with a rage I’m not sure I can adequately portray.
Obviously there’s nothing that I can do about it now, and we’re just going to charge forward after this. I still want that hill as quickly as possible, Faoii, regardless if someone else is profiting from our hard work. But if anyone who is reading this is trying to publish their own story through Inkshares-- DO NOT sign a contract with Thane Studios. As far as I can tell, it’s a scam.
Shields up, Faoii. We’re going to take that hill. Our banner will sit atop it and every single person on inkshares will know who we are and what we’re fighting for. Others will come to the call and help us hold it. This campaign is going to succeed, no matter what other people do to try and weaken our resolve.
Faoii-Tahani
Beautiful Readers,
I have good news, and I have... regular news.
For those of you just tuning in, Devil’s Call began its life as a novella, meaning it clocked in at fewer than 40,000 words and the ending was ambiguous and the antagonist, George Dalton, barely appeared in the story at all.
After some behind the scenes occurrences which I’m not at liberty to discuss yet, I decided to expand the story, flesh out the Dalton character, and make it a full-length novel, meaning its word count would double and I would have to, you know, actually do work.
The good news is, after a month or so of bitching and gnashing my teeth and Adam Gomolin yelling at me to not quit on him, I have finished a scene outline and a synopsis of what the completed novel will look like, so it has a proper ending and character arcs and themes and so on and so forth.
The regular news is, I now have to rewrite the hundred-something pages I’d already decided were the entirety of the original novella, and then actually write the rest of the draft, which won’t be as difficult as I’m making it sound. I made my bed today. I can do anything.
Within the next few weeks, y’all can expect a rewritten first chapter, which I’m about 90% sure will be about 30% different from the one that’s up now, and if I really throttle my keyboard I will have a completed draft by the end of September.
(And I shall throttle my keyboard. One thing this process has solidified for me is the fact that I produce pages, pardon my French, like a fucking maniac.)
That’s it. That’s the news. Expect the new Chapter 1 by the end of this upcoming week.
Smoke ’em if you got ’em,
J.
24 days to go! Hope you all are enjoying your ebook of Rise. I’m told next week the physical copies arrive at Inkshares HQ and then they will begin shipping them out to you. So exciting!
To have some fun with all of you reading Rise, I’m going to ask for pictures! Usually authors ask for pictures of their book in the wild (which I will not turn down if you see it). I also am interested in you the reader, though. So, here’s the idea. Send me a picture of you reading the book, either physical or on an e-reader device, in an unusual circumstance or place. I’m going to save all of these and then pick one person to win an as yet undetermined prize. I’m thinking maybe an early draft of Fall to read. We’ll see.
As for the book release party at Dragoncon, it’s going to be Thursday night 1 Sept, location TBD, before Con begins so you don’t have to buy a badge to get in if we have it at one of the hotels (a possibility still in the works). This is just a hangout kind of thing where you can come say hi if you’re able to come that evening, get your copy autographed, and just chit chat about the book or whatever you want to talk about. I may have some hints to share about the sequel, Fall.
24 days to go! Hope you all are enjoying your ebook of Rise. I’m told next week the physical copies arrive at Inkshares HQ and then they will begin shipping them out to you. So exciting!
To have some fun with all of you reading Rise, I’m going to ask for pictures! Usually authors ask for pictures of their book in the wild (which I will not turn down if you see it). I also am interested in you the reader, though. So, here’s the idea. Send me a picture of you reading the book, either physical or on an e-reader device, in an unusual circumstance or place. I’m going to save all of these and then pick one person to win an as yet undetermined prize. I’m thinking maybe an early draft of Fall to read. We’ll see.
As for the book release party at Dragoncon, it’s going to be Thursday night 1 Sept, location TBD, before Con begins so you don’t have to buy a badge to get in if we have it at one of the hotels (a possibility still in the works). This is just a hangout kind of thing where you can come say hi if you’re able to come that evening, get your copy autographed, and just chit chat about the book or whatever you want to talk about. I may have some hints to share about the sequel, Fall.
With all the anarchy in the campaign over the last two weeks (and unfortunately, it’s probably still not quite over, but we’re going to get through it) I’ve been neglecting what I feel is a real obligation: showcasing the works other funding authors have been trying to get off the ground. I know all too well how hard it is to work a campaign like this, especially without help from the community. There are just too many books around here that deserve to see success, but have trouble finding their audience. Hopefully I can play a part in matchmaking some of these.
This week I want to recommend a very special book for everyone. Why is it special? Well, let me lay it out for you:
Out of the 113 books that entered Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science-Fiction competition, only three won: After Man, The Pirates of Montana, and The Punch Escrow (and all three earned it).
Out of the 110 books that entered Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science Fiction competition and did not win, only three are still actively campaigning to get published the hard way: Tantalus Depths, Seven Days Dead, and First on Mars.
I believe I’ve made it pretty clear by now that I’d like you to support Tantalus Depths (I have something of a vested interest in the project), but I have to say, both Seven Days Dead and First on Mars absolutely deserve to get funded as well.
Everyone but the three of us ultimately either gave up as soon as the contest ended, or failed to get anywhere near a funding goal, but both Landon Trine and Christopher M. Johnson have been working their butts to the bone trying to find audiences for their books, fighting the exhaustion and discouragement that inevitably comes from losing a contest and striving to reach the goals they need to see publication. None of us gave up, even when others did in droves. Their tenacity, their determination, and their dedication deserve to be rewarded.
Here are their books: please, please consider supporting one or even both of them: They’re both well over a hundred pre-orders deep, and I think they both have seriously well-crafted stories to share. Pay special attention to First on Mars: it only has 14 days left in its campaign, unless Landon seeks an extension.
Seven Days Dead centers around a zombie outbreak in the Middle East. More than merely a bog-standard zombie story, however, this book explores the depths of human nature, showing how one of the most conflicted regions in all the world reacts when ancestral enemies are faced with a common foe: their own dead. This book promises to take what might otherwise be a tired premise and breathe new life into it by virtue of the greater message at its core.
As the name implies, First on Mars is a story about the first manned expedition to Mars. However, when unexplained sabotage and a suspicious suicide derail the mission, the crew is thrown into a series of paranoia-driven dilemmas as they struggle to keep the mission together and themselves alive against all odds. This book shares many themes and concepts in common with Tantalus Depths, so if you like what you’ve seen so far of my book, this will almost certainly be right down your alley!