M. Robert Randolph liked an update for A Friend for Otter

Dear Readers,

It has been too long! Sylvia and I are just dropping a short note here to assure you that we haven’t forgotten about you. Not only have we not forgotten about you and our immense gratitude for your support, but we are excited to say that we are closer than ever to bringing you the story of our dear friend Otter. The book continues to progress, and we are still hopeful that you will see it in its entirety some time this year.

From the beginning, Sylvia and I knew that completing a collaborative novel alongside her studying and my working would be a serious time commitment and a challenge―and it certainly has been! But what we didn’t realize was how the extra time spent developing this world and these characters would bring them so far into our own world, where we have been pleased to grow close to Otter and Imbria’s other inhabitants. They have truly become like family to us. In fact, even as we work to bring you this story, we have had ample time to wonder about what will come after "The End" for Otter and her friends. And while we need to complete the task at hand before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we are increasingly convinced that Otter’s story will not end with the final chapter of this book.

We ultimately hope you will find A Friend for Otter to be worth the wait. But we also hope that, once you have read it, you will be hungrier for even more of her adventures.

So thank you, thank you, thank you for all the love and support you have given us in this process. And thank you again for bearing with us as we work to bring you the very best tale we can craft. We could not be doing this without you, and we hope you are as happy with the final result as we are with where it is right now.

Sincerely,

Sylvia and Jesse

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M. Robert Randolph liked an update for The Punch Escrow

Hello readers,

I’m writing this update on my flight back from a busy work week in Las Vegas. I have received your many emails and texts informing me that we’d crossed the 101 reviews on Amazon on Monday, and I had every intention of sending the "missing" chapter earlier in the week, but things were hectic and I wanted to do one last read through prior to sending it out. Now is the time, however, and here is your link to YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE (THE PHIL COLLINS VERSION) - the original ending of The Punch Escrow.

A fair warning, many of you will be underwhelmed, as there is a very good reason this chapter was edited out of the book in favor of the published ending. But as so many people ask me about the editing process, I thought this would be a good example of what "we" in "the biz" call "kill your darlings." I truly enjoyed writing the Charlie Jay character, but he came into the story too late, and frankly the this chapter lacked thrills and was too neatly buttoned up. So, I hope you enjoy it, but I understand if you don’t.

In other news, word is out that Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman, the production team behind the live action Beauty and The Beast, as well as The Muppets have now officially been attached to produce The Punch Escrow movie! It’s been a very hard secret to keep, especially since meeting Todd at my Book Soup event in LA. He’s been an incredibly magnanimous and a delight to interact with. I feel lucky to have him and David working with James Bobbin on the film adaptation of my book. I had a chance to speak with Kayti Burt from Den of Geek about it during San Diego Comic Con, if you’re interested in reading a more long winded discussion about the book to movie process.

More soon. Thanks for all your support thus far, and please keep on spreading the word. The book’s success is in your hands now.

Best,

Tal

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M. Robert Randolph followed Micah Delhauer

Micah Delhauer

A native of California, I am a writer and independent filmmaker with an emphasis on horror and fanta...

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M. Robert Randolph liked an update for APEX

Hello Dear Readers,

Progress! I have been working through the storyboard for APEX with Inkshares, which has taken several iterations, but we’re getting very close to a final version. Then, I’ll get the green light to proceed with rewriting the manuscript.

It’s been an interesting and enlightening journey. I started this novel about nine years ago, then abandoned it at about one third done when my personal life became a chaotic mess for a while. When I tried to pick up the story again a few years later, I found that I couldn’t, that I’d lost my motivation and discipline to write daily, so I applied to the Stanford Online Writing Certificate program. It’s a two year, intensive program on fiction novel writing, which taught me a ton about the craft of writing. In the process of taking these classes, however, my book was heavily influenced by what I was learning and the opinions of my instructors and peers and thus changed dramatically (including POV characters, backstory, and motivations).

Now, with the help of Inkshares, all of that influence has been stripped away and I’m back to a version that is strikingly similar to my original story. I don’t regret a single tangent that I went on, as each taught me something valuable, and the overall quality of my book has improved from everything I’ve learned, but it does make me laugh to realize, "Huh, this is what I intended to write back in 2009!" Being in Stanford’s program is what allowed me to finish my manuscript and improved me as a writer overall, but I now know my own instincts for storytelling are what I should follow when I write.

When I’m given the go ahead, I’ll be excited to dive in and get this story written in its new, old version!

Cheers, Debbie

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Marie Steel followed M. Robert Randolph

M. Robert Randolph

Writer. Reader. Thinker. Frequents Washington D.C. museums. Author of "The Dark Mountain," an experi...

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M. Robert Randolph liked an update for The Valentine Saga: Innocence

Funding is officially underway! A year ago this book was just a spark of an idea in the depths of my imagination, and if you’d told me I’d have people actually pre-ordering copies of it now I’d have laughed you out of the room.

But here we are, a day into my first crowdfunding campaign for my debut novel, and I’ve got 6 amazing people willing to put their faith in my words. In no particular order, here is a list of my current champions:

Luan Pinheiro

Dillie Baria

Charlotte Horton

Alicia Howard

Kelsey Rae Barthel

Martina Trainer

I’m now even more determined to bring this crazy book to life, and as a reward for my current and future readers I’ll be putting the 2nd chapter up later this week, so watch this space!

Thanks again to everyone for the incredible support, it means the world.

Best,

Brendon

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