Happy E-Day everyone! Delivery of the premium paperback edition of "Skavenger’s Hunt" is right on schedule for the middle of this month, but if you ordered an e-book edition, you probably have a nice little surprise in your email inbox right now. 

Yup, the first emails with the various e-book files went out just this morning, which means you can pop the story of Henry Babbitt, Hunter S. Skavenger, Mattie, Ernie and Jack (along with a handful of historical figures from the late 1800’s) into your e-reader right away. As you can tell, I already went ahead and did so this morning...

So many of you have said you’re looking forward to reading the book, but know that I’M looking forward to you reading it just as much!

Oh, and by the way, in case you have any problems with the files, here’s some helpful info:

The PDF is straight-forward and simple...just like any PDF. Same goes for the EPUB, which is the one you’ll want to use for your iPad or iPhone. Just follow the directions in the email you received and it’ll open up easy as can be.

The Kindle is the only that sometimes gives readers a slight problem. If you have issues, I found that a really easy thing to do is email the file to your Kindle. Yep, that’s right, every Kindle has an email address. Just download the file to the desktop of your home computer, and then do the following:

1) Go to amazon.com/myk and sign in to your Amazon account. This will be your "Manage your Content and Devices" page. You’ll see three tabs, the far right one being "Settings." Scroll down to "Personal Document Settings" and find your Kindle. Next to it, you’ll see an email address. That’s your Kindle email address.

2) Plop your Skavenger’s Hunt file you just saved to your desktop into an email (as an attachment) and send it to your Kindle’s email address.

Simple as that. After a few seconds, it’ll download to your Kindle just like any other Kindle purchase. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any problems. And if you enjoy the read as much as I hope you do, please go to the Skavenger’s Hunt Amazon webpage and leave a short review, even if it’s just a sentence or two. Amazon reviews are critically important to the success of any book.

Most importantly, though...I sincerely hope you enjoy the story! Drop me a note to let me know what you think!

Thanks, all...

Mike

All things literary have been a whirlwind. I’ve recently gotten notified that The Punch Escrow has been selected as one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Books of the 2017. That is great news! But on the same day I learned that Goodreads didn’t see The Punch Escrow fit to be listed among their selections for the Goodreads Choice Science Fiction awards. What adds insult to a bit of injury is that some of the books that they did nominate aren’t even published yet!

However, there is still some hope. YOU can alter reality! If you read and liked my book and have a Goodreads account, it takes about 4.8 seconds (I timed it) to write-in The Punch Escrow in the Best Science Fiction category. It would mean the world to me. The write-in field is at the bottom of the link above. It looks like this:

All you need to do is type in The Punch Escrow (it will auto-fill) and that’s it—you’ve altered reality! 

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and this book. I’ll be writing a more comprehensive update on what’s going on with the film adaptation next year, there’s just a lot going on and I’m legally not allowed to discuss any of it. But it’s all *good* stuff!

-Tal 

Hallelujah!

This day has come at last. The final hours of the Inkshares Horror contest. My Facebook friends are exhausted. Sorry folks. It has been a carnival thrill ride and it’s almost over. You all have to be done with me by now too!

And whatever happens at the end, thank you all for your support. And to the other contestants, I’m proud to be included with such esteemed company. Thank you for pushing so hard…I guess. And best of luck…starting tomorrow.

Hallelujah!

Let the writing time arise again and the huckstering time scab over to a distant painful memory. Looking forward to burying my introverted self into the bowels of Murder Happens, as crappy as that sounds. Amen

Happy Halloween!

Another month has come and gone, and it’s time for another reader update. The Walls are Closing In is still voyaging through the production process. The entire first round of rewrites is wrapped up and has been submitted to my editor.

Portions of my precious story were difficult to part with, and some rewrites flowed easier than others. But, out of the ashes of my murdered darling came a stronger, more piercing novel that I am incredibly happy with and eager to share with all of you.

Matt has already marked up Act 1 (of 3) for round 2 of the developmental edit, and I have completed those changes as well. I am now waiting for him to return Acts 2 and 3 with notes. It will likely be about two weeks before he gets those back to me. So, in the meantime, I am going to dive into National Novel Writing Month.

Every November, authors around the globe strive to write 50,000 words of the first draft of a novel within the month of November, and I have jumped on board.

Someone stop me, please.

The rewrites of The Walls are Closing In will take priority whenever it is in my hands, but when the manuscript is with Matt, I am going to strive to meet the quota (1,667 words per day).

During this time, I’ll likely resemble the undead roaming the streets this all hallows’ eve, and will accept all offers of free caffeine and chocolate.

Until next time,

Jacqui

Dear Readers,

Sorry it’s been awhile since my last update! To be honest, I haven’t been able to write for the past week.  Up until that point, however, I was able to rework about 22,000 words, I interviewed eleven kind volunteers about their reading habits and engagement with social media, and I got my web designer (Mary Ann Aschenbrenner of WaterlinkWeb.com) started on my author page. So, progress is being made!

I expect my website, Instagram, Twitter, blog, and Facebook pages will all launch in a couple to three weeks. I also intend to compile my research on how to build an effective social media presence into an interesting and informative article so that other authors can use it to increase exposure for their creative work. Many, many thanks to my volunteers! I gathered so many valuable insights into effective marketing from you, both what works and what doesn’t. I’m now motivated to implement my ideas and see how it goes.

This week, I’m traveling for work, but my evenings are free, so I hope to get back into writing and prepare some content for my social media presence, write my research article, and finish up APEX. Next month is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those unfamiliar), and I’d like to use it for launching a new piece of writing, but if I need to use it to finish up APEX, so be it. It’s all good.

Cheers and stay tuned! Big things are underway!

Debbie

10/21/17

Murder Happens scored the Staff Syndicate for October on Inkshares which propelled the project into 1st place and gave it some cushion. Many thanks for your support! Mike’s Vampire and the Dragon is likely going to catch us, but either way, right now we own the top 2 spots. Let’s keep up the momentum. If you have any inkling to support Murder Happens, don’t be shy and pre-order today.

https://www.inkshares.com/books/murder-happens

If we hit 110 preorders, I will raffle off a copy of Emil Ferris’ graphic novel: MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS ($39.99 value). Sometimes you just have to throw money at a challenge.

And don’t forget to get your FREE copy of GLAMS vs RED PLAIDS. Free until Sunday midnight.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075H5BWTF

10/18/17

Good morning, everyone!

I wish I could be running through my office popping some champagne, but alas we came up about 20 readers short of getting into the Top Three.

I do want to say congratulations to Paul, Kate, and Meghan -- you all have what look like amazing stories, and I know all of your readers (including me) are eager to get them.

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me and my story so far. Your support and well wishes mean the world to me, they really do.

But things are not over for "Devil" quite yet. I’m going to take a few days to be disappointed (’cause I am, I gotta be honest: when you want to be in the Top 3, fourth place kinda sucks :-) ) and recuperate. Doing this campaigning can be really mentally and emotionally draining.

However, my funding window is still open and there is no reason that "The Devil You Don’t" can’t hit the Quill funding level or better. So, after a pout and a nap, I will turn my attention to figuring out how to make that happen... because I really do believe "The Devil You Don’t" is a great story and I want to make sure you all get a chance to enjoy it.

I’ll keep you posted. Thank you again.

Best,
Susan
 I probably need all of the above. :-)

10/17/17

Well, we are down to hours and I continue to tell myself that the silvery strands in my hair are sparkles and not grey hair from stress.

Last 24 hours have been, as I suspected they would be, wild. I gained some ground and then lost it again. So, "Devil" remains in 4th place right now with a little distance to make up before the final aria gets belted out.

We can still get Devil into the Top Three, but that means mustering the troops. As always, this is a team sport.

So, how can you help? I’m glad you asked!

If you have already ordered a copy... if each of you could get one person--just one!--to put in a pre-order before 10:00 pm Pacific time, that would be beyond amazing, and would make a HUGE difference. So if you’re at the office, hit up a friend in the cube next to you. Call your best friend (or your sibling or spouse), tell them you’re sending an email, and you need a favor...

In fact, here’s some information you can send them: My friend, Susan, has a novel manuscript that’s in a national competition, and she could win a full publishing package for her book. The contest ends tonight at 10 pm West Coast time. Do me a favor and order a copy--I know she’d appreciate the support: https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-devil-you-don-t 

If you have NOT ordered a copy yet... That’s a super easy solution! PLEASE put in a pre-order. You have the chance to be my Fairy Godmother today, how epic would that credit be on your resume?

And don’t forget, if we make the Top Three and win this bad boy, I will be doing a "thank you for your support" raffle for all of my readers -- for a $100 Amazon gift card.

No matter what happens at the end of the competition, I could not ask for a better set of friends, colleagues, and fans...

1

Best,
Susan