Another thrilling week has passed and it is time for an update! The Walls are Closing In is sitting at 229 orders, a mere 21 orders from the first milestone of Quill light-publication (250 orders), and above the ideal rate of funding for the full Inkshares contract (750 orders). Chug chug chug.

The book received a bit of spotlight on the Inkshares blog in a post by Elena Stofle, Operations Manager at Inkshares. Thank you, Elena!

"Castle’s tale about a walled United States is exciting, maddening, and full of hope. Two walls have been constructed at the northern and southern borders of the United States—with no way in or out. Patricia is a brave and intelligent heroine living between the border walls with a thirst for the truth about life before the Seclusion, and the future that could be had if the walls were to come down.

I have only read the chapters posted on Inkshares, but I am so excited to read more about this epic, futuristic tale that is so different and fresh in the sea of modern dystopian stories that are out there. "

The full post can be read here

Next weekend, February 16th through 20th, I will be attending the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. I am eager to dive into classes for both journalism and fiction writing, and network with other authors. There is one session that I am particularly looking forward to - Writing the Resistance: Authors as Activists and Agents of Change.

The Walls are Closing In has been nominated for three syndicates this month!

If you happen to be a member of Staff Syndicate, Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate, or Rite of Passage Syndicate, and deem that The Walls are Closing In fits the bill, I would be eternally grateful for your vote. 

That is it for now. Thank you again for your support. Until next week!

Just a quick update on where things stand. In the next 24 hours we should be done with developmental editing and sending the manuscript over to copy editing. The manuscript is in really good shape. There are still some typos to fix and a few scenes that we’re working on, but I’m anticipating we’ll knock those out tonight/tomorrow morning.

Copy editing should take about a couple of weeks, meaning we should have a final version of the manuscript going into formatting on the last week of the month. This will enable Inkshares to print "galleys" (promotional versions of the book) by the end of the month, which is very exciting.

In the mean time, I need to do my "author picture" for the inside sleeve of the book. I have something cool in mind, but as I’m not very photogenic, it may not work out. Still, I’ve enlisted the services of my friend and photographer Lai Long whom I believe will endeavor to make photographic miracles happen.

I’m told everything is all set for the book launch at San Diego Comic Con in July. I’m not really sure exactly what it is that we’ll be doing there to promote the book. Maybe I’ll just do a little interpretive teleportation dance while wearing a futuristic LED suit. Probably not that.

So excited you guys. Jazz hands!

Tal

Most wonderful and dedicated followers,

Hello everyone!

Quick update today. Weaponized is on track for a October release. Tentatively early in the month before Halloween. We’re working on a dope new cover now.

AND!

My debut comic, The Dregs #1 hit comic book shops today. It’s already sold out! So make sure to get to a store in the next few days if you want a copy. 

Cheers,
Zac

Friends!

I apologize for the lack of updates. My nose has been pressed against the old grindstone, and in spite of a slew of interruptions and several "I’M THE WORST WRITER IN THE WORLD I F*****G QUIT WHY DIDN’T I GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL" text messages and the holiday season sucking the dregs of my soul out of my withered retail worker body, I will be handing what I’ve managed to cough up to the copy editor on Tuesday. As in, less than a week from Tuesday.

This time last year I barely had 75 pages of what would ultimately become the one-act novella that started everything. As of right now, Devil’s Call has 151 pages and I still have about 20,000 words to write before it’s "finished," but it will be a quick 20,000 words. I’m not sure at which point things will shift from "Surreal" to "My Life Now," but I have an agent and a promotional schedule and Devil’s Call has a cover, which if you haven’t seen it yet

I’ve ganked it from Target.com’s website for your viewing pleasure.

According to the schedule the lovely Avalon Radys put together for me, I’m going to start being way more vocal about the novel’s progress starting in March, so enjoy the silence while it lasts.

-J.