CAMPERS!

The new #SunshineisForever cover is here! What do ya’ll think? Check it out!

Thanks for the support!

Kyle T. Cowan

Most wonderful and dedicated followers,

Apologies all, for the extended bout of silence. Suffice it to say, I’ve been quite busy - both with personal life, and the monumental task of editing/finishing the last parts of "The Children of the Forest". Luckily, I’ve had several important breakthroughs in the last couple weeks, and it looks like we are on track for the finish line once again.

I appreciate everyone’s patience with the novel (the extended duration for editing and revisions is an unfortunate side-effect of this not being my primary job) but I can assure you all that my focus is renewed on completing the book in a very timely matter. As a small treat, I’ve got another little piece of artwork to show off, this time of the novel’s primary antagonist, the Pale King himself. 

An ancient and mysterious traveler from the far reaches of Nin’s northern wilds, the Pale King commands a vast horde of savage followers, and himself hearkens back to a more primordial time in Nin’s history. What does he want? What are his ambitions? Those mysteries are the heart of "The Children of the Forest" ~ and you’ll have to read the book to find out! 

The Walls are Closing In has received 200 preorders within the first three weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And one more for good measure. Thank you!

First things first. I owe all of you a couple of things for helping me cross the 100 reader and the 200 order thresholds!

Using a random number generator and a spreadsheet of my first 100 readers, I have selected two winners to either have a minor character named after them or select the name for that character.

The winners are Robert Batten and K.L. Noon.

Congrats! Let me know what you would like to name your character!

As promised, I have also uploaded a mid-book excerpt to commemorate reaching 200 preorders. Experience Patricia and Rexx’s first steps into Zone 36, a town sealed off due to fracking-induced pollution and destruction, and meet my favorite character, Oliver.

The campaign, as it sits now, has a view of the full publishing contract with few obstacles in the way, but still has some hiking to do. If half of those who are following the book on Inkshares, but have not placed an order yet, order, then The Walls are Closing In will surpass the Quill light-publishing mark.

I have been working tirelessly to cross the Quill milestone early. It is important for a variety of reasons. It signifies that the book is happening! Though I am aiming for 750 preorders and a full publishing contract (think marketing, bookstore shelves, public book signing, cover design, and complete developmental edits), passing the Quill mark (think print-on-demand, ISBN, and Amazon listing) means that there will definitely be a book. Advanced promotion to reach outside of my already-tapped circle will then become much simpler, as those in the book-review world are understandably more willing to promote a sure-thing.

Thank you all again for rallying behind me and this book. A special thank you to both my grandfather Allen Ahearn and aunt Beth Fisher, of Quill and Brush, who shared The Walls are Closing In with their broad community of book lovers!

More milestone perks to come! At 300 orders I will release a new novel trailer with teasers.

-Jacqui

Afternoon, everyone.  

Dear friends and followers,

It is now three weeks since we won the Full Publication deal with The List. The manuscript for "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" was submitted two weeks ago, and now it is a matter of waiting for an editor to be assigned to me. This could take a while; here’s the article about the publishing timeline, in case you missed the last update: I know there are a couple of new faces among you since then.

So, what lies ahead?

Well, I am currently halfway through working on a story-game project for Choice Of Games. I expect to see it come out some time in the latter half of this year. (I encourage everyone to check them out. I’ve enjoyed their stuff over the past few years, and I’m excited at the possibility of seeing myself in their lineup.)

There is also the matter of what to do with the Peterkin franchise. With the publishing timeline being somewhat longer than I expected, and with the additional time required to properly fund a campaign ... plus the sheer chutzpah it would require for me to begin asking for orders on a second book before the first book is even in anyone’s hands.... If I plan on getting the Full Publication deal on something, I should probably start the funding campaign after the launch of this current book, which means it could be two years or more in between books. That seems ... likely to result in an overall loss of interest.

So, I’m toying with a couple of ideas.

One: start a new campaign anyway, for the short story collection "Peterkin Investigates the Anthology"--but aim only for the 250 orders required for the Quill imprint. It won’t get all the services of the Full Publication deal, but then it isn’t a sequel and it isn’t a full-length novel, and it will be out there and available within a year after "Murder at the Veterans’ Club".

Two: take that collection apart and publish the stories individually via Kindle Direct; say, one every two months.

I haven’t quite researched these options yet, nor have I decided on a course of action. It seems the adventure is only just beginning....

It has been just one week since the 90-day campaign began, and The Walls are Closing In has reached 123 preorders. This is phenomenal. We are halfway towards the Quill light-publishing deal already, and are on a brilliant trajectory towards the full publishing contract.

Thank you to everyone who has taken this leap of faith with me. I realize that putting down hard earned money on a book that is a ways off is not everyone’s cup of tea. I want you all to know that each time I see a new order come through, I am dancing on the inside ... and sometimes on the outside. 

A special thank you to my super readers (who have ordered 3 or more copies), Inkshares authors and followers who have already sent referrals my way, and to those who have left a review or recommendation.

The manuscript is complete as is, though it will continue to be fine tuned until the last minute. I am spending long hours locked in staring contests with my manuscript, striving to ensure that the story walks the line between fact and fiction just enough. Sometimes it wins and sometimes I do.

As I mentioned in a previous updated, The Walls are Closing In has been selected as this month’s Thriller Night Syndicate pick. This was a huge honor. My book’s page now sports the Thriller Nights badge!

Blog posts and youtube mentions will start to go live this week or next, and I will share those links when they do!

Today is a rough day for a lot of people, and I hope that all of you are able to stand strong, find solace in numbers, and surround yourselves with friends and loved ones. Buckle up. It will be a rocky ride.

Until next time,

-Jacqui