A couple of weeks ago I received this email:
To say that I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I know that emails and PDFs are sort of a run-of-the-mill occurrence so why would I get SO excited about this one? Let me explain...over the last four years I have traded many Word documents with the folks at Inkshares. And everyone is familiar with how text looks in a Word doc. But when a Word doc becomes a book it undergoes a transformation. A typesetter takes that Word doc and manipulates it into a format that makes it suitable for publishing. I will repeat that last part for emphasis, SUITABLE FOR PUBLISHING.
That is right, friends! We are nearly there, almost to the goal line of an actual. published. book.
And, while this isn’t "final final" it is super gratifying to be at a place where I can glimpse this:
I mean, that is pretty cool, isn’t it?
So, Meghan, what does this mean for us? The folks who pre-ordered?
Let’s get your addresses updated at Inkshares. Head over to: www.inkshares.com and log in. If you have forgotten your password, just click "forgot password" to re-set it. In the right hand corner go to account -->;;;;;; shipping addresses. If you run into any trouble you can email inkshares for help: hello@inkshares.com
What if I want to pre-order and haven’t yet? Eudaimonia Pre-order page
When can we expect it?
I have been told "possibly" the end of August. But this is not a firm date. I will keep you posted as things progress. But, rest assured, all my pre-order folks with get their copy first. No cuts, no buts.
Your friend,
Meghan Godwin
Howdy! Good news to share, and an opportunity for Canadian fans of Bane of All Things to put it on the awards map.
BoAT has made the Best Novel Eligibility List for the 2022 Aurora Awards. The Auroras are Canada’s annual English-language Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards. They have been presented since 1980 by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA).
These are popularity awards. Anyone who is a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, and a CSFFA member, can vote for their picks in any of 12 award categories.
How do you become a CSFFA Member?
Easy. Take an annual membership at the modest cost of $10 (that’s in loonies). Please visit the CSFFA Membership Page to create your account and secure your membership. This helps to pay the bills so that the Awards, and their annual ceremony, can take place.
Your deadline is March 26, 11:59 pm EDT
So, don’t wait! Once you have signed up, you can find Bane of All Things on the Best Novel Eligibility List.
There are 11 other award categories as well. As a CSFFA member, you may select up to five different works in each category (if you wish).
How to make your choices
Select works from the dropdown lists, which are sorted by title. If you want to remove an item that you have chosen, select the blank line at the top of the dropdown list. You must click the Update button at the bottom of each nomination form to save your selections. Your choices will be displayed on your nomination central page.
As the award guidelines state:
“You don’t have to nominate in all categories. Nominate those works that you enjoyed, because this is your chance to have your favorite works from 2021 on this year’s Aurora Awards final ballot. The top five most-nominated works in each category will be selected to be on the final ballot."
The awards ceremony is slated for Aug. 13. Even just having BoAT make that top 5 finalist list for Best Novel would be fantastic!
Cheers
Leo
Hello, friends! We’re two months away from launch day, and I have another exciting announcement for you, so buckle up for a wild ride.
I’m not going to waste any time getting to the big news. We officially have a launch event planned, and it’s going to be big! I’ve put too much time and effort into Tantalus Depths to let its arrival come without a bang, so we’re pulling out all the stops.
I’m incredibly pleased to announce that my old alma mater, Kent State University’s Trumbull Campus, has graciously offered to host a launch event for us! There really could not be a more fitting place to do it. Those of you who have been following Tantalus Depths from the beginning might remember that the book’s humble origins began as a creative writing class assignment at that very same university. Kent Trumbull is where Tantalus Depths was conceived, born, and nurtured. The book simply would not exist if not for Kent Trumbull, and returning to the place it began eight years ago to celebrate its publication feels like destiny.
If you hadn’t already marked May 10th on your calendars, do it now, and scribble “7:00 PM” and “Kent Trumbull” underneath it. We’re going to have some snacks, do a little reading, do a lot of socializing, and just generally celebrate this amazing journey together in the place it all began. I hope to see all of you there!
In other news, there’s another lore update on the website this week, this time highlighting the two central characters from my short story Countermeasures: Jay Serpentico and Descartes. Jay Serpentico is a deadly mercenary with no moral code and a terrifying talent for killing. Descartes is an enigmatic criminal mastermind with seemingly limitless resources and no apparent weaknesses. They’re two of the most dangerous people in the galaxy, so what happens when their interests no longer align? Find out in Countermeasures, part of Writing Bloc’s DECEPTION! anthology, and learn more about these two nefarious figures in the “Explore” section of evangraham.org
Where’s my %$?@* book?
Been over a year since el Deano sent out an update to Mine readers. In that past update to Mine followers, I mentioned that the story remains a viable property. I still believe that’s the case. Many times I’ve felt like bagging the whole deal, but for me personally, it’s not an option, although I’ve been consciously negligent in addressing its needed revisions. That’s the bad news. (The bi-polarity of my situation did cause me to change the name of the story to Me vs. Myself, but only in the Scrivener folder/document naming.)
The good news is that a true and dear friend of mine took the time to read and exhaustively detail the issues he identified in the story.
“I edit the way Ghengis Khan took summer vacations,” he said. And then more to the point, “As we have discussed before, the writing itself is magnificent, the stuff of English major wet dreams. I’m horribly envious. The pacing, on the other hand, is a problem. It takes forever, plus a couple millennia, for anything to actually happen.”
Good and bad news, right? I’m both joyous and frightened to open the PDF he sent over. But, Fear + Breath = Excitement, so breathing deeply, once more into the breach I go.
You’ll get your %$?@* book when it’s done!
Bane of All Things is away!
Launch day on Tuesday, Dec. 7 went well. Those of you who pre-ordered e-books would have received emails that day from Inkshares to download in the file format of your choice. For print copies, these are on their way. Being the busy holiday season for mail and parcel delivery, it could be another week or so before print copies arrive.
As a supporter of my original pre-order campaign more than two years ago, thank you again for taking that leap of faith then and for your patience in the long months since. I also owe huge debts of gratitude to everyone who further supported BoAT’s launch by spreading the word on social media in recent days, by reading advance reader copies to provide advance reviews and blurbs, and by graciously taking the time to contribute in other ways. All efforts are deeply and sincerely appreciated.
That first time seeing your novel on a bookstore shelf
While in town on Wednesday for my next round of immunotherapy treatment, we had to of course stop in at the local Chapters-Indigo to see BoAT on an actual bookstore shelf. (For my American and overseas friends, Chapters is Canada’s big national bookstore chain.)
A member of the store staff saw me posing this photo with my wife. When this lady learned I was in fact the author, she had me sign the store’s copies. And a gentleman promptly bought one to add to his collection of signed first editions!
My first in-store experience as an author, and it came about by chance. Which was awesome, considering no local bookstores that I am aware of are currently doing any formal in-store author events because of the pandemic.
A family friend later visited that same store and took this shot of my signed copies – thank you, Gwen C.!
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What’s next? Bring on the reviews!
The release of a debut novel is a huge milestone. But it’s also just the first step from the starting line of a marathon. Now comes the grind of working to stand out from the crowd. It’s tough for any debut author to rise above with so many other titles competing for readers’ attention.
A vital part of gaining the attention of the book-buying public is getting a critical mass of reviews on Amazon and any other review sites you may frequent such as Goodreads.com. The more reviews a book has, the more prominence it gets on these sites to draw the attention of readers.
Stay safe, enjoy the holidays, and keep reading!
Cheers
Leo
P.S.: There is a Glossary at the back of the book you may find handy.