Finished draft 3 of MINE about a month ago and submitted back to the Inkshare’s editing team. Haven’t heard back, but I reckon them folks is busy as (fill in the blank here). Haven’t been engaged in marketing, because it’s not an easy thing to do as noted by Leo, author of Bane of All Things. But, I did put up the revised chapter one of MINE titled Oh My Darling. It’s a quickie, 3 minutes on average, so take a gander and let me know your thoughts. Most appreciated. Might put up more. Might not. You never know. Life’s a mystery. Also, took some proactive steps to get the Dean Fearce author page spruced up on Goodreads. And heck, now that I’ve mentioned that site, might as well throw in Twitter and Facebook, too.

Oh, and I started writing another story, so there’s that. I told my editor it’s a horror story. She said the last time I set out to write a horror story, I delivered a love story. Same difference, right? (Insert cynical chuckling.) Peace out, MINErs!

Oh, one other thing. Michael Welch needs sex talk advice. I know, right? I’m as shocked you all, too!

The end date for my pre-order campaign was yesterday, and I’ve just received word that the refunds have been processed. Thanks to everyone on the Inkshares team for always being quick to answer my questions, I really appreciate it.

If you’re reading this, unfortunately, I didn’t make the cut. I’ve learned a lot over the last few months, and I’ve had a lot to think about regarding what I could’ve done better. One thing I’m sure of is that most of my pre-orders came from the Inkshares community itself. Those of you I have never met in person and ordered my novel solely off of interest in the material. That gives me hope that I might just have something of value here. Thank you all so much for that.

To my friends and family who ordered, I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. You put up with my extremely amateur marketing attempts for a long time and stuck with me anyway. You are forever awesome, and I can’t thank you enough.

To all my fellow contestants, I implore you, congratulate yourselves. You put yourself out there, and that is a HUGE step. If you didn’t get selected, or didn’t meet the quota, you still accomplished something. It’s not over.

Those of you who got the green light, congratulations as well. It was well-earned, and I look forward to diving into those stories.

As for me?

Not sure.

I have some decisions to make as far as the future of Ereshk, whether I give it another shot here or take my show on the road. Right now, I think I’ll be working on what I’ve got for a while and do everything I can to make it better. I owe you all that for getting me this far. Even though I didn’t make it, meeting you all has been an invaluable experience, and I’m glad for this crazy year.

The show must go on.

I’ll be sending out updates here to let you know what happens, and I’m active on Instagram if you like.

Thanks again everyone, it’s been an honor.

Until next time.

Oh, and there’s more stories I have to tell. 

Oh yeah. This is not the end.

Stay tuned.

Good day, everyone. One last note before we all enjoy our holiday time with friends and family.

Some great news – the editor of my local community newspapers (shout-out to Laurie Weir!) has picked up an article on this whole venture. You can read it online here.

Just this morning, Laurie confirmed she has found room to also run the story in the print editions of both our local papers, the Perth Courier and the Smiths Falls Record News, coming out Dec. 27. I couldn’t be happier. 

Bane of All Things has also enjoyed in recent weeks some great social media push from Startup Canada and others. Despite this excellent support, direct one-on-one outreach remains the biggest driver of pre-orders to date. We will see what kind of impact media coverage has through New Year’s. 

For those of you who are new to Inkshares, I can’t emphasize enough how important friends, family and community support is to make this work. While there are thousands of users on Inkshares who self-identify as fantasy fans (and I’m following as many as I can find), they tend to wait for a new book to prove itself with hundreds of pre-orders and followers before they start jumping on board as supporters, too.

That means I can’t do this without you. No matter the media coverage we get, or what amplification through social media, word of mouth to friends and family is profoundly important to bring the volume of pre-orders and followers we need for success.

That’s all for now. Have a great holiday season and a happy new year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  We had fresh snow this morning and it’s starting to feel like Christmas. Since we’re in Michigan, it’ll probably feel that way until May. 

I hope that you have a great holiday and time with family & friends. I’m grateful for all that happened in 2018 especially for your help in publishing my novel Gumshoe Rules. Best wishes, stay warm and here’s to an even better 2019. 

--Zack, Gregg & Roxie

The Horror Contest is down to a matter of hours now! I wanna express my deepest gratitude to you all for ordering, liking, following, reading, and putting up with these stupid messages. Congratulations to every contestant, its been a tough race, we should all be proud for getting out there and going after it. (That goes for the Mystery contestants as well). If you have time left on your pre-order campaigns, then the fight ain’t over ’til its over.

I wanna send a shout-out to the following authors for their feedback, advice, and in general being super cool:

Shane Lindemoen, Mia Carter, Christopher Huang, Celso Hurtado, Patrick R Delaney, Nick Nafpliotus, Tereyn Acevedo, Z.Z Traver, Chip Colquhoun, Tahani Nelson, Leo Valiquette, Michael James Welch, Paul Brad Logan, Dean Fearce, and if I forgot anybody right now, know that you’re awesome.

Thanks to my friends and family who ordered and have been putting up with me hocking Ereshk non-stop for the last couple months. Know that I still got a month to go. Bear with me guys.

And my warmest thanks goes double for Celia, Jena, Chelsea, Jaida, Tereyn, and Josh who is the owner of an exceptional mustache. You’re the best.

Thanks again everyone, good luck!