Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths

It’s been a full week since the launch of Tantalus Depths, and it already feels like the whole world has changed. Our launch event was a fantastic experience; I loved the chance to spend time with so many of you and revel in this amazing experience with so many of the people who made it happen. Bookstores and libraries are beginning to carry it, glowing reviews are coming in from all over the world, and we’re right on track with where I wanted to be.

So what comes next? Well, the official launch day of a new novel is only the beginning when it comes to determining that book’s overall success. Technically, I could just forget about it and move on to the next project right now, but as far as launching a career as a published author, that would be the equivalent of sitting down to take a nap ten feet away from the finish line in a marathon. Many people have now read, and enjoyed, Tantalus Depths, but this still mostly consists of those of you who preordered it years ago. In order for this book to truly take off and become successful, it must be able to find new readers. It needs to build momentum, gather attention from outside my personal social circle, and start catching the attention of complete strangers. It’s a challenging, but necessary phase in launching a book, and right now the best way to achieve it will require your help once again.

We need reviews!

Reviews are absolutely necessary for a book to find its full potential. Amazon reviews are especially vital: it’s the primary driver of book sales in the industry, and it takes at least 50 reviews for Amazon’s automated algorithms to start recommending it to new customers. Fifty reviews just to get noticed, a hundred to be actively promoted, and at the time of writing this, Tantalus Depths has...four.

Those four reviews are incredibly valuable in their own right, but we’ll need far more to get the attention Tantalus Depths needs to find its best chances of success. With Tantalus Depths in all of your hands now, I must ask for your help one more time. If you can spare a few minutes of your time to leave a fair and honest review of Tantalus Depths on Amazon, or another site such as Goodreads, I would be eternally grateful.

Amazon can be a bit of a pain. Sometimes it takes several days for a review to go up after you’ve submitted it, and sometimes they will reject a review for no obvious reason and not tell you about it. That’s all the more reason why every review is vital and precious to Tantalus Depths’ survival, so please don’t underestimate how much of a difference your review will make.

I’m optimistic that we’ll get there eventually. Early reviews are very positive, and I suspect we’ll keep getting a lot more in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, thank you all again so very much for all your continuing support, and I hope you’re all enjoying your experiences reading Tantalus Depths after such a long wait!

To leave a review on Amazon, follow this link here:

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    Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths
    My friends, the time has finally come. Ten long years ago, I started work on a story; a simple dark science fiction story about a woman named Mary, an AI named SCARAB, and a world of ancient alien mysteries called Tantalus 13. It was the first book I ever wrote that truly seemed worthy of publication, and in 2016 I managed, with a ton of hard work and support from many amazing friends, to secure a publication deal.  

    The next six years saw me locked in a seemingly endless cycle of edits. These edits were challenging to get through, but in the best possible ways, as each saw huge improvements in my book and my skills as a writer. Though the delay often seemed interminable, hard work, patience, and perseverance saw us through to where we are now. 

    Today, Tantalus Depths is published. Bookstores worldwide now carry a book I wrote. My story, my words, can now be read by anyone anywhere. I have an audiobook, narrated by Andi Arndt: one of the most talented narrators I’ve ever heard. She has miraculously captured every minute detail of every scene and character in her voice with such beautiful precision that it feels as if she read the story directly out of my mind instead of a script.  
    Yesterday, I stood on a stage at my alma mater, the university where I wrote the very first draft of Tantalus Depths. I was introduced by Dr. Bowles, the professor who taught me so much about the craft of writing and guided me throughout Tantalus Depths’ creation, to a crowd of dedicated friends and supporters and intrigued newcomers. I read my own words to an auditorium of people who had come specifically to see me. I took photo ops and signed books, just like a real, published author. 

    Because I am one. 

    Today, a dream I’ve held in my heart since I was a child has been well and truly fulfilled. I am Evan Graham: published author. And this is only the beginning. 

     
     
     


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      Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths
      Two days!!! We’re two days from launch! Your books are probably in the mail right this very second on their way to your door! I’m freaking out! Are you freaking out? It’s okay, we can freak out together. I’m getting good at that.

      My brain’s too psyched up to put together much of a coherent update today, so I’ll leave it simple this time and go right into our daily character update. So without further ado, let me introduce you to the next two members of the Tantalus 13 expedition: medical officer Dr. Ramanathan Bachal and Mission Commander Drake Gorrister.

       
       

      The leader and the healer. The head and heart of the expedition. On a year-long expedition into the unknown, these are the two members of the crew you need to be able to trust the most. If anyone is expendable on this mission, it’s not these two. But just how reliable are they, really?

      Ramanathan has a big heart and a long history of helping people, but that history is stained with tragedy and growing, untreated mental illness. If this physician can’t heal himself, can anyone truly be confident that he’ll be ready if tragedy strikes?

      Gorrister is a lifelong company man. He’s lived, breathed, and bled Exotech all his life. A man of spreadsheets and checklists, Gorrister knows company regulations backwards and forwards. But when the mission they’d all signed up for becomes something beyond anyone’s expectations, can he adapt when things get messy? And if it came to a choice, where would his loyalties truly lie: crew or company?

      Come read all about these two characters in the Explore section of my website, and get ready to see them in action in just two days!
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        Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths
        Only three days left until the big day, and I’m not freaking out at all! I’m totally calm here. Who’s panicking? You’re panicking! Everything is perfectly fine!

        I kid. I’m far more excited than I can describe, even with all the heavy pressure of an immanent book launch hanging over my head every second of the day. Even though we’ve been waiting for six long years for this day, it still feels like there’s so much left to do before it gets here. Granted, that’s my perfectionism talking. You only get one chance to make a first impression after all, and in the publishing world that matters even more than you’d think.

        On the one hand, I’ve already done better than a lot of authors ever do even though the book hasn’t come out yet. I’ve personally presold close to a thousand copies during the preorder campaign and the following years, and that’s not counting any of the copies sold to book retailers this year. I have an absolutely perfect audiobook adaptation coming out on the most listened-to audiobook platform in the world, and I have a spot saved for me at the biggest science fiction convention in Ohio later this year. If that’s all I get out of this, it’s still pretty darn impressive.

        But I’m hard to satisfy. I want it all. I want Tantalus Depths to be a number one seller. I want it to be the kind of book people discuss when they talk about modern science fiction classics. I want to be able to make writing a full-time job so I can explore the galaxies inside my mind and tell every story that’s been struggling to burst free for so long. I’ll still be content if I don’t achieve these things, but I want them, and I’m not going to be passive about it.

        We’ll see soon enough, though. In the meanwhile, let’s continue with the introductions, shall we?

         

         

        You’ve met the muscle of the Tantalus 13 survey mission, now meet the brains. Dr. Rebecca Traviss and Dr. William Hertz are two of the smartest people you could want on your team, and they both have an absolutely ravenous enthusiasm for learning and discovery. As a geologist and a computer scientist, they may be well out of their depth when it comes to exploring an ancient alien megastructure the size of a planet, but they’re eager to meet the challenge head on.

        Read more about Becky and Hertz in their Explore articles here, and get ready to follow their adventure in Tantalus Depths on September 27th!


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          Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths
          Hello everyone! It’s day three of our Tantalus Depths launch week countdown, which means we only have four days left until the big day!

          To ring in the final countdown, I think it’s time to put a brighter highlight on the book itself. I’ve talked about pretty much nothing but Tantalus Depths for months now, but now that it’s finally almost here, I’d like to get a bit deeper into the meat of the story, so to speak. As such, I’ve decided now is the perfect time to give you all a proper introduction to the cast.

          That’s right, it’s time for the long overdue return of the lore updates! From now until launch day, I’m going to give you an in-depth look at all eight characters from Tantalus Depths, two each day until you’ve met everyone.
          For our first day, I’d like you all to meet the two mining specialists on the crew of the Diamelen: Yancy Gage and Hollis Rook.
             

          Rook and Yancy may not have PHDs, but their experience and expertise in the field of deep space mining makes them irreplaceable on the Tantalus 13 survey expedition. When you need someone to operate an industrial energy drill or a Dawson core extractor, you call these guys. Tantalus 13 isn’t their first dangerous mission: before accepting Exotech’s offer to join the Diamelen’s crew, Rook and Yancy worked together for the Argos Mining Syndicate on the perilous volcanic fields of Io. They know their stuff, and as long as you can handle Rook’s rebellious attitude and frequent wisecracking, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone better suited for a journey into the unknown.

          Check out Rook and Yancy’s new articles in the “Explore” tab of the website today to get acquainted with the first two members of the Tantalus Depths crew, and be ready to meet the rest of them in the next few days!

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            Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths

             

            Today I have the honor of presenting you with a lovely interview with my friend Kaytalin Platt, author of the Equitas series! Here we get behind the scenes as I talk a bit about Tantalus Depths, worldbuilding, and storytelling, along with an inside look at the editing and publication process. We had a really great discussion! Come check out our interview, and show her books a little love too while you’re at it. She’s extremely talented in her own right!

            Other than that, I don’t have any huge bombshell announcements to drop today. But stay tuned tomorrow for another big update as we get closer and closer to the big day! Don’t forget that the Tantalus Depths audiobook is on sale through tomorrow for 65% off, and don’t forget to make plans for our big launch event 7:00 at Kent Trumbull on September 27th. You’re not going to want to miss it!  

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              Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths
              Six days until Tantalus Depths’ launch, and I’m already ready to drop a major bombshell announcement. This is too big for me to beat around the bush, so I’m just going to get right into it: I’m going to GalaxyCon Columbus!


              I’ve been working on setting up a schedule of appearances at conventions and book signings throughout the year, and I have a lot of prospects I’m excited for, but as luck would have it, the first booking I’ve been able to lock in is also the biggest and most exciting! 

              If you aren’t familiar, GalaxyCon is the biggest sci-fi convention in all of Ohio. It’s an enormous three-day extravaganza of geekdom featuring amazing guests, panels, events, and vendors: one of which will be me! I simply cannot state how enormous GalaxyCon is: some of the guests this year include William Shatner, Kevin Smith, Jodie Whittaker, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Patrick Warburton, Kevin Conroy, and…literally like a hundred other insanely talented celebrities. I could fill this whole dang update just by listing the names I’m excited about. 

              And yeah…I’m gonna be there too! I totally belong in the same building as those people, right? I don’t feel underqualified at all. I am definitely not going to stick out from the crowd at all. 

              I’m freaking out, but in a good way. It’s an incredible opportunity and I couldn’t be more psyched for it. 

              GalaxyCon is December 2-4th in Columbus, Ohio. If you can make it out there to see lil old me in that menagerie of talent, you should make the trip. It’s going to be epic.
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                Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths

                Seven days! My friends, we are officially ONE WEEK from publication! I can’t Believe how close it is!

                I’m going to try my very best to write an update every day this week, since a lot is going to happen during these final days. Of course, every time I try to hold myself to any kind of schedule I woefully fall short, so who knows what will happen? Heck, this update almost didn’t go out in time thanks to my wonderful rural internet deciding to take half the day off. Life is full of adventures.

                One week out, things are pretty quiet. I have some interviews lined up for this week, and I’m prepping things for the big launch event at Kent Trumbull onthe 27th. Early reviews are still overwhelmingly positive for the book, and I’m hoping more will come out in the first few weeks of release.

                One big surprise update I did not see coming: the audiobook is already on sale! Turns out Audible has a site-wide sale from now until September 23rd on every audiobook in their catalogue, including the ones that aren’t even out yet. Tantalus Depths is currently 65% off at 8.73, which is cheaper than the cost of an Audible credit, so this is a really good deal. If you have any interest in getting the audiobook (and you should, it’s AMAZING), I definitely recommend taking advantage of this sale!

                If you’ve already preordered it at full price, I apologize. I know it isn’t really a fair deal. I didn’t have any personal involvement in setting the price and was not aware this sale was coming, or I would have mentioned it sooner. It may be possible to cancel your preorder and order it again at the sale price, but I’m genuinely not sure.

                If you haven’t preordered yet, don’t miss this deal! Andi’s performance breathes so much life into my words that I could never convey through text alone. I cannot recommend the audiobook strongly enough. It’s an experience that must not be missed.  

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                  Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Eudaimonia

                  Y’all, it is cranking up! I’m not sure if you can hear it, but there is a faint click-click-clicking sound in the background. Like the sound a roller coaster makes before you crest the first big drop. That is where we are on this publishing journey, the slow-clicking accent before the thrilling drop on the publication date. 

                  Eudaimonia’s publication date is Tuesday, November 8th. It is now listed (for pre-order) on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And you can add it to your "want to read" list in GoodReads. 

                  Eudaimonia is also listed on IndieBound, which is a website that directs you to independent local bookstores near you. There is a link on IndieBound where you can purchase a book online through "Bookshop." If you want to buy Eudaimonia in a local bookstore, request it. Independent bookstores are small businesses and books are their inventory. They generally keep on hand what they know will sell and monitor requests to see if there is something else they should start carrying. 

                  So, Meghan, what about us? The folks who pre-ordered? 

                  Let’s get your addresses updated at Inkshares! It has been nearly five years since we started this adventure and some things are bound to have changed. 

                  Head over to: www.inkshares.com and log in. If you have forgotten your password, just click "forgot password" to reset 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 

                  While you are in your Inkshares account, double-check your purchase (an e-book, a paperback book, or both. I am hoping that the e-books and paperbacks will be ready sometime in October. 

                  Part of the fun of being a pre-order backer is that you get your book before anyone else! 

                  If you originally ordered an e-book but now want to order a paperback, you can do so in your Inkshares account (or any of the other places listed above). Again, any questions or issues please reach out to Inkshares directly for help: hello@inkshares.com 

                  What if I want to pre-order and haven’t yet? Eudaimonia Pre-order page 

                  Thanks again, 

                  Meghan Godwin 

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                    Fernando Crôtte liked an update for Tantalus Depths
                    Hello my wonderful friends and supporters. We are officially down to just one month until Tantalus Depths’ launch day, which feels absolutely insane to say. It seriously felt like we’d never get here, but now it’s cresting over the horizon and finally feels like a real thing that’s actually happening to me. 
                    There’s still a lot that needs done before launch day in order to make this as successful as possible. I’ve been spending the last few weeks gathering together materials for the display table I plan to use at events, reaching out to reviewers and media sources, and putting together marketing strategies. All of this is way outside my comfort zone and normal skillset, but I’m doing it anyway. It’s not enough for me to just have Tantalus Depths exist; I want it to thrive. I want to do everything in my power to put my book in front of as many people as possible. 
                    It’s more than one person can do alone, though, even with my publisher bolstering me. My hands are as full as they can get right now, so I’m going to need more hands. Your hands. 
                     
                    I’m putting together a street team for this final stretch of the marathon, and I could really use your help one more time. If you’re not familiar with publishing jargon, a “street team” is a group of an author’s closest friends, family, and most dedicated supporters who gather together to amplify the author’s voice to a bigger audience. You can do that in many ways: anything from leaving a review on Amazon to asking your local library to order the book can help an author’s book launch become more successful. There are no specific obligations: you can participate as much or as little as you like. Every contribution you make is one thing off my shoulders and one step closer to a successful launch. 
                    There are perks to joining my street team for you as well. Everyone who joins will have exclusive early access to the Tantalus Depths ebook: you can read it right now! I also want to make participation fun for you guys too, so I’m turning it into a bit of a game with a nice prize at the end! Participating actively in the street team will earn you points, which will be worth entries in a raffle. On Saturday, October 1st, I will pick the winner of the raffle and the recipient of the grand prize: a brand new Kindle Fire HD 10 tablet! I have one of these and I love it: I actually use it as my main portable computer now, so I’m really excited to give this new one away to a loyal supporter. 
                    If you’re interested in joining my street team, you can either email me at authorevangraham@gmail.com or, better still, you can join the dedicated Facebook group for it here and we can all collaborate together! 
                    This is an exciting process and I’m really eager to see what we can all do together. Launch day is coming up fast, and it’s going to be a day to remember.
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