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    

Hello, friends! It’s update time! I have yet more exciting news for you today.

First of all, I want to reveal a surprise project I’ve been working on. I have not one, but two story launches coming up in the next two months. In addition to Tantalus Depths, I’ve spent the past year working on another short story for the Writing Bloc Collective, for their upcoming FAMILY anthology: Empire of Salt. Like Tantalus Depths and my three previous short stories, Empire of Salt is set in the Calling Void universe, but in a place and time we have not yet seen explored.

Set more than thirty years before Tantalus Depths on the toxic ocean world of Hayden, Empire of Salt tells the story of Masuyo Kosawa, formerly the wealthiest and most powerful man in history. Kosawa’s ruthless ambition helped him rise to unprecedented heights as the rest of the world reeled in the aftermath of the devastating Corsica Event. For years it seemed the Ming-Kosawa corporate monarchy could never be toppled.

That is, until Exotech Industries changed everything.

Empire of Salt is a tale of greed, sorrow, ambition, and futility, and is just one of the 21 brilliant stories you’ll be able to find in this excellent new anthology book from Writing Bloc. Look for FAMILY on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most other retailers on April 19th, 2022.

Empire of Salt delves deeper into the rich future history of the Calling Void universe, from the perspective of a man who lived through most of it. If you’re interested in learning more about the dark universe of Tantalus Depths, you don’t need to wait until April. I’m pleased to announce the first new lore file on my website: The Home System.

We’ve already learned about Earth, but what about the rest of our solar system? When Exotech developed the superluminal drive, interplanetary colonization throughout our system went from prohibitively challenging to practically easy. The past few decades have seen a lot of growth throughout the system, and each world has a story to tell.

Learn more about the vast terraforming operations on Venus and Mars, the tragic fate of the Shangxi lunar program, the perils faced by the Argos Mining Syndicate on Io, the revolutionary discovery of life on Europa, and much more in the newest edition to the Explore gallery on evangraham.org: The Home System.

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!

Hello All,

Six months have passed since the publication of The Bird’s Road. It’s a little odd having no writing or editing to do but I am content that it’s over. 

I had an opportunity to add pictures to the memoir but that seemed to add a level of complication I didn’t want to be displeased with, so I declined. I have created an Instagram @thebirdsroad for those of you that might be interested.  I’m adding photos in chronological order. 

To those of you that have posted reviews here, on Goodreads, and Amazon, I appreciate it.

Thanks for your support,

Sharek

Hello again!

I know... two emails in one week. But I thought I’d again remind everyone who pre-ordered Mission 51 to update their home mailing address with Inkshares, as the books will be mailed in the coming days/weeks. See the detailed instructions on how to do that below.

I had a chance to sign the books as promised. That was tricky, with COVID and all, but we figured out how to get it done! The books are now on their way to Inkshares’ fulfillment partner who will ship them out to your address on record at Inkshares.

If you have moved since you pre-ordered the book, it should be intuitive to change your address on your account at the Inkshares site after you click on the image in the upper right hand corner next to the little bell. But some people have had to do this:

1. Login to Inkshares.com

2. Press the image in the top right, next to the bell

3. Press "more", then "profile"

4. Press profile options in the top right corner

5. Account

6. Address

If you have any trouble at all, Inkshares would be glad to help. You can email them at hello@inkshares.com

Thanks again. Launch in T-minus 30 days!

Ferd