Lore Update:
AIs like SCARAB are a tremendous benefit to modern society, but there was once a time when civilization completely depended on them. Then things went wrong....
 

The dangers posed by a rogue artificial intelligence are too numerous to comprehend. What will Mary Ketch and the crew of The Diamelen do when they find themselves completely at the mercy of one?

Find out when you pre-order Tantalus Depths!  

July 21st.

This date is important to me for three reasons. 

First, at 12:01am on July 21, 2007 I was a recent high school graduate, counting down the days until I started my first semester as a college freshman, standing in a Barnes & Noble with my little sister and and cheering with a crowd of hundreds as cardboard boxes were opened and copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were lifted into the air. Years of reading and waiting were coming to an end as I entered adulthood, and the Boy Who Lived was facing off against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for a final time.

Second, at 3:00pm on July 21, 2012 I ended my final shift as a Hogwarts student. I took off my robe, sweater vest, and Gryffindor tie and left the castle halls. I had graduated college a year previously, but now I was leaving school, leaving Florida, and achieving my childhood dream of moving to New York City and working in the film industry. Little did I know about what the future held for me. A literally rat infested apartment, Hurricane Sandy hitting the city (I thought I left Florida and the hurricanes behind?!), and the many, many, late nights and early mornings required when working on a film set.

Third, at 5:07pm on July 21, 2016 I walked to the mailbox, slid in the key, and opened the small metal door to discover a cardboard box wrapped in white tape covered in Inkshares logos. My heart skipped a beat, and I didn’t even wait until I was back in the house before ripping the package open. Nine years after I held the final Harry Potter book, a book I wrote was sliding out of it’s shipping box and into my hands for the very first time. 

Thank you, Inkshares. Thank you, Nerdist. Thank you, every single person who backed my dream, believed in my book, and brought me to this moment. If anyone told me a year ago that this would be happening today, I never would have believed them. I wrote a book, but you all made its publication possible. Thank you.

This is only the beginning.

-Zac

Thank you Quail Ridge Books for hosting an Itchy Pig book reading/signing event this week at Midtown Park.  I had a wonderful time and it is a dream come true to have my book in your store. 

I couldn’t do this without you, my amazing supporters.  This is ALL possible because you believe in us and Itchy Pig. Thank you!

-Nicole

Holy $#(^!!!!!!  Okay, let me explain…  Hwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!  SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh my goodness, YES!!!!!  Dreams are AWESOME!!!!!!!!  OWWWWWW!  Okay, dreams are awesome, and so is my next door neighbor, but running through my backyard to tell her that I just funded leads to splinters.  Geesh!  Well, it’s only a little blood, so… Worth It!!!

Okay, breathing.  Good.  Thank you all SO EXPLETIVE much!!!!!!!!!

I’m kinda glad I wrote the bulk of this letter yesterday.  I’m so excited I keep typing in circles but that’s okay cuz I HAVE FAITH IN EVERY LAST SOUL OF HUMANITY!!!  Seriously!  All of you are amazing, wonderful, PHENOMENAL PEOPLE OF WORTH!!!!!  OWW!  Doesn’t matter if my foot hurts from that twig-thorn, I’m too happy not to dance!!!!!  Okay, the rest is from yesterday, so it’s probably cogent.  Love y’all.  Genuinely.  Love.  I… I’m gonna paint mugs and work on my short story and tell people they’re awesome and make the whole world feel as amazing as I do RIGHT NOW!!!  

For anyone who was looking to get the limited-run prize, tomorrow is the last day to pick up two or more copies of Borehole Bazaar.  This is a super-awesome opportunity to get a uniquely hand-illustrated collection of cute short stories mailed diretly to your home well in advance of your copy of Borehole Bazaar.  That said, I’m hoping BB will be up and ready SUPER quickly so it can get into all your happy hands!

This week, I hit 250!!!  What this means is that I have yet another three RAFFLE WINNERS!!!  The lucky winners are Rebecca Rubin, Crwebber707 and Lauren Huffman!!!  I’ll be getting ahold of you to hear your choice of prizes, but they include an etched glass mug, a hand-painted ceramic mug, a laser-etched coaster (or four!) or an entirely wooden (with hinges) book from those listed below!  If there is something else you would prefer, please just let me know!  I’m fairly crafty and I love my small power-tools!

The list of books should all be child-friendly but I’d advise giving each a once-over, especially A Simple Game and Forgiveness in a Latte.  This week’s selection, Kalla Names a Pup, is indented and alludes to cannibalism and death, so use extra caution with it.

Kiki and the Cantaloupe

Kiki Angers Ambition

Kiki meets Tranquility

Pretty Girl and Luchadore

Bosco Follows his Nose

Forgiveness in a Latte

A Simple Game

Telles Catches Hope

---->;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; Kalla Names a Pup

As always, please Chase Your Dreams.  It’s worth it, as are you.  

Dear friends and followers,

It continues to be slow on the pre-order front--Summer is meant for lazy, restful naps in the sun--but that does not mean I have been completely idle. I have plans for a second Peterkin mystery game, which I hope to unveil in a couple of weeks.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could just spend all my time writing? Both games and books. I guess I could consider Patreon for that, but I figure the pre-order thing with Inkshares is better. A one-time contribution can lead to publication, which in turn leads to sales and royalties ... it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Speaking of games and books, the video-game oriented Nerdist contest just ended, and I am pleased to say that "Too Many Controllers" came in first. A number of you contributed to that win, and we’ve compiled a video to express our gratitude.

It’s a first taste of publication, folks. And that is bloody exciting.

And in the continuing series of introductions to the characters you’ll meet in "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", here’s (Lord) Oliver Saxon, the fifth and last of the club officers:

Here’s a bit of trivia that didn’t make it into the book:

In the UK, a military Mess is normally run by a Mess Committee comprising of seven members: the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and three members responsible for stocking the bar, organising the entertainment, and maintaining the premises. The Veterans’ Club is almost certainly derived from such a Mess, which suggests there ought to be seven members on the board of officers, not five. I blame Bradshaw for this: it is my belief that he proved so efficient as Secretary that he swallowed up the offices of the Treasurer and the member responsible for maintaining the premises. No doubt, once he’s gone, the Vet will find itself in need of an additional two officers on the board to bring them back up to seven.

Then again, has the Mess Committee always been as described, and was it so in the days of the club’s founding?

Until next time: have fun and keep reading.

I’ve got a quick update this week for everyone. First news of important dates: 

• I’ll be at Wizard World in Chicago on August 18th thru 21st. You can find updates and follow me on twitter @CrankyBolt. I’ll have signed Advanced Reader Copies to give away, art prints, and preorders ready to go. Plus, a contest will be afoot to "spot the signs of the Illuminati". I’ll have to come up with a better name for that.
  
• The book gets officially published on 11/1/2016. If you are in the Naperville area, that weekend on 11/5/2016 will have events! Either from bookstore launches to a special 1 night Seventh Age live action game. 
• Midwinter Gaming Convention in Milwaukee is the next convention after that. January 19th is the date for that!

Besides dates and places to meet up! What would an update of mine be without pictures?! I bring you the final cover illustration for the Front Cover!

Only 21 days of funding remain for Mission 51. I would love to see 9 pre-orders over the weekend. Can you help? Here is how:

1. If you have not yet pre-ordered, please click the green button below and follow the pre-order links. Time is of the essence. I need 4.2 pre-orders a day to qualify for Inkshares’ Quill publication services!

2. If you have already pre-ordered a copy of Mission 51, thank you! Now please take a moment to gently encourage/persuade (harass!) a friend to do the same! :-)

3. If you have already pre-ordered a copy, consider purchasing another one, for a friend, family, or neighbor. It could be a birthday present, or an early Christmas present. Particularly good for readers! :-)

Thanks again, everyone! YOU are the ones launching Mission 51, and I greatly appreciate it!