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!

The Nerdist contest is over. Wow! That was exciting!!

I want to send out a big congratulations to the multiple authors contributing to Too Many Controllers, and to @Prescott Harvey for In Beta, and to @Peter Ryan for Destiny Imperfect. Great job, everyone! I am looking forward to reading your stories!

I do want to congratulate @Alisa King for Are You Sure You Want To Quit?, @Regina McMenomy for Mothering: The Game, and @Matthew Poat for Squids In. That was a very good effort! Alisa just missed the top three, but she made Quill! That’s fantastic! And Regina and Matt are a good ways to that goal.

Congratulations!!! :-)

Last call! Order IN BETA now or, uh, pick it up in bookstores later (hopefully). The Nerdist video game contest ends tomorrow, and it’s been a helluva ride. I’ll be glad to quit hustling and return to churning out the video game-themed hilarity.