Happy Holidays readers!

So, I’ve been spending my Holiday break refining the latest (third) draft and we are now sitting at about 94,000 words, twenty-three chapters, a prologue, epilogue and a partridge in a pear tree. I’ve beefed up the novel with more detail, more backstory, and a parallel series of flashbacks that take place in the swinging sixties that’s adds more context to the motivations of the main characters. I also think the addition of a prologue (much like the cold opening of a Bond film) and an epilogue (much like the post-credits scenes we see so often nowadays) really adds a bit more bang for your buck, story-wise as well as leaving the door open for future installments. It’s a constant process, but I think I’m just about the point where I can hand this off to beta readers to get some much needed feedback. 

And what say you, faithful followers, about possibly relaunching an Inkshares campaign? Not now, I’m not at that point just yet, but perhaps in a couple of months after Holiday fatigue has worn off. The novel has evolved so much since I first started working on it over a year ago and I feel much more confident that I can get people excited about it and see it become a reality. Without the pressures of a contest or a crowdfunding campaign over the past few months, I’ve been able to really crack this open and refine it and there’s still more work to be done. Exciting times!

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and Happy New Year!

J

Well, nothing much new on the "Wings of the Pirate" front.  I finished another polish on the manuscript and am waiting for the final chapter-head illustrations from my Artist pal Al Bringas.  He has done a fantastic job with them all and I can’t wait to show you all when the book comes out next year. 

If you’re up for reading a bit more of my non-Western stuff, I put up another novel project of mine "Africa Tusk" which I have completed the first draft on.  It deals with the fight against elephant poachers in Africa and the possibility of using drones...

Have a wonderful Holiday Season, I will be updating you more in 2017!

Cheers!!

Eric H. Heisner

Writer, Actor & Filmmaker @ www.leandogproductions.com

After much deliberation, I have decided on a launch date for the pre-order campaign for The Walls are Closing In. To provide a nice buffer after the holidays before gouging everyone’s wallets, the pre-order campaign will commence on the 13th of January - also known as Friday, the 13th. Hopefully not too ominous.

http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m742mhxoxf1rvqh1lo1_250.gif

Hello Readers & Friends,

A BIG update. I Am Waltz has officially finished the developmental edit and is now with the copy editors at the publisher. The time is rapidly approaching now and books will be on there way sooner than later. The timeline provided by the publisher for this is a few months, so I hope everyone will get their books during the spring. 

For those with signed paperbacks, the books will first be sent to me to sign, then the publisher will send them out to you all.

Thank you all again for your continued support and I hope you all love I Am Waltz when you get it. 

Soon I will begin working on the sequel to this book and as promised all early adopters of I Am Waltz will be purvey to unique insight and tidbits/early drafts or the sequel.

-Love, Matt

Wookieenomics vs Trekonomics

In anticipation of the release of Star Wars’ Rogue One at the end of the week, we recorded a podcast with Pr. Zachary Feinstein (George Washington University). Economist David Beckworth, from think tank Mercatus, hosted. 

If you recall, Zach Feinstein wrote this amazingly funny and sharp paper last year, where he came to the conclusion that the Death Star would have destroyed the Empire’s economy. Here’s his thesis, laid out in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/opinion/in-star-wars-was-the-death-star-too-big-to-fail.html

In any case, we hope you’ll enjoy the podcast and that it will give you fresh ideas to chew on while watching Rogue One. 

https://soundcloud.com/macro-musings/feinsteinsaadia

May The Force Be With You. 

Manu