Dear friends and followers:

Christmas is coming. So is my birthday. If you’re following the Julian calendar, those are on the same day. I think it’s pretty clear what I’d like for Christmas....

Well, the List contest continues apace. Thanks to you, I’m still in second. There’s no place for complacency, though, as I am not convinced that the numbers are entirely accurate: I believe that some of the books behind me have uncounted readers, which puts them a lot closer to knocking me out of position than I’m comfortable with. And things could easily change over the next month.

I’m grateful to all of you for having gotten me this far.

Meanwhile, I have not been neglecting the book itself in favour of selling it. I’ve updated the first two chapters on the site; I’ve worked out the actual calendar-date timeline for the events of the novel, and I am happy to say that the story officially begins on 31 October 1924. I’d very much like to be able to hand this in first thing in the new year, but that’s all dependent on what happens with the List.

Speaking of timelines and the upcoming New Year, it’s been a while since I made any recommendations. So here are a couple that I believe you’d enjoy, and whose authors would also appreciate the Christmas gift of your vote of confidence.

1) "Manifesto", by Daniel Poort. This one’s a psychological thriller about a small-town cop on the trail of a serial killer. Poort promises an escalating body count; and of course nothing says edge-of-your-seat like murder and betrayal.

2) "Shady Place", by David Byrne. A more light-hearted take, I think. A police detective and a mobster retire to the same seniors’ community, and find they have to work together to prevent a murder. If they play "good cop/bad cop", I wonder which would be which....

Until next time: have fun, and keep reading. And tell all your friends!

Happy Holidays! I want to extend a hearty thank you for your support. Over the last few months, I’ve continued to receive messages of how The Body of Chris has affected families with a wide range of mental health difficulties. None of this would be possible without you, and I never forget it.

Inkshares is currently running a promotion of 50% OFF selected books through December 16th, which means The Body of Chris is on sale for $8 (paperback) and $4.99 (ebook)--tough to beat! This time of year reminds me of child-like wonder, and it’s been touching to hear my boys sing Christmas carols they’re learning for their preschool play. The season can also bring up a lot of difficulty for those living with some of the issues presented in my book. If you know someone who may benefit from reading about my journey, I hope you’ll pass this email along to them. There is profound healing in simply feeling less alone.

Speaking of my boys, the International Bipolar Foundation recently asked me to write something on parenthood with bipolar disorder, and this is what I came up with:

"I remember poignant moments of deep connection and longing that marked those early days of fatherhood. At the time, I was unwilling to accept treatment for what I considered to be a sensitive, spiritual disposition unmet by the profane existence of modern society. My son was colicky, needing an extraordinary amount of devotion just to fall asleep. I would sing him songs, rock him for what seemed like hours, and then be trapped by his delicate body asleep on my chest. My arm would go numb as I drifted in and out of sleep myself. I would stare at his face, the promise of a life yet unmarred by suffering, and tears would stream down my cheeks. I felt a love fuller than I had ever known. In these fleeting moments, I became willing to commit to whatever treatment necessary for my ability to be present in his life." (read the full article here: http://www.ibpf.org/blog/fatherhood-bipolar-disorder)

I hope you all have a wonderful close to 2016; wishing you the best year yet for 2017!

Love.

Chris

Happy December Everyone!  I hope that as we move to the darkest time of the year you have your own lights to guide you through until spring.

I’ve got a few pieces of news I want to share with you all, now that November is all done.  Why November, you ask?  Because of NaNoWriMo, of course.  The genesis of these incredible Fun and Games was a month of throwing myself into “literary abandon,” and each year since 2007 (with the exception of last year’s editing frenzy) I have written a 50,000+ word first draft between November 1st and 30th.  For instance, the novel that you read was written in November, 2010, with the sequels written in 2011 and 2012 (yes, the series is complete(ish)).  After taking a year off into a different direction (don’t ask, it was awful), 2014’s novel was a standalone Chuck-centric story.  This year focused on Stu, and while I’m not done yet (about 53k words and counting), I can now take a breather without feeling guilty.

A couple exciting things happened during November.  First, we crossed the 2,000 sale threshold, which is absolutely amazing.  I sold just under 800 copies during the frantic funding phase, so that’s over a thousand copies purchased by readers through amazon and friendly local booksellers all across the country.  That’s super cool.  If you come across a free range novel, feel free to swing by Facebook and share it!

Second, the audio book was released, and is now available for download via audible.  You may remember that I shared the webpage of the supremely talented actor who performed it, Cassandra Lee Morris.  I’ve listened to a good chunk, and she really knows how to bring a story to life.  Sitting on some audible credits or just want to experience It’s All Fun and Games on your commute?  Swing on by and pick it up.

December is a season for giving, and my publisher, Inkshares, is giving everyone a great deal – you can order It’s All Fun and Games through my project page for only $4.99, and that includes free domestic shipping.  A great gift for all those cousins, nephews, nieces, and anyone else who would like a fun fantasy adventure to read this winter.  It’s not just my novel on sale, either – there’s a whole host of books all there for the grabbing.  Want a suggestion?  Shoot me an email, or check out my blog at authordavebarrett.com.  I’ve been away from it, but I think a nice book recommendation list would be a great addition, once I re-learn how to work the website.

On the review front, after my last email there was a flurry of posts on Amazon.  As a reminder, indie authors live and die by the review and the referral.  If you liked it (or your kid liked it, or your dog liked it) please pop over to your favorite ecommerce site (Amazon, B&N, BAM, or all of them!) and leave me a review!  And of course, if you’ve got a Goodreads account, that’s a great place to go too.  I’ve got 66 reviews at Amazon right now.  I’d love to hit 100 by Christmas!

Lastly, I’ve had a bunch of people asking me about when the sequel would come out.  At least three or four people, that is.  I’m not entirely sure if Inkshares is the place for book two (in a non-contest world I would need to sell 750 preorders at an increased price of $20 per book to fully fund), but I will probably be testing the waters along that front sometime in the near future.  Look for another update with a link to the new project page. 

As always, you can find It’s All Fun and Games on Facebook, and me on Twitter.

And as always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support.