Happy Sunday!

Here we are, just two days away from the official release of Bane of All Things! Though my local Chapters Indigo locations (that’s our big bookstore chain here in Canada, for my American and overseas friends) may in fact be putting the book out on the shelf as early as today. 

THE UNBOXING

Yesterday was the Big Event at my house -- the official unboxing of my copies of the book from my publisher, Inkshares. I have posted that video to social media and you can view it here on Facebook, or on LinkedIn. This was my first time seeing, and holding, an actual print copy myself!

GETTING YOUR PRE-ORDERED COPIES

Over the past week or so, you should have received an email from Inkshares to confirm your mailing address ... if you have pre-ordered print copies coming your way. For ebook copies, you will soon receive an email notification that your download is ready and you can choose the ebook format you prefer to receive. 

If you have any other questions or concerns about your account and ensuring Inkshares has the correct contact details for you, please reach out to hello@inkshares.com 

TUESDAY LAUNCH EVENT: Submit your answers for the prize draws!

Don’t forget, the virtual launch event I am hosting on Zoom, at 7 pm EST, on Tuesday.  Here is the link: https://bit.ly/3nZuswz 

As I said last time, this is a fun event that will include prize draws with Jeopardy-style questions. It only takes one correct answer to be in the draw. Please submit your answers to me in advance:

• >;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;; This European castle stands in for Dragon’s Claw Abbey – the “fictional” locale that is featured on the cover of Bane of All Things. 
• >;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;; This recessed cupboard for storing sacred vessels in a Christian church inspired the last name of my heroine, Josalind Aumbrae.
• >;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;; This is the title of Book 2 in the series.

Cheers

Leo

BANE OF ALL THINGS, DEBUT NOVEL LAUNCH

Tuesday, Dec. 7 is launch day for Bane of All Things! I will be hosting a launch event on Zoom at 7 pm EST. Here is the link: https://bit.ly/3nZuswz So, mark your calendar!

Join me for a relaxed and casual hour (or more), in which this humble author will sport stylish new headwear and wield his pointy sword (within the constraints of his living room ceiling, of course).

We will have readings! You can quiz me about the book, about being an author and about what’s next. There will be refreshments of your choice … because it’s a virtual event, so drink’em if you’ve got’em.

AND … we will have prize draws for those who have correctly answered, IN ADVANCE, any or all the following questions:

LET’S PLAY JEOPARDY!

Please submit your answers to me BEFORE Dec. 7. I will then draw winners during the event.

Your questions in the form of an answer are:

·      >;;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;; This European castle stands in for Dragon’s Claw Abbey – the “fictional” locale that is featured on the cover of Bane of All Things. 

·      >;;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;; This recessed cupboard for storing sacred vessels in a Christian church inspired the last name of my heroine, Josalind Aumbrae.

·      >;;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;;>;;;;;;;;; This is the title of Book 2 in the series (the answer is out there!)

Becoming a bona fide published author has been a looong time in coming, and I really look forward to celebrating it together with you on Dec. 7.

Cheers

Leo

Good day! Here we are—less than three weeks from Bane of All Things’ release on Dec. 7.

It’s been a heck of a ride to get here. The pandemic delayed BoAT’s publication date by about eight months, while my ongoing contest with cancer has added fresh twists since August.

Despite all these speed bumps, it’s onward and upward!

None of it would have been possible without your patience and support. Thank you again for going on this adventure with me.

Unboxing pending 

Before Dec. 7, I will receive a box of books from my publisher, Inkshares. It will be my first time seeing the final product in its physical form. My wife, Natalie, is intent on filming this “unboxing” so that I can share it on social media. So, stay tuned for that. 

Save the date! Virtual launch event on Dec. 7

I had hoped to have a live launch event at a local bookstore or a pub. But given the continued concerns with the pandemic (and my own health), I will be foregoing that. Instead, I will host an hour-long virtual event on YouTube, at 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 7.

This event will feature me reading from BoAT, drawing for some prizes, and taking comments and questions from attendees. Details will soon follow.

Book giveaways

If you are reading this, odds are you already pre-ordered BoAT many moons ago and will have a copy or copies soon coming your way. But just so you know, my publisher is currently running a Book Giveaway on Goodreads.com with AmazonKindle.

This Giveaway runs until Nov. 29 and is open only to U.S. residents. I will, however, be doing other giveaways for my  Canadian (and overseas) supporters (also as part of the Virtual Launch Event on Dec. 7). Please stand by for more details.

Making sure you receive your print copies

Again, if you did pre-order print copies of BoAT, it was many moons ago. If you have had any change of address in the past couple of years, please log into your Inkshares account to verify the mailing address you provided with your original pre-order is still current. This may require a password reset.

If you have any issues with account access or a password reset, please contact hello@inkshares.com. And if you aren’t sure what email address you have associated with your Inkshares account, let me know and I can quickly look it up for you.

My health

Just yesterday, I had the first of my tri-weekly immunotherapy treatments, which are intended to bolster my body’s ability to target and destroy cancer cells on its own. This comes after my radiation therapy three weeks ago and follows the surgery for tumor removal that took place at the beginning of October.

Other than experiencing the same kind of fever response you may get following a flu or COVID shot, I am so far handling the immunotherapy meds well. My recovery overall continues to move along.  

That’s all for now. Stay safe and keep reading!

Cheers

Leo

Dear Supporters, Readers and Followers of Wild Conviction,

Great news! 

The Inkshares Publishing Operations Manager notified me today that the editorial team has finished reading the other two winners of the 2020 All-Genre Manuscript Contest and will begin reading Wild Conviction soon, most likely this week, and hope to have editorial notes to me by mid December.

                As you know — 

because many of you have read and commented on passages from Wild Conviction on the novel’s Inkshares page, or you have heard me read passages at my pre-order campaign launches, invitations to your events or classes, open mics, and my writing group, and a few of you have been beta readers — 

               I have worked long and hard crafting this story so that it is engaging,                     well-written, sensitive and significant to historical and current issues                   of human rights, equality and freedom.

I look forward to the editorial comments and am so excited that we are on the path to having the novel published and in your hands.

Thank you for all of your ongoing support and well-wishes! Wild Conviction being published by Inkshares could not have happened without you!

Best wishes to you!!
Mary

Happy Spooky Season! This is a roundup of where things are at with my participation at the World Fantasy Convention (WFC 2021) this week, Bane of All Things’ release on Dec. 7, and my health.

WFC 2021

Note, this event is live and virtual from Montreal – so all times are in the Eastern Time Zone. I am attending virtually, and you can, too. The cost to do so for the whole weekend (which starts on Thursday with the first panels at 4 p.m.) is US$75 or CDN$100. 

More information about the registration, attendance options, and how to register, can be found here.

My activities at WFC:

• Thursday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m.: I am on a panel with four others – Possession is 9/10s of the Law. We will explore the thorny question of whether a creator can possess (own, trademark, copyright, etc.) story plots that give them the sole right to a setting, a type of character, or even a name. The answer would appear to be obvious … or is it? How do you stake your claim? What happens when estates get involved? Who does the law side with? Who gets the book? Who gets the revenue?

• Friday, Nov. 5, Noon: I read from Bane of All Things! This will be my first time ever reading from my work before an audience like this, even if virtually rather than in person. 

Here is the full conference programme.

Bane of All Things’ release date is Dec. 7!

I emphasize this because the old and no-longer-relevant November release date is still displaying on a few online retail sites. This is due to a digital glitch in the global distribution machine that my publisher is working to get fixed. Don’t be fooled! The date is and remains Dec. 7.

Mustering the Street Team for that big day

In early September, I put out the casting call for kind souls who would have the time and the interest to help drive social awareness of Bane of All Things ahead of its release in December. Many of you have responded and signed up – thank you! If this includes you, we have of course already touched base, and I will be following up further through November.

If you are still looking to participate on the Street Team but haven’t connected with me about it yet, please drop me a line at leo@leovaliquette.com

Different ways that folks are participating on the Street Team include:

• Reading an advance digital copy that I have provided, so that they can then post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. for Dec. 7. The goal is a positive review of at least 4 stars. But … I do not expect anyone to provide an endorsement they don’t feel is warranted. So, if after reading the book you decide to abstain from posting that review, no worries. I much prefer fair honesty to insincere flattery! I only ask that you delay by a week after the 7th posting your honest review.

• Pushing on social media on and around Dec. 7. I will help by providing draft content which Team members can then personalize as they see fit for their channels.

• Hitting up the local library, bookstore, or book club. For any author, getting your book in the library is a big deal, too. Plus, any word-of-mouth buzz with clubs and other local venues is as vital to a new author as water is to a soul lost in the desert.

• And I am of course open to any other ideas you may have.
  

My health

Tomorrow will mark four weeks since cancer surgery. My treatment and recovery continue to go well. I told you last time that the next step would be CyberKnife radiation therapy. This treatment did take place and conclude this past week without any issues or complications.

My largest complaints at present are really little things that, too, shall pass – side effects from medications that I must remain on for a couple more weeks before starting immunotherapy (and then we will see how my system handles that).

One current side effect is that I am holding lots of water weight. Kindly bear that in mind if you do tune into my WFC sessions this week and see my rather puffy face vs. the author photo of that leaner fellow with whom you may be more familiar .

That’s all for now. Thank you again for your continued interest and support. 

Stay safe and keep reading!

Good Sunday morning! Tomorrow will mark two weeks since the surgery that removed a cancerous “plum” from inside of my head. I continue to do well and to improve every day. My outlook for both treatment and recovery are good.

The next stage in my treatment will be five consecutive days later this month of targeted CyberKnife radiation therapy. This should have few side effects or ill effects of any consequence.

This therapy demands high precision targeting and control which will require my own custom iron maiden mask … of a sort (example pictured below.) This mask will be used to position and hold me in place during the treatment sessions. I just might mount this war trophy on a wall somewhere with my pointy sword afterward!

After radiation therapy concludes, we will then begin with immunotherapy. As I have said before, this is a regimen of medications designed to train your body to better identify and fight cancer itself – teach a man to fish rather than just give him a fish.

Let me take this opportunity to say that the standard of care, consideration and professionalism that I have experienced throughout all this – from the surgical and other care teams at my local hospitals here in Ottawa, Canada – was and continues to be outstanding, despite the extreme pressures placed on the whole system by the pandemic.

AND … BIG NEWS FOR THE BOOK LAUNCH!

Two days after I returned home from the hospital, I got some unexpected and totally awesome news: I have made the programme for the World Fantasy Convention (WFC 2021) taking place early next month in Montreal (I’ll be attending virtually). This is pretty much the top event of its kind in the world.

To say this was great news at a great time is a gross understatement. I will be on one panel, and I have also been given a slot to deliver a reading from Bane of All Things.

I bought my ticket to WFC 2021 two years ago and applied to its programming in March with no expectation of what might come of it as a debut fantasy author with a small and unconventional US publisher. I could not have expected better.

And ... another great Canadian author has also been gracious enough to provide a promotional blurb for the book: 

"A dark and engrossing epic fantasy that starts off small but just keeps building. I’m really looking forward to what comes next!”

That comes from James Alan Gardner, author of They Promised Me the Gun Wasn’t Loaded. Check him out!

That’s all for now. I definitely feel that the cup is half full.

Stay safe and keep reading ;)

Cheers

Leo

I’ve been remiss in sending out updates as we worked on yet-another draft. But now, some news: The Man from Mittelwerk is finished (huzzah!) and slated for publication in the first half of 2022.

It only took three years, 13 drafts and several major rewrites. Nonetheless, the book went through final copyediting (2,600 changes, ulp!) which called out innumerable grammar and consistency issues. The editor also helped us strengthen the emotional impact in key scenes.  

It took several late nights of bleary-eyed Track Changes editing to work through the easy edits. Then I passed it to my brother and co-author to deal with the harder issues, while I was out cycling in the rain for a week. He got through it, undid many of my changes, and handed it back to me. I undid only a few of his changes, finished some items he didn’t want to touch and voila, a finished manuscript. 

The next step is for the text to be laid out in a proper design, followed by a final round of proofreading and getting a cover designed. Since we’re done with the writing, I built a web site with some mocked-up covers, created in homage to a few authors you might know.

I’m really proud of the what we’ve written. It’s been a lengthy process, but the book is all the better for all the revisions. I shared a copy with another tech industry author, Eric Maikranz and he said:

“The Man from Mittelwerk is a mind-bending thriller that will keep you turning pages.”
– D. Eric Maikranz, author of The Reincarnationist Papers

So not too shabby.

If you haven’t read Eric’s book I highly recommend it. It’s a fascinating exploration of reincarnation and what happens if you remember your past lives. His book was the basis for the Mark Wahlberg time-travel CGI extravaganza Infinity. (Spoiler alert: The book is better!)

As always, thank you for your support of this long-suffering project. Let me know what you think of the fake covers below, what you’re reading and how you survived quarantine. But don’t hit reply to this email. Instead email me at ZUrlocker@hotmail.com.

Cheers!
--Zack

Greetings friends and supporters. We’re certainly due for an update on the state of Tantalus Depths, and I am thrilled to say this update is a really good one.

About a week ago, I received my first round of copyedit notes for Tantalus Depths. They were wonderfully thorough and picked up a ton of minor punctuation and grammar errors that managed to elude my notice through more than a dozen full readthroughs. They were easily fixed, and the book feels much cleaner for it. 

You’ll remember that the development editing process took almost two years to complete, due to extensive rewrites and passing through multiple draft stages. Copyedits, I am happy to say, are much simpler and more straightforward, and mostly just involve clicking "accept" on every grammar change my copyeditor suggested. I made sure to read each sentence in context to ensure that none of the suggestions accidentally changed the meaning of the sentence, and I caught a couple that would have done so, but even with that close attention to detail, I am proud to say that it still only took me a few hours to make every single change expected of me for this stage of the process. While it took me months to get through a round of development edits, I was able to finish all my copyedit notes and send them back to my publisher in less than a week.

This very well may be the first time in our five-year development process where we’ve actually been ahead of schedule, and we are rapidly nearing the end. My copyeditor will go over the changes I’ve made, and barring one or two more potential correspondences to correct a few outstanding issues, we will soon be done with the copyediting process and be ready to move on to the proofreader. After that, Tantalus Depths will at long last be completely finalized and ready for its release.

It’s been a long road to get here, friends, but we are rapidly gaining momentum in the last stretch before the finish line. Expect some very exciting announcements in the next few months, including a cover reveal and our long-awaited official release date.

I never thought it would take this long to get this book into your hands, and I do hope future projects will move more smoothly now that I know what to expect. But I can definitely say with confidence that the book is ten times better now than it was before this process began, and I could not be more excited to see what happens when my world finally enters yours.

Stay tuned, my friends, and watch the skies.

The Void is calling...

CANCER UPDATE, OCT. 07, ‘21

Good day, everyone. Yesterday, I returned home from a surgery to remove the Melanoma tumor from my head. Surgery went well and the prognosis is good. Now, I face a couple of months of recovery at home and treatments with radiation and immunotherapy.

Bottom line: This is the first day of the rest of my life, and life is good.

The dark irony in all this is that my two main characters, Ryn and Josalind, each have “demons” of a sort in their heads. And it turned out that I did, too. But different than them, I can say at this stage that mine is easier to excise.

Thank you for all your support and good wishes.

Cheers

Leo

Hello, readers!

How are you enjoying On Home?! I’ve been blown away by the amazing response and I appreciate every single message, selfie, and review! Please keep them coming!

I would love to have you join me for one or all of the following events:

This Thursday, September 23 at 6pm EST ONLINE: Queer Appalachian Parents, Sex Work, and the End of the World. Join rural authors Alison Stine, winner of the 2021 Philip K. Dick Award, and Becca Spence Dobias to discuss their new books, Trashlands and On Home. Trashlands is a strip club at the edge of an apocalyptic junkyard where a mother works to earn enough to rescue her son. In On Home, three generations of Appalachian mothers, including one who works as a cam girl, struggle with the weight of the past and the small town they call home. What can rural America—past, present, and near-future, teach us about queerness and the volatile world we find ourselves in today? Stine and Spence Dobias will ask each other these questions and more. Register for free here.

October 6, 6-8pm EST ONLINE: Join Beausoleil Book’s Manager, Alexis and I to talk about the writing process, On Home, and representation of the queer community in literature and pop culture. The $5 ticket supports this incredible inclusive bookstore in Lafayette, Louisiana, or there’s an option to get a ticket for free by purchasing a book from them! Register here. 

October 7, 7pm PST IN PERSON at NEW Riverside Main Library Community Room. Join me for a National Novel Writing Event Workshop. I wrote the first draft of On Home during NaNoWriMo in November 2012. In this workshop, I’ll share the journey from that draft to a published novel, provide tips and tricks for “winning” NaNoWriMo, and answer questions. Come prepared to write, as parts of the workshop will be participatory. Signed books will also be available to purchase.

Thank you so much for your continued support!!
Becca