This is a very brief update.

First, if you do not wish to receive updates, please email me at generosity20@gmail.com with the word "unsubscribe" or "stop" or any such thing.  I will add you to the master list so that you are not bothered again, and I apologize for inconveniencing you.

Second, the Copy Edits are finished and we’re looking at releasing around the Ides of March!

The cover art is updated, and pre-orders can now be placed through Amazon.com.  Either click the link or search Namednil.  The other book is mine as well.  It is a trashy vampire romance novel.  Folks seem to like it, but it is unedited and a little larger-than-life.  It’s also much more light-hearted than Borehole Bazaar.

I wish every last one of you TONS of success and joy in your endeavors!  If you’ve ANY questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

-- Kendra Namednil 

PS: Facebook and Gmail are the fastest ways to contact me.

Dear all,

This is a short update about the publication of "Everything is Normal."

The book is fully finished. At this stage the publisher is reaching out to relevant authors for "blurbs" – quotes about the book to be printed on the front and the back covers. Here are a couple examples received:

“Like walking through the looking-glass into 1970s-80s Leningrad... funny, shocking and occasionally even tender... prepare to be transported back to the CCCP.” —Lisa Dickey, author of Bears in the Streets

“A rare glimpse of life in Soviet Russia before and during perestroika. Everything is Normal is the tender and often funny story of a personal journey paralleled by seismic changes in the country itself. A captivating read.” —Elena Gorokhova, author of Russian Tattoo

In January, the publisher will be sending electronic and physical copies of the book (first off-set print run) to various media players in the book world (editors at the NYT, WSJ, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc.), as well as to top influencers, book reviewers, librarians, etc.  Fingers crossed, it will generate good reviews and interest.

The book is already getting orders from small independent bookstores in the US  almost every day. This is pleasing. It is also already available for pre-orders on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., and for reviews on Goodreads.

https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Normal-Life-Times-Soviet/dp/1942645902/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1511930598&sr=8-5&keywords=everything+is+normal

So, so far so good. It has been an interesting journey, which is now coming to its conclusion. Thank you very much again for your support, pre-orders and patience. As planned, you will be receiving the books in March.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy New Year, and Happy Festivus for the rest of us.

Cheers,

Sergey

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well...here we are: already speeding through November with what once seemed like a distant publishing release date for Skavenger’s Hunt now here. 

First of all, to those of you who ordered paperback copies of my first-ever novel, thank you! The shipment emails should have landed in your inbox by now, with the actual “hold in your hands and turn the pages” edition of the book on its way. To say I’m excited (along with honored, and humbled, and a laundry list of other descriptions) would be an understatement.

Early Thursday morning of this week, I flew down from Portland to Inkshares in Oakland, where the production team had stacked almost a thousand copies of the Hunt on a table, awaiting my signature. It was a task I was thrilled to tackle, even if my pen-grasping fingers got a little wobbly a few hours in. 

To our Grand Patrons of the book (those who received personalized inscriptions) please don’t hesitate to let me know if I got anything wrong. There’s certainly a chance, given the number of books signed, though I hope that’s not the case. 

And one more thing. Every time I finished signing a book, I’d pause for a second to let the ink dry...but I think I was also pausing for another reason. It was to remember how lucky I was that someone, perhaps a close friend, perhaps someone I didn’t even know, had decided to buy my book. 

Thanks for that. 

 I truly hope you enjoy the story that’s tucked in-between Will Staehle’s amazing cover. If you do, I’d be so appreciative of a short, quick review on key sites such as Amazon and GoodReads. And if you’re planning on giving the book as a gift to a middle-grade or YA reader, please extend them a special word from me. 

Enjoy!

Hello wonderful followers, 

I have a couple great things to show and tell you. Things are progressing very well with the production schedule. My final edits with WritingTherapy have been done and now we are doing the galley proof. Chersti with WriterTherapy has said she is really enjoying the book, which is filling me with a giddy energy. 

In other news, COverkitchen and I have hammered down the first looks at Beyond the Code’s new cover art and I feel like it’s in a place where I can finally show it off to all of you. You can see it on Beyond the Code’s Facebook page. 

https://www.facebook.com/BTCInkshares/

Also, now you can pre-order Beyond the Code on Amazon and through Indigo Bookstores. It’s amazing to see something with my name on it available through a major bookstore. CRAZY!!!! Just look at these links if you don’t believe me. 

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Code-Kelsey-Rae-Barthel/dp/1947848097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509916138&sr=8-1&keywords=Beyond+the+Code+KElsey+Rae+Barthel

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/beyond-the-code/9781947848092-item.html?ikwid=Beyond+the+COde&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=2

And if you wanted to be the best fans EVER, you can go into any Indigo or Cole’s bookstore and ask them about Beyond the Code. If we’re lucky, that will urge them to put some copies on there shelves. For a light publishing, that would be INCREDIBLE!!!! 

Thank you all for following me this whole time, it’s been a long time coming but we’re almost to the finish line. And, for those of you who are following Beyond the Code and have not yet pre-ordered, please consider joining the fun. I have been getting alot of good feedback from my beta-readers and editors and I believe it’s definitely worth your time. 

Thanks again and have a good one, 

Kelsey Rae Barthel 

Happy E-Day everyone! Delivery of the premium paperback edition of "Skavenger’s Hunt" is right on schedule for the middle of this month, but if you ordered an e-book edition, you probably have a nice little surprise in your email inbox right now. 

Yup, the first emails with the various e-book files went out just this morning, which means you can pop the story of Henry Babbitt, Hunter S. Skavenger, Mattie, Ernie and Jack (along with a handful of historical figures from the late 1800’s) into your e-reader right away. As you can tell, I already went ahead and did so this morning...

So many of you have said you’re looking forward to reading the book, but know that I’M looking forward to you reading it just as much!

Oh, and by the way, in case you have any problems with the files, here’s some helpful info:

The PDF is straight-forward and simple...just like any PDF. Same goes for the EPUB, which is the one you’ll want to use for your iPad or iPhone. Just follow the directions in the email you received and it’ll open up easy as can be.

The Kindle is the only that sometimes gives readers a slight problem. If you have issues, I found that a really easy thing to do is email the file to your Kindle. Yep, that’s right, every Kindle has an email address. Just download the file to the desktop of your home computer, and then do the following:

1) Go to amazon.com/myk and sign in to your Amazon account. This will be your "Manage your Content and Devices" page. You’ll see three tabs, the far right one being "Settings." Scroll down to "Personal Document Settings" and find your Kindle. Next to it, you’ll see an email address. That’s your Kindle email address.

2) Plop your Skavenger’s Hunt file you just saved to your desktop into an email (as an attachment) and send it to your Kindle’s email address.

Simple as that. After a few seconds, it’ll download to your Kindle just like any other Kindle purchase. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any problems. And if you enjoy the read as much as I hope you do, please go to the Skavenger’s Hunt Amazon webpage and leave a short review, even if it’s just a sentence or two. Amazon reviews are critically important to the success of any book.

Most importantly, though...I sincerely hope you enjoy the story! Drop me a note to let me know what you think!

Thanks, all...

Mike

Today is the day!

Weaponized is in bookstores everywhere. Please share your love and support for the book by posting photos to social media. And don’t forget reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are key to the book’s ongoing success! 

Please consider reveiwing Weaponized!

Today is Pub-day and it’s madness! 

Thank you to everyone who supported the book thus far. Weaponized is definitely one of the weirdest horror stories to sit on shelves in bookstores. It wouldn’t exist without your support. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!