Mason Force liked an update for Proteus



It’s almost disgusting how close we are to being done with this campaign, you guys.


Seven days. That’s it. Not even seven full days, more like six and a half. That’s how long it is until the deadline for the full funding goal. We only need 65 more orders to get there. That’s ten a day, if we don’t mind cutting it reeeeeally close. This is getting intense. It’s like the end of a sports movie, where the end buzzer goes off just as the ball sinks into the hoop, or like an action movie, where they defuse the bomb with two seconds left on the countdown clock. We’re cutting this very, very close. But I’m supremely confident we can do it.

I would just as soon not cut it quite that close. There’s nothing stopping us from getting the remaining 65 pre-orders tonight, or tomorrow. I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: when we funded Tantalus Depths, we got more than 80 pre-orders that last day. We can do it again.

Whether we hit our goal tonight or at the last possible second, we WILL hit that goal. I’ve campaigned for more than a year on this project. I’ve had a passion for this story for almost a decade, and I won’t fall short of the opportunity to have it told now, not when I’m so close. I’ve sacrificed a lot in this past year to get to this point. We are finishing this.

I don’t like going too many updates in a row begging for help without actually giving something back, so here’s another little lore update. Jacob Sicarius is no stranger to sacrifice: his intense dedication to the mission has cost him dearly, but it was a price he too was more than willing to pay. Let’s have a look at the technology that not only put Jacob back into the fight, but made him an even more formidable soldier.


For more information on how the Expansionary Coalition views the subject of cybernetic enhancement, you can check out this previous update here:

Also, I feel I deserve some mad props for not making a single “cost him an arm and a leg” joke.

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    Mason Force liked an update for Proteus


    Fifty-six pre-orders! FIFTY-SIX! That’s all we need now for Proteus to receive its full publication deal.


    Fifty-six is nothing. We can absolutely get fifty-six. I’m incredibly confident in this.

    Not so confident that I’m going to get complacent, mind you. It’s not time to celebrate yet, not by a longshot. But we could absolutely get that many orders in the next day. It’s not even an unrealistic goal, at this point.

    Let’s go for one more big push. I would love nothing more than to have my very next update be the big “we did it!” update. We are so, so incredibly close.

    So let’s have at it!

    If you haven’t yet pre-ordered your copy of Proteus, now is absolutely the time to do it. You could be one of the last 56 people it takes to see this book become a published reality. If you have already ordered a copy, please consider picking up a second, or even better, grab a friend or family member and get them to order one. It only takes 56 more, which is a paltry number compared to the 694 orders we’ve already brought in.

    Either way, I’m intensely grateful for all the support that’s already come in for this book. Your generosity and dedication to the success of my work is the greatest honor I could ever hope for. I literally couldn’t have gotten this far without all your help. As far as I’m concerned, this isn’t even “my” book. I’m just writing it. It belongs to “us.” You’re all as integral to the process as I am.

    Anyway. Enough rambling from me for a bit. I’ve decided to treat you to another lore update, ‘cause why the heck not?

    If I hadn’t made it abundantly clear already, Proteus is a war story. But how does warfare actually work when the “battlefield” is a city-sized starship? To partially answer that question, let’s take a look at one of the main weapons being used to fight this war: the Rivali V-780 submachine gun.


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      Mason Force liked an update for B R E A T H L E S S

      I have some complicated news regarding my Inkshares project, which I’ve decided to cancel.

      I’m going to ask all who planned to pre-order to hold off for now.

      Everyone who did place an order: Inkshares FAQ says you will receive a full refund either sometime in next couple weeks (I sent an email to Inkshares, I don’t know how fast these things are) or after the campaign-window runs its course on November 14.

      A NY based publisher I submitted the manuscript to over a year ago reached out to me last week and offered a contract. Three days after I started asking people for pre-orders. Go figure, right? Of course that was going to happen. Of course it was.

      Me and a law-student buddy reviewed it -- everything looks good and fair, we’ve added our stipulations, I’ve reached out to a number of their listed authors to vet experiences, and everyone had good things to say -- and I plan to sign.

      When faced with the choice between continuing the Inkshares campaign -- which had a very small chance of success anyway -- and taking a for-sure deal RIGHT NOW, I thought it’d be silly to pass up this opportunity. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a little curious to know if we could’ve pulled it off. . . that woulda been pretty badass.

      So, it’s no longer a toss up.

      After one dropped agent, one dropped contract with another publisher and roughly a hundred rejections and near-offers, this godforsaken novel WILL be published.

      Although we didn’t achieve our objective in the manner that we intended, the objective WAS achieved.

      People who followed and ordered through Inkshares: I have your email address, and I will let you know when this thing hits the shelves. I sincerely hope you’re still interested in reading the rest. Much love to you -- ALL THE LOVE TO YOU!

      I would also like to take this opportunity to give a couple signal-boosts to other Inkshares projects that I think are phenomenal and deserve a bit more attention: 

      Spacebreaker: A New Threat, by John Novak only has eight followers, AND HE NEEDS MORE -- his project is basically lampooning Star Wars in the same manner as Space Balls. It’s really funny stuff, and you should definitely check it out.  https://www.inkshares.com/books/spacebreaker-a-new-threat

      Ereshk, by Frederick Street is sitting at 36 followers and could definitely use the bump. It’s this really, really creepy cosmic-horror-noir genre blend with a lot of promise. Do check it out. https://www.inkshares.com/books/ereshk

      Strays, by William Keaton is being pitched as 28 Days meets Cujo, and, friends, this is hands-down the coolest draft I stumbled across on here. Very, very well written and it had me hooked on page-one. Strays has 19 followers, and that is simply a shame. This is the kind of thing that ya’ll should be reading. 

      Grayson, by Michael Sobers is sitting at 28 followers and it deserves some regard -- a hard-sci-fi yarn about space-miners stuck in interplanetary trade-drama. Think equal parts Dune, The Martian and James Clavell’s The Asian Saga. https://www.inkshares.com/books/grayson

      The Burden of Choice, by Mason Force. It’s well-written sci-fi about a society run by powerful sociobioneering AI. Sitting at only 8 followers, and it definitely deserves more. 

      There are so many more projects worth mentioning, but these in particular looked especially in need of a boost. 

      Also: PrOOF -- Preservation Of Occult Figures, by Micheal James Welch, which was successfully funded and is taking orders -- sounds rad, like something Charlie Stross might have on his bookshelf. 

      Again, many thanks to all who followed my project and pre-ordered. You’re all amazing, and if you ever need anything from me, never hesitate to shoot me an email and ask. Find me on facebook and send me a friend-request! 

      And please let me know if there are questions about project: BREATHLESS. 

      Best regards, and remember

      LIVE SLOW

      LIVE WELL

      KEEP CREATING

      KEEP READING

      --Shane

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        Mason Force liked an update for Spacebreaker: A New Threat

        Readers, thank you all for your continued interest.  I’ve posted several chapters since the last time you heard from me.  I keep forgetting to click that "Notify followers" button.  But the story is moving along, and even gaining momentum now that our anti-heroes are finally off of Tanix.  Big fun ahead!

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