Long time blogger, aspiring novel writer. Hoping Inkshares is the platform to push me over the top a...
Hello, friend!
As you know, Devil’s Call was chosen for Inkshares’ 2016 The List, which is a contest to see which of the site’s top-rated but as-yet unpublished manuscripts will get the full publication treatment.
Devil’s Call has been parked at 9th place since the contest began, which is nothing to sneeze at. In order to win the contest, we need to sell the most unique preorders between now and December 31st.
I personally will be content if we sell another 116 preorders, which will put us at a nice round 250. So my humble request to you:
If you already preordered your copy, I appreciate you. There’s a Recommend button on Devil’s Call’s page that will generate a code for you to share with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, if you haven’t already.
If you’re on the fence about preordering, I’ve uploaded the revised first chapter. This is the chapter that will be going to my editor and coming back with line notes, but it already looks immensely better than it did six months ago. Your preorder will help ensure this novel looks and sounds the best it can when it hits shelves next year.
And, since I have a reputation to uphold, here is an appropriate gif to wrap things up.
Happy Tuesday!
Hey everyone!
Sorry, I’ve been MIA with no updates. It is the holiday season and things have been a bit crazy. I’ve been bouncing around with some heavy editing and trying to focus on work. I’ve also been diving back into my web development courses and dealing with a general "heavy run down" feeling. Also, house hunting, wedding planning, and... well, life can be exhausting. If you’re interested in a sample of what I’ve been up or just curious about what it looks like from 1,000 feet in the air, click this long sentence!
I’ve got some exciting news! The Quill Brotherhood Syndicate chose The Living God as its December pick! A really nice email to find a few minutes ago.
So, there are 24 days left in funding The Living God. We passed Quill with your help, and the help of the syndicates that were kind enough to throw their support behind the book (The Fantasy Syndicate, The Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate, and the Quill Brotherhood Syndicate).
With 24 days left, and it being December, I’m shooting for a Christmas Miracle! We’ve got 24 days and we’re at 281. The miracle? 750 orders total. 469 in 24 days. That is around 20 orders a day, and seemingly impossible, but, why not? Why not believe in a Christmas/Holiday Miracle? Can you help?
If you’re feeling in the giving spirit, how about grabbing a second copy for a friend? Or maybe ask that friend to grab a copy? If you haven’t got your own yet, and you’ve been on the fence because of budget reasons, since we made Quill the price dropped! E-books currently sit at $5.99 and signed print copies at $15.99! Incentives are still there on the page, and will be available until after funding closes in 24 days!
It is a long shot, and I’ve got about as much energy as a bear in hibernation (darn time change), but I’m going to give it a shot regardless of the distance. Are you in?
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!
