Dear friends and followers,
It continues to be slow on the pre-order front--Summer is meant for lazy, restful naps in the sun--but that does not mean I have been completely idle. I have plans for a second Peterkin mystery game, which I hope to unveil in a couple of weeks.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could just spend all my time writing? Both games and books. I guess I could consider Patreon for that, but I figure the pre-order thing with Inkshares is better. A one-time contribution can lead to publication, which in turn leads to sales and royalties ... it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Speaking of games and books, the video-game oriented Nerdist contest just ended, and I am pleased to say that "Too Many Controllers" came in first. A number of you contributed to that win, and we’ve compiled a video to express our gratitude.
It’s a first taste of publication, folks. And that is bloody exciting.
And in the continuing series of introductions to the characters you’ll meet in "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", here’s (Lord) Oliver Saxon, the fifth and last of the club officers:
Here’s a bit of trivia that didn’t make it into the book:
In the UK, a military Mess is normally run by a Mess Committee comprising of seven members: the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and three members responsible for stocking the bar, organising the entertainment, and maintaining the premises. The Veterans’ Club is almost certainly derived from such a Mess, which suggests there ought to be seven members on the board of officers, not five. I blame Bradshaw for this: it is my belief that he proved so efficient as Secretary that he swallowed up the offices of the Treasurer and the member responsible for maintaining the premises. No doubt, once he’s gone, the Vet will find itself in need of an additional two officers on the board to bring them back up to seven.
Then again, has the Mess Committee always been as described, and was it so in the days of the club’s founding?
Until next time: have fun and keep reading.
Wonderful updates!
First, the initial manuscript for The Madness of Mr. Butler, albeit not finished, is going quite well. I’ve even enrolled in Camp NaNoWriMo in order to hold myself accountable. The story has blossomed into something far beyond what I originally thought. It is becoming a story that surprises me as I bring it all together. I know that once I am done I will be handing in my best work. So, on with your much deserved apology, my dear readers.
I am sorry that the story is taking a while to submit, but I’m also not sorry...and he’s why:
Beyond it just being a busy place around here with infants and toddlers and new jobs and obligations, I am intentionally not rushing the story. This in no way means I’m being lazy. In the stats for Camp NaNoWriMo, I’m averaging 2300 words per day that I have occasionally sacrificed sleep in order to write, as there is no other time. I am putting in a ton of work on this book, and it’s all good work. The way I see it, when you all supported me and helped me win the contest, what I won was a publishing deal. A MAJOR publishing deal. And that means I work until I think the manuscript is the best it can be. I’m not going to hurry and get it done just to get you a book. That is not the habit of a professional author, and by being honored with a contest win, I intend to behave like a professional author. The great folks at Girl Friday are going to do their best with my book once I submit it, they can’t make it good when it’s not.
This is a positive thing. I’m not down on myself or being perfectionistic. In fact, I’ve become quite flexible when it comes to the story. A lot of it has admittedly changed for the better, because once I got these characters interacting, the story became something much more than just about some crazy guy. At this rate, my little 241 page satire might push 300 pages. I’m not sure. Right now I’m just growing everything in the garden until I have to go back, transplant, weed, and mulch.
So I’m not making promises about release dates yet. I’m making promises about quality. You will receive a great book when it’s all said and done. But I do apologize about the wait. It honestly takes a long time to produce any book. You just happened to be there for the moment the agent approved to sell the idea, which is waaaay ahead of publication for any book.
In the meantime, I still have stuff for you to read.
I want to give you a free book if you’d like. It’s only a first draft, but if you email me at madmrbutler@gmail.com, I’ll send you a PDF of An Adventure with Dada, a book I finished during last NaNoWriMo. I’m not bugging you to buy it this time. I’ve been told that I was crazy to try and fund another book, and perhaps those who said that were right. The funding campaign ends in 9 days, and I have 143 copies left to sell in order to make Quill. I could ask for an extension, like so many others have, but I’m going to respectfully bow out and let this one expire and revert to draft. This means those of you who invested (THANK YOU!!!!) will get your money back (unless it completes a Hail Mary in the next week), and the book reverts to draft format. Those of you who chose to follow the book will still be followers, if you wish to be. My plan for that book is to maybe try again after I submit the Butler manuscript. I just need to give Mr. Butler my full attention right now, so it’s time for that campaign to be done. Thank you for your time, support, and attention. If you want a free copy, like I said, just let me know. (I’ve been told it’s quite a fun book with a great story, actually.)
On a side note, I started a draft for an idea I’ve kicked around for a little while. It’s called "The Widower’s Wife," and it’s going to be a bizarre comedy. It’s about a grumpy curmudgeon whose nagging wife dies suddenly, and just as he thinks he is about to get to spend his last years in peace, her ghost starts haunting him relentlessly. It’s just an idea, but if you want to follow that or check it out, I’d appreciate it.
If you’re curious about some of the changes I’ve made to The Madness of Mr. Butler, head on over to the page, because several days ago I quite sneakily updated the teaser, synopsis, and I took down the old chapters and put up a new draft of the prologue.
I hope you enjoy!
Have a great summer everyone!
-Michael
It’s Friday! I hope you guys have a great day and I’ll keep this super short!
• Goodreads giveaway ends Monday so if you want a chance to win a free signed copy, sign up soon!
• We’re at 37 Amazon reviews. Which is awesome! Please head over this weekend and leave your own review.
That’s it! Thank you guys for all the Monkey Business support. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
- Landon
Yup, here we are; the last day of the Nerdist Video Game Contest.
If you haven’t heard, I’m participating with 14 other extremely talented writers in an anthology that you can pre-order now. I feel privileged to part of this group of fantastic artists and I believe you will be impressed with what they have to offer. However, if you’re looking to be part of the action. If you want to get a signed copy with whatever other bonuses we throw in. If you’re the kind of person who likes to point at cool things and say "I was a part of this.", then you better hurry my friends. July 15th at 3pm EST, the contest is over.
We want to finish with a bang. You want to be part of the action. So follow this link and get yourself this 1-Up of a book. It’s your last chance. There are no save points.
Back to A God in the Shed content soon...
JF
As a side note: How did we not name the e-reader level ’DLC’ for our campaign?
