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Novelist and screenwriter with degrees from Boston University and Emerson College who lives in Hawai...
Hello friends and supporters!
I mentioned this briefly in my last update for Tantalus Depths, but I don’t think I actually shared it in a Proteus update, so I’m amending that now. We’ve received one more extension for Proteus, making our new deadline the end of August. I didn’t want to do it, but with about 270 orders left to go, there was no chance I’d hit the goal otherwise. With our new extension, we should have no problem hitting the 750 pre-order goal on time though. We’re almost two thirds of the way there, so with your help, we should definitely be able to do it!
In other news, the amazing Jacqui Castle just interviewed me for Writing Bloc. We discussed the merits of crowdfunding and worldbuilding, and I shared a few insights about the writing process for both Tantalus Depths and Proteus. Check it out here!
Ladies and gentlemen, I have a huge announcement for Tantalus Depths!
Last week, my development editor, Matt Harry, sent me his notes on my last draft of Tantalus Depths. They were sparse this time and easy to address, so I made pretty short work of them. Last night I submitted my third full draft with the new changes added, and Matt gave this draft his seal of approval. We are officially done with the development edit stage!
So what does that mean? Well, for the moment it means we wait. In case you hadn’t gathered by now, the editing process is very much a “hurry up and wait” kind of deal. There is a queue for the copy editing stage, I’ve been told by the Inkshares staff that my copy edits probably won’t start for a month or so.
That might seem like a bummer, but it’s not. Once the copy editing begins, the gears start spinning a lot faster. I’ll be given a full production schedule, and we’ll finally be put on a set time table, with hard deadlines. We are almost at the top of the roller coaster now, and when we get over this hill, we’re going to seriously move.
I’m personally grateful for this downtime, for one very specific reason: Proteus.
I’ve had Proteus’s campaign extended one more time, and it now runs until the end of August. I didn’t want to, but we were down to just under two weeks to go and about 270 orders to go, so there’s just no way I was going to be able to hit that goal without driving myself insane. Fortunately, with the extension, I should absolutely be able to finish funding Proteus on time, and with this gap between Tantalus Depths’ editing phases, I should be able to finish the Proteus campaign before Tantalus Depths goes to the next stage of edits. I’ll finally be able to give Tantalus Depths my full attention during one of the craziest parts of the editing process.
The development editing process for Tantalus Depths was stressful, but absolutely worthwhile. I can’t wait to see what the next few steps in this process are like, or to see the finished product that is steadily creeping closer. Thank you all so much for supporting me this far. I know it’s often felt like nothing is moving anywhere, but fortunately I can say we’ve made major progress getting through this stage.
Greetings hexers and machina jockeys,
Today emails are going out with the ebooks of Sister of the Circuit. By now everyone who ordered physical copies should have them in their hands, which means Isidore and Dax, Surge and Evite are ready to sear your eyeballs with their adventures.
It’s a surreal day.
For my part I have been working with the amazingly talented Jill Crenshaw, finalizing the audiobook. My plan is to have that launch on July 3rd along with the paperback and ebook publication date (you know, for people who aren’t awesome backers like you). If you’re the sort of person who likes your books read to you, it will be available on Audible and I’ll send out a link when it’s ready.
If you’re a fan of reviewing things, would you mind reviewing the book once you’ve read it? Every voice talking about Sister of the Circuit on Amazon, Goodreads, iTunes, whatever, is a huge help.
Thank you so much for your support, and have a great weekend.
Hello readers!
I was recently interviewed on a new book-focused YouTube series TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAMN BOOK.
Check it out: https://youtu.be/PkdmV-Rb61E
Lorenzo (THE LOVE FOOL)
Ready to have some fun? 
You’re looking at some initial Animal in Man cover designs!!! Somebody pinch me - - This is really happening, isn’t it?!? There are elements from all three of these that I really, really like. While #1 definitely captures the proportions of the animal-creatures I see in my head, Inkshares has wisely advised me against endorsing a cover that potentially forms images for readers. I couldn’t agree more. #2 is probably the closest runner-up. I really like the minimalist design, how the cover managed to take my story and form an icon from it. Pretty cool! But what’s it really saying? There’s a fox… Some swords… Hmm… Exactly. Not much. #3 is solid too, since it really accentuates a defining characteristic of the story’s hero, Maxan, a fox with mismatched gold and green eyes. (That’s important, I swear.) BUT… again, his eyes aren’t what the story’s all about.
Now this… This is what the story’s all about. 
May I present to you the desired direction, ladies and gentlemen, for The Animal in Man’s cover!! This one truly captures the sense of violence, danger, brutality, and darkness that Book I: Violent Mind is going for. It captures it so well, in fact, that I’m already dreaming of the cover variations for the rest of the series, Book II: Ferocious Heart and Book III: Undying Soul. Remember, my dear animals, this is not the final cover. Believe me when I say that you’ll be the first to know once that comes in. Thank you all, as always, for all the patience and support.
Well, well, well.
Look who needs your help again.
Actually, this time I come to you with a plea on behalf of the whole Inkshares Horror Family.
NPR is putting together a list of 100 scary books and stories. It goes without saying that it would be an honour to be included in that list (along with as many of my horror friends here at Inkshares). And you can help.
All you need to do is follow this link and submit A God in the Shed as one of your five choices. Voilà! You’re done. If you’re looking for other titles to fill out the other four slots, here are some recommendations from me to you:
Kill Creek, by Scott Thomas
Devil’s Call, by J. Danielle Dorn
Abomination, by Gary Whitta
Dracula vs. Hitler, by Patrick Sheane Duncan
(Kill Creek and Devil’s Call are particularly close to my heart as they’re from my brother and sister of Inkshares Horror)
As always, thank you so much for your support. There’s so much cool stuff on the horizon and it’s all because of you gorgeous humans.
JF
So, the manuscript for Murder Happens was submitted about 4-weeks ago and they have a 2-month turn before reading for the first assessment. If readers and/or authors are interested in learning more about the process, try following Murder Happens. No obligation and once the dev edits come back, I’ll be posting more discussion-worthy updates.