Dear Readers,

TIME IS RUNNING OUT. This is it. The final 24 hours of the Nerdist Space Opera contest is upon us. I am sad to report that LUCKY is still trapped at number 5 and a very solid 75 UNIQUE READERS behind where it needs to be to win the book deal. We’ve had a good run, but I don’t see us making any Hail Mary plays in the next 24 hours to get us across that finish line.

Chin up, though. I have a plan. If nothing else, we are only 25 copies from our Quill goal of 250. This is damn amazing, if you ask me. Your support and your faith in this novel are heartwarming and have kept me smiling over the past month and a half. 

If we do not win tomorrow, the funding deadline for LUCKY will most likely be extended until May 2. We will take maybe a day to regroup, drink some more coffee and maybe eat a donut...then it will be 100 miles a minute back on this marketing stuff. Stay tuned for updates as we go along!

As always, a thousand thank-yous for your support and faith!

- Webster

PS: Please forgive any typos...this message is being relayed from a mobile communications platform.  

Dear Machiners!

Time has come and gone since we last spoke. Much has happened and there are many things to update you on. 

First, I want to begin with the Nerdist contest which is CONCLUDING tomorrow. This contest was hosted by Inkshares following the Sword & Laser: The Sequel contest (which we co-won, in case anybody forgot :-) and many thanks to you!). 

This Nerdist contest’s theme is SPACE OPERA. So that’s really fun and there are many fantastic entries in the competition. I have backed about five or six myself. 

I’m not going to pick favorites, especially at this late stage. But I will emphasize that as a past contest participant I very much appreciate the drive, love, dedication, passion, and ultimately sometimes, pain, that goes with these six week emotional sprints. I tip my cap to these authors, fighting for discovery because their words need to breath. The battle doesn’t end here. So even for those disappointed come tomorrow, it’s so critical to remember that if your words deserve to be heard you must never stop fighting for them. This is also part pep talk for myself - just because my story will be published, it remains difficult to stay focused on writing, and write on we must. 

Remember, the contest is not over yet. So keep pushing authors! The last full day was the best day for us in the S&L - I think I had exactly 50 new readers.… 

And to all my supporters: Some of you may even have stray Inkshares’ credits hanging around on your accounts. Go take a look at the entrants and pick a favorite to support:

https://www.inkshares.com/contests/nerdist-space-opera-contest 

To update you on THE LAST MACHINE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM: 

I really cannot tell you how excited I am for you to hold this story in your hands, to read the words and to enjoy the truly unbelievable illustrations by Jack Katz. I have completed the manuscript and it is ready to hand into Inkshares, and then all the real fun shall begin! I am wrapping up a few straggler pieces that Inkshares requires to begin the process and will be handing things over in the next couple of days. I am not sure yet of a publication date, but expect to know soon. Whether it is late this year or early next, I know that the wait will be worth the ultimate reward. Thanks again for being along for the ride!

At the bottom is a brand new illustration from the man himself, Jack Katz. I don’t know how he does it or where it comes from. He takes inspiration from my writing it seems. The value I draw in turn from him bringing my story to life is the best part of all. 

As a fan of my story, I have an important favor to ask on behalf of Jack, the greatest creator I know. Jack is 88 years old and his vitality and creativity, as evidenced by his illustrations, has not waned. With that said, after a seven decades long career, illustrating such famed works as Popeye and Bulletman, money remains a hardship. In addition to working with me on The Last Machine, Jack is working diligently on the epic sequel to The First Kingdom, called Beyond the Beyond. Please consider supporting Jack, one of America’s great living artists from the gold and silver age of comics via Patreon. I very much appreciate your support for my friend! 

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2830339&ty=c 

This update is becoming long-winded, which probably shouldn’t be surprising as I took too long to update (nearly 2 months). However, I have a couple more quick hits which are important!

There is an absolutely spectacular epic fantasy project which everyone who supports me, Inkshares, and flat-out awesome writing, should back. The book is Blood Dawn by John Robin. I could write an elaborate explanation of why, but it’s actually not necessary because a number of John’s super fans (including yours truly) made a sweet video. Here’s the awesome fan video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdDc8B-dL7o 

And here’s my uncut endorsement of Blood Dawn! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqLl2njZbTw 

Last but certainly not least, I have started a syndicate on Inkshares! This is basically a monthly subscription book club. Inkshares is the real deal everybody and as one of their authors I want to support Inkshares and the wonderful projects that they help bring to light. The syndicate is called GREAT SCIFI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE! 

As indicated by the name, we are backing books that explore complex issues in the realm of SciFi. Books in the same genre as The Last Machine. So if you like my novella, you will hopefully enjoy the work we support. Feel free to check out our syndicate and sign-up today to support other authors. You can also read more about syndicates in general here.

Annnnd, drumroll, I’m thrilled to announce that The Inhabitants: An Unremembered Life is our first backed book! Congratulations to author Mike Sebby. His book is amazing and perfect for our syndicate. I love it as our first selection; it sets a great tone for us going forward. Check it out today as Mike is still funding his book and needs your support. Also, Mike sent out a hysterical video update today. I suggest you watch. You also may hear mention of a certain machine in said video! 

I will do my best to update more frequently so I don’t have soooo much to mention per update. It’s all important, and I hope none of the individual items get overlooked because of the length of this message! 

 -Matthew 

Ladies & Gents-

So I surpassed 100 unique readers! That’s splendid. I mean, seriously. Absolutely splendid.

This means it’s time to raffle off a $50 Amazon gift card! So I made a video. Or at least I thought I made a video.

Thanks to human error (in the IT biz, we refer to it as PEBKAC -- Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair), I kinda messed up my raffle video. Look, it’s been a very tiring week after moving to a new house, and I’m going to use Daylight Savings as a cop-out excuse like the rest of your co-workers inevitably will today, even though one hour shouldn’t make that big of a difference in our basic functioning. But hey, I’m not above playing that card if it gives me a pass for making fundamental technical mistakes.

Fear not, though. I still have something to present, and all prizes were still awarded!

If you want to know more about that and who won, you’ll just have to click this link to find out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoRvK8Pv0v4

Phew, okay. Congrats to the winners, and let’s hope the next one is less bungled.

Toodles.

We have a spiffing new letterhead. Marvellous, isn’t it?

One more week before the pre-order sales campaign goes live. It’s so exciting I spent the last six hours failing to type this up. I did manage, however, to upload another Peterkin short mystery onto Wattpad: "The Thirteenth Rule", which is set just a little later than the stories I’ve uploaded so far. 1931, to be exact. It’s also less of a whodunnit and more of a whydunnit. Enjoy.

I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about JF Dubeau’s second novel, "A God in the Shed". Honestly, I think this beats his first novel. I’ve described it elsewhere as "a little bit Lovecraft, a little bit Twin Peaks", and I’m not sure I can sum it up better than that. The characters felt real and distinct from the moment I met them, and the world appropriately familiar. If you haven’t picked this up yet, I suggest you do so.

I’d also like to mention "Judith", by Zack Budryk, which just caught my eye today. It sold me within the first four paragraphs, with the easy flow of its prose and the way the personality of the viewpoint character is deftly and effortlessly conveyed. This will be a novel well worth getting, I think.

And that’s the news for this week. When next I post an update, it will be to announce the opening of the pre-order sales campaign. Until then, ladies and gentlemen!