EXCITING NEWS!
"Murder at the Veterans’ Club" has been selected for The List. This is a contest for book projects on Inkshares that have caught the eye of the Powers That Be--unlike other contests, participation is by invitation only. On 31 December, the three book projects with the most unique readers will win the Full Publication deal ... you know, that thing that happens when you get 750 orders.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It means that on 31 December, if "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" is still in the top three--thanks to you, we have a head start in second position--we can go into production with the Full Publication deal right then and there. It means you could get your books a month earlier than expected. It means the current focus is no longer on the great 750, but on maintaining a position at the top of the heap.
It means that people think "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" is a book worthy of note, in case you had any doubts before.
But wait! Is there any doubt that we can make it? Is there any doubt that we can maintain our position in the top three? Well ... yes. A handful of our competition are only just now starting: they’re blank slates, and anything could happen with them. The first few weeks of a campaign always see a huge spike in orders, so any one of these fresh-faced young recruits could pole-vault right over us. And then there are those veterans infused with fresh enthusiasm. We have to keep moving!
So if you’ve been on the fence before, now is the time to place your order! Stand up and be counted, because that’s the only way we can stay in the top three and make this happen!
(Long update ahead, bear with me)
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO PUBLISHING...
Greetings Hexers and Machina Riders:
Do we have some things to talk about! So much has happened in the last week my head is spinning. Let’s get right to it:
Extra Life Stream this Evening
I’ll be streaming Heroes of the Storm tonight for the Extra Life charity over on my Twitch channel, starting at 6 PM CST and running until midnight. Come cheer me on as I main Sylvanas and try to figure out if I can still snipe towers behind enemy gates. It should be fun times.
Donate to my Extra Life fund
If you watch (and even if you can’t) help me get to $100 by donating here. I have already raised $40 for kids in need, so I’m 1/3 of the way there. Woncha help out?
The List 2016 contest
This week Inkshares announced which books were selected for their end-of--the-year contest, and Deus Hex Machina is on The List! It’s a crazy big honor to be among such amazing books and their authors which leads me to my next item on the agenda:
A ton more Deus Hex Machina stuff is coming
A new contest means a new campaign, so I’ve been working in the last few days to shape what a second campaign for DHM would look like. Astute readers among you will already notice I’ve updated the book’s Inshares page, refereshed my cover concept, and put up a couple new character bios. In addition I have uploaded the revised first chapter from the 2nd draft -- I think you’ll be happy with the changes.
My edit is plugging right along, and won’t stop just because another contest has popped into my life. You don’t stop feeding your kids just because extended family dropped by unannounced. You pull up extra chairs and make more desserts.
And I plan on more desserts friends. I will try to keep the updates meaningful throughout this contest, but I do have a good amount of fun stuff planned, and I want to share it all with you.
My goal for this campaign will be to get to 400 readers. It’s a huge crazy unimaginable number, but I think we can do it. If you’re following the book but haven’t purchased, I’ll be reaching out to you personally in the coming weeks to ask for your order. If you have purchased the book, I’ll be reaching out to you personally to ask for your referral.
In exchange for your support of the book I have planned more goodies: live-edits, fan art contests, a contest for the ARG -- yes Qathren YOBIBYTE got the jump on you Sombra. You got nothin’ on a hexer from the future.
It’s gonna be a fun, weird ride, and I hope you’ll join me. I’ll see you tonight.
May the code replicate eternal.
Friends, drag enthusiast and horror fans
Hey Campers!
I am still getting a lot of emails/messages asking me when they will receive their books. The answer: SEPTEMBER 2017.
Why does it take so long? It takes time to edit, market, and design a book. Plus, it takes time for companies like Barnes and Noble to decide how many copies they want to order for their stores.
Read more about how Inkshares works here: https://www.inkshares.com/how_it_works
Since you preordered, you will be among the first people to receive the book when it is released! Thanks again for all of your support!
Peace and love to all of you!
Kyle T. Cowan
As I write this, it is the final hour of Remembrance Day--Veterans Day in the U.S., and Armistice Day in the 1920s world of "Murder at the Veterans’ Club". It’s a solemn occasion, for remembering the sacrifices made in the name of one’s country. In Cape Town, South Africa, they began observing a daily three-minute silence from April 1918 onwards; this idea spread through the commonwealth and became, in 1919, an observed two-minute silence from 11:00 to 11:02 AM on the 11 November, the anniversary of the Armistice.
One minute for the soldiers who died. One minute for their families left behind.
To all the veterans out there, to their families, and to the families of those who are not coming back ... thank you.
On this occasion, we had an interview with Regina McMenomy of The Geek Embassy. Dr. McMenomy is the author of "Mothering: the Game", available for pre-order at Inkshares.
And, because it’s a day for remembering our veterans and because my background is in Architecture, here is a link to a news story about housing for homeless veterans in Kansas City, Missouri.
Let us not forget.
