Well, after a few minor technical issues, Ghosts of War is done and in the hands of a small group of beta readers.
This is an important step and a terrifying one. This will be the first time anyone outside of my head knows how the story ends, which has been a closely guarded secret for, oh, about 6 years now. So yeah, this will be me for the next few weeks:
Though it also means I can have a little bit of a break for a week or 2 while I wait, which will be nice. I need a break.
Until next time.
Two weeks to go!
If you haven’t ordered your copy of FAE CHILD your time is running out! I am so grateful and excited to report that the Fantasy Syndicate here on Inkshares has picked FAE CHILD as their book for February 2017. This is an amazing honor and I don’t want to let anyone down who has put their faith in me and my little book. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. :)
To recap: 2 weeks to go, 82 copies to sell. I’ll update again as we get closer to the deadline!
Another thrilling week has passed and it is time for an update! The Walls are Closing In is sitting at 229 orders, a mere 21 orders from the first milestone of Quill light-publication (250 orders), and above the ideal rate of funding for the full Inkshares contract (750 orders). Chug chug chug.
The book received a bit of spotlight on the Inkshares blog in a post by Elena Stofle, Operations Manager at Inkshares. Thank you, Elena!
"Castle’s tale about a walled United States is exciting, maddening, and full of hope. Two walls have been constructed at the northern and southern borders of the United States—with no way in or out. Patricia is a brave and intelligent heroine living between the border walls with a thirst for the truth about life before the Seclusion, and the future that could be had if the walls were to come down.
I have only read the chapters posted on Inkshares, but I am so excited to read more about this epic, futuristic tale that is so different and fresh in the sea of modern dystopian stories that are out there. "
The full post can be read here
Next weekend, February 16th through 20th, I will be attending the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. I am eager to dive into classes for both journalism and fiction writing, and network with other authors. There is one session that I am particularly looking forward to - Writing the Resistance: Authors as Activists and Agents of Change. 
The Walls are Closing In has been nominated for three syndicates this month!
If you happen to be a member of Staff Syndicate, Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate, or Rite of Passage Syndicate, and deem that The Walls are Closing In fits the bill, I would be eternally grateful for your vote.
That is it for now. Thank you again for your support. Until next week!
CAMPERS!
The new #SunshineisForever cover is here! What do ya’ll think? Check it out!
Thanks for the support!
Kyle T. Cowan
Just a quick update on where things stand. In the next 24 hours we should be done with developmental editing and sending the manuscript over to copy editing. The manuscript is in really good shape. There are still some typos to fix and a few scenes that we’re working on, but I’m anticipating we’ll knock those out tonight/tomorrow morning.
Copy editing should take about a couple of weeks, meaning we should have a final version of the manuscript going into formatting on the last week of the month. This will enable Inkshares to print "galleys" (promotional versions of the book) by the end of the month, which is very exciting.
In the mean time, I need to do my "author picture" for the inside sleeve of the book. I have something cool in mind, but as I’m not very photogenic, it may not work out. Still, I’ve enlisted the services of my friend and photographer Lai Long whom I believe will endeavor to make photographic miracles happen.
I’m told everything is all set for the book launch at San Diego Comic Con in July. I’m not really sure exactly what it is that we’ll be doing there to promote the book. Maybe I’ll just do a little interpretive teleportation dance while wearing a futuristic LED suit. Probably not that.
So excited you guys. Jazz hands!
Tal
I am delighted to report that I completed my manuscript and sent it off to the Inkshare editors today! It feels amazing to have the novel done and on its way to being published! I couldn’t be happier with how the story turned out and believe you’ll find it to be a compelling page turner. If you haven’t purchased a copy for yourself or loved ones yet, now is the time. You can still pre-order and reserve your ebook or paperback copy, so that it arrives immediately. Go to https://www.inkshares.com/books/apex.
Cheers, Debbie
There’s a long list of things I didn’t think would ever happen when I first decided that writing fiction was going to be ’my thing’. Obviously, getting one of my books optioned and meeting an academy award screenwriter weren’t on this list because I hadn’t even conceived of that possibility at the time.
That being said, I’ve always wanted an audiobook of one of my projects. What would that sound like? How would my characters feel coming out of someone else’s mouth? And an audiobook felt out of reach but still within the realm of possibility. Something to hope for without ever planning for it to happen.
Well, today is the launch of the Audiobook for The Life Engineered. Produced by Blackstone Audio, featuring the amazing voice of actress Amy Landon and available on Amazon, Audible and probably several other places where audiobooks are usually purchased.
It feels weird guys. I’ve listened to the sample on Amazon but I haven’t taken the plunge yet. I’m nervous. I’m 100% confident in the work that Amy did on the book (she is a veteran of over 200 audiobooks) but this is a milestone. Do I listen to this casually in the car? Do I set aside some time and enjoy the over six hours of audio in the dark with my eyes close? Just drinking in every detail, good and bad?
If you’re looking for a way to experience The Life Engineered anew, maybe learn how to pronounce some of those complex names I picked for the characters, then hop over to your favourite purveyor of audio literature and get yourself a copy. If you’ve never been on Audible, there are countless ways of getting your first book for free and frankly, that might not be a bad one to start with.
If you want to learn more about the audiobook making process, Paul Inman and I had Amy as a guest in our latest episode of WriteBrain and it was fantastic having her on.
As always, thanks for your support. None of this would have happened without you.
JF
NOTE: I should really update the header with the new cover image...
