It’s Wednesday! That solemn day we set aside for Woden, because what’s better than celebrating the middle of the work week than a day to remember the Norse god of the gallows. Granted, he did some other stuff too. But, yea! Wednesday!

As it stands, 81 backers have pre-ordered 103 copes of A Beast Requires, putting it at 41% of its Quill publishing goal. This is pretty great news, but the 91 days left in the campaign are going to go by super fast. I’m working on this week’s video right now, but after that, I’m leaving it open to you guys, the backers.
So, what do you want to see me talk? What aspects or parts of A Beast Requires are you interested in? I’ll touch on any subject, or can spend time answering each question individually. Every backer put their hard earned money behind me and my book, so I figure it’s a good opportunity for you all to be involved in the crowdfunding crazy train. Let me know on Twitter, or by DM, and let’s see what we can come up with for next week.
Dearest Readers,
Story Update:
The mission to Tantalus 13 is, first and foremost, a mining expedition. Though SCARAB has done most of the work for them, Mary and the crew of The Diamelen still came prepared for some heavy work. What arsenal of mining equipment would be complete without some serious explosive ordinance?

The crew has come to Tantalus 13 prepared to literally move mountains if they must. But when danger strikes their mission, will this devastating firepower help them or endanger them? Find out in the pages of Tantalus Depths!
We are coming up on the end of the first month of the campaign. Thank you all for being here. The new excerpt comes from the second section of Chapter 1. As the platoon leaves the capital city, they make their way to the ancestral, pre-Imperial border, the Great River, where the city of Quidor rests. Here, the soldiery talk about the fierce battles they faced in the Ellohi Advance, the officers discuss how they will lead their platoon, and Lieutenant Pekar contemplates what his ultimate goal will be. Enjoy!
Hello, my most awesome followers! We’re about a month into the Inkshares Fantasy contest, and Impervious’ stay in the top 10 spot was sadly short lived. It was a glorious time. The nobility rejoiced and hardly any commoners were conscripted into the army.
In the meantime, I took a trip to WorldCon where I learned quite a bit about the publishing industry and talked to many awesome authors. It was a fount of knowledge that I’ll be pouring into my writing as I continue to work on Impervious. I’m just a couple of chapters away from finishing the second draft, and I’m already planning out some tweaks and changes that will make the third draft even better! Including (another) version of the first chapter.
I like this, but some possible improvements have been pointed out to me and I think I can make it better. Bigger. Faster. Stronger.
You guys are already awesome, but if you’d really like to see Impervious happen and get your fingers on it, consider recommending Impervious on Inkshares.com, telling your friends or sharing on social media. Both I, and the Emperor would be eternally grateful.
You guys may have noticed it’s been a little quiet here. There’s a reason, and it’s a long one, so I’ll sum it up before I get to the good stuff.
First, all cards on the table: running a crowdfunding campaign is exhausting. Emotionally, it’s draining. You have a day where you crush it and you feel on top of the world. Then there are days, weeks, where nothing happens, and you wonder who you thought you were to even attempt something so ridiculous. We came out of the gate firing, and then I faded away. I feel like I owe you all an explanation as to why.
And it’s Monday.

Last week A Beast Requires broke 100 pre-orders! That’s right, 80 amazing, wonderful backers have pre-ordered 102 copies of my book! My deepest and sincerest thanks goes out to all of you who have backed me so far.
Still on the fence? With September on the horizon, now is definitely the time to check out all the bonus content I’ve uploaded to the campaign site. I have another video planned for later on this week, so be sure to stay tuned for that.
So, I have a couple things. About twenty of them, give or take a prologue. The first twenty chapters have been edited to a point where I feel comfortable sending them out for reader feedback. If you’ve back the book, and are interested in seeing where the story goes and are willing to provide feedback, shoot me a message.
Thank you all again. Y’all really are the best.
- Jay