Register for #DragonAwards here: http://tiny.cc/pd3zdy 

I know. I know! You heard me the first time. And the second.

But!

Register for #DragonAwards here: http://tiny.cc/pd3zdy 

I have no way of knowing how many people will vote for this thing - the 2016 Hugo for Best Fantasy Novel had 2903 voters - but that required membership (money) and, shall we say, there were some other factors in play there. This contest could have WAY more. Or WAY less. No one knows! But if all 614 of you voted - that seems like it could move the needle.

Vote for me. And THE LIFE ENGINEERED and AN UNATTRACTIVE VAMPIRE if you want to share the love with the rest of the Sword & Laser shelf.

And ...exhale. 

There, this’ll be my last salvo on this! The window to register closes this weekend - so it’ll all be over soon and I can focus on what really matters at DragonCon: consuming alcohol responsibly and talking about Ravenloft.

I usually try to do very short updates that only really pertain to Monkey Business but today I wanted to write you about something completely different.

If you have a few minutes to spare over the weekend, please, please, please consider voting for these fine novels in the DragonCon; Dragon Awards. These are all Inkshares, novels, they’re all freaking great and they all deserve to win.

So here’s what you do. Go to this link and register to vote (takes about a minute.)

Then go vote for the following awesome books!

Asteroid Made of Dragons by G. Derek Adams is a supremely enjoyable mashup of sci fi and fantasy. I mean, this book has long dead ancient technologies in the same world as wild mages, dragons, knights, gnomes, half-dead pirates, goblins... and it’s funny. I really can’t say enough, this book is awesome.

The Life Engineered by J.F. Dubeau is an beautifully realized exploration of artificial intelligence, civilization, and the implications of what it means to exist. If you’re a fan of smart science fiction, do yourself a favor and check this book out. Also if you just like robots this shit is rad.

An Unattractive Vampire by Jim McDoniel is a wonderfully fun read that really turns some vampire tropes on their ear. Light-heated, fun reads are always a favorite of mine, if you feel the same way, you’ll really enjoy this book.

That’s all folks. Please take a few minutes to do this for all of us who choose to publish at Inkshares. A win for any of us is a win for all of us. And a Dragon Award is a super cool thing to win.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh and if you’re really bored, click here and leave a review of Monkey Business.

Firm handshakes, kisses on the cheek and Top Gun style "feel the need for speed" high fives,

- Landon

What a delicious Friday, Space Crew. 

I’ve got pre-orders slowly rolling in, and the sun is shining. I’ve made a new rule that I can’t be stressed on Friday, so it’s a pretty good day for a newsletter. 

What’s Been Happening
Still en route to 300. 12 orders to go for that theme song! In case you don’t like scrolling to the bottoms of things, I’m going to put the pre-order link right here. And right here. Look, this text is a link too. 

Time is running out fast. I have a few tricks left up my sleeve, but no magic button to press. So please keep promoting this book to people’s faces. 

What’s Coming
First, I’m very excited to be attending Can-Con in a couple weeks. It’s a mega literary conference where I hope to learn a lot about what’s happening in the world of fantasy and sci-fi, and get better at this promo stuff. Networking opportunities are going to be good too. If you’re attending please hit me up on Twitter and we can grab a beer. 

The Dragon Awards, for which voting is open to the public, are closing soon. I’m not nominated since my book has yet to be published, and because I’m not that cool, but a few Inkshares writers are, and some of my NaNoWriMo e-friends too. I’ll avoid plugging names here, but if you want to know which books and authors I think are excellent, hit me up.

Weird and Dumb Things I Do Without Reasons
I put up a new idea on Inkshares this week (???!!). It’s barely a thing yet, but if you’re into the horror genre, and like the vibes of 90s mystery slashers with supernatural undertones, this might be your thing. 
 

It’s called Rattle Creek Road, and it’s about a community off an old wooded road that starts dropping like flies. As is customary in such communities, rumours spread quicker than fear, leading to all kinds of mass-hysteria. 

Check out the intro on the book page if you’re into it. I would highly recommend reading it with a deep southern accent. 

Your doodle of the day is me being cool as a cucumber. 

Your Calm and Collected Space Cucumber,
-AC

Hey, everybody. The beta read period is going very nicely; I’m getting great feedback and incorporating the changes.

As Tony Valdez, the author of Dax Harrison (check it out!), mentioned, Inkshares is going through a bit of a restructuring. There is a big backlog of books to be published. As a result, even if I rushed to deliver the final draft of Disintegration, we would still have a significant wait ahead of us. So I’ll be taking my time to make sure that final draft is phenomenal, all the while keeping tabs with the folks at Inkshares to know when is the right moment to submit my work.

I’ll keep you updated on the production schedule, as soon as it exists. For now, though, rest assured that the work continues. If you’d like to read the current draft, drop me a line and I’ll send it to you. If you like it, know that it will only improve and, please, spread the word. I want to get my book to a wider audience. Let’s sell some more copies!

DAX FANS! ...Hey, does my forehead look huge in this photo? Stupid phone cameras. Grrr...

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! As always, I must thank my backers for your continued patience and apologize for the delays.

For those not in the know, I handed in my completed manuscript at the beginning of July. Unfortunately, it was roughly around this same time that Inkshares began going through some organizational changes.

DON’T BE ALARMED! I have been assured that my book will in fact be published as promised, and you will eventually have your copy in your hands and/or on your e-reading devices of choice. What I still don’t know is WHEN.

To make a long story short, Inkshares has been going through some growing pains, and they have quite a backlog of books waiting to be published. I have not been informed where I stand in this long line exactly, but I understand the Inkshares team is hard at work squeezing everyone in on their production calendar. I thank the Inkshares staff for their service, and I do not envy their herculean task at hand.

Now, let me get to the point. I have a story, and I want to share it with you awesome folks who were gracious enough to buy it. And I know some of you are itching to read it, judging by my daily encounters of "HEY, TONY! WHERE’S THE BOOK?!"

So, if you have purchased a copy of Dax Harrison, you can expect an email from me soon. Check you inbox over the next day or so for the subject line "DAX HARRISON - The Early Ebook Edition".

If you choose to read the story at this time, here’s a couple things to keep in mind:

First, the book has not yet been professionally copyedited. Meaning, you may run into the occasional grammatical error, weird sentence structure, etc. I’d like to think I was thorough, but it happens.

Second, I would love your feedback! If you like my silly little sci-fi tale, please leave a review on Inkshares! I would love to direct you to leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads as well, but those pages won’t exist until we get closer to publishing.

Reviews = more eyes on the book = more books sold = Tony gets to write more books!

I will keep you all informed on the publishing news as soon as I have it. For those of you that prefer to wait for the official ebook/paperback of Dax, I hope I won’t have to keep you waiting too much longer.

Thanks again! You’re the best. Now I’m off to outline some more of Dax 2: Space Boogaloo. (No, that is not the actual title)

-Tony

Dear Readers,

Or should I say...Listeners? For behold, thanks to the magic of Inkshares and Drew Campbell’s British accent...

An Unattractive Vampire is on Audible!!! 

Thank you to everyone at Inkshares, Audible, and Mr. Campbell for making this happen. 

So I know you’re all thinking: "Jim, I need this for my sound holes, but money has decided (literally) to see other people right now." Well, here’s a thing: Audible sponsors just about every podcast in existence. They offer so many deals and promos, it’s kind of ridiculous. For example: Lore podcast, Hardcore History, and Blurry Photos all offer trial codes. So yes, listen to awesome inspiring podcasts and when you’re done, listen to my book as well.

Also, just a reminder that the Dragon Awards are quickly approaching, so time is running out to VOTE for Inkshares/Sword and Laser books including The Life Engineered, Asteroid Made of Dragons, and, of course, An Unattractive Vampire which also all happen to be available in e-book for the special low-low price of 99 cents until the end of the month. (Completely coincidental, I assure you. *WINK*) So please, vote for An Unattractive Vampire because what could be better than mixing vampires and dragons?

The time has come!

We have until August 28th to get our votes in for my debut book, The Life Engineered, to maybe-perhaps-but-probably-not win a Dragon Award at Dragon Con!

The Life Engineered was, alongside books by Ann Leckie and Kim Stanley Robinson, in the science fiction category of the very first Dragon Awards. It’s a public vote so I ask of you; please vote for my robot book.

Sign up here and fill out the form. You’ll get a confirmation email and a few days after you prove you’re not a robot (discrimination, I know) you’ll get a survey ballot. Make sure you vote for The Life Engineered (and also my fellow Sword & Laser Collection authors’ books Asteroid Made of Dragons and Unattractive Vampire) and we’ll be all set.

Haven’t read The Life Engineered? Well, click on the name of the book and get yourself a digital copy for 0.99$.

I have some incredible news coming for A God in the Shed, so don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten what you all came here for. For now though: vote vote vote!

Cheers,

JF