Lore Update:
Deep space mining has become a crucial part of humanity’s expansion across the stars, and Exotech is the undisputed leader in the field. The surveying expedition to Tantalus 13 is but one of hundreds in one of the most lucrative ventures in the galaxy.

With thousands of probes scattered across the galaxy searching for valuable new worlds to exploit, it’s perhaps inevitable that Exotech would be the ones to stumble across a find like Tantalus 13. For mining, Tantalus 13 is barely worth the effort, yet Exotech clearly believes otherwise. How much do they know about what lies beneath its surface? What is it they expected SCARAB might find there? For that matter...are they ready for it?
Find out now when you pre-order Tantalus Depths!

FROM THE BLOG DIARY OF EMILY HUNTER

Entry #2: July 17, 2013

So this week, the assignment is to be a little more forthcoming.

Yeah, assignment.  This blog isn’t entirely my idea.  And while I am getting credit for listening to my therapist and actually starting it (not something she was entirely sure I would do), the goal is to not hold back.  So I guess I should re-introduce myself.

My name is Emily Hunter.  I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Specifically, my files say "auditory and visual hallucinations and nihilistic delusions."  Currently I am in partial remission.  (How’s that for forthcoming?)

In simpler terms, I am fucked up.

Now notice that I’m not saying the government is out to get me.  I am not currently wearing a tin-foil hat.  Schizophrenia is not something that is very fairly represented in popular media.  We aren’t all rocking in corners, babbling incoherently, and screaming at shadows.  (I have lived with those people though, and some of the stories they tell are better than anything you’ll ever see on TV.)  I can hold a conversation, I can hold a job.  I keep track of my own medication (Clonazepam twice a day for anxiety, clozaril, one in the morning, four at night, and one shot of haloperidol and a blood draw every two weeks.  The chloropromazine gave me a fever when I was 21 and put me in the hospital for a week and a half.)

Here’s what they don’t tell you about anti-psychotic medication:  It’s good for your mind, but shit for your body.  It makes you feel drowsy, achy, constipated, and just generally miserable.

I seem to be breaking records for forthcoming.  Hi, I’m Emily and I can’t poop sometimes.  Nice to meet you.

So yeah, sometimes I see things.  Sometimes I get confused and think strange thoughts.  The meds help, as much as I hate to admit it (and especially since Dr. Harper is reading this.  Hello.) Although I do hate the way they make me feel, but I guess it’s better than some of the fucked up nightmares I used to have.  Sometimes while I was awake.

Sometimes I would see thi

Okay, per the rules I can’t delete anything, but I don’t have to keep typing either.  That’s enough forthcoming for today.

E

Hello Knightmares!

We have 7 days left in the campaign, and we’re sitting pretty at 260 orders. If you’re still looking to buy a book, grab one now while I’m still offering free stuff!

• Free Bookmark with every paperback copy sold!

• Free t-shirt if you buy, and get 2 friends to buy a copy!

• Free poster of the new cover art (coming soon) if you buy 3 or more copies!

Get them before October 1! 

In the meantime, check out my next book, VEXED, that is still in a draft phase. I am going to take my time with this one, but check it out as I start to ramp up content, post excerpts, and put together a trailer in the coming months. If you liked The Knightmares, VEXED will blow you away.

In the meantime, please take a look at Mothering- The Game! It has under a week left and is SOOOOO close to hitting its campaign goal! It deserves to get published!

Hey Campers!

Happy Wednesday! 

I wanted to share this new interview I did with Inkshares author Alastair Luft. This one focuses more on my writing process. 

Read the new interview here: http://www.alastairluft.com/blog

Current sales 659/750! I am so close, but sales have slowed drastically. Please continue to share my book with your friends and convince them to preorder. Remember, you can preorder up to ten copies to give away to friends, and if you become a "Super Backer" you will have access to drafts of the book before anyone else! 

Thank you so much for your continued support! Have a wonderful evening!

Kyle T. Cowan

Wednesday update time!

Our progress continues to be slow, but with a little over a month to go I’m still hoping we can reach goal. Thanks to everyone who has already ordered as well as those of you who have recommended Magus to others.

Today I’ll move the journey forward a bit to Pentaz & Buscidia’s time on the peninsula known as The Blade where Pentaz spends a few months receiving a bit of formal education in his magicking at a small academy run by the head of a Wilder Elf community. You can read about that starting here in Chapter 31.

The Wilder Elves (pronounced will-der as in wilderness) are seen as savages by most of the more "civilised" elves in the far eastern elven nation of Lanadalaria, and even their less judgemental cousins in Hanaen sometimes regard them as a bit backwards. They live as nomads in the untamed wilds, living entirely off the land and flowing with the seasons. When they do build settlements it is only temporary structures, huts of vine, wicker, and fallen tree limbs which have seen no blade.

While they tend to avoid contact with those who do not live as they do, they are not hostile to outsiders and will often aid those they see in need, albeit secretly when possible. Like all elves they have innate magical talent, though all but their shamans and priestesses use this talent only for blending in and tracking game.

That’s all I’ve got for today’s update. As always thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this bit of insight. For my fellow D&D players my prototype Wilder Elf racial option follows(as with the Dwarven options I presented this presumes you only gain what is listed below, not the standard PHB qualities as well).

• Ability Score Increase:  +1 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom.
• Age:  Typically reach adulthood at around 100-120, aging at around 1/8th human rate until then. Their aging slows down significantly at this point, to around 1/40th human rate, causing them to maintain a youthful prime until around 850-900 years. They can live up to 1,000 years, with their aging speeding up dramatically this last century or so to around 1/2 the typical human rate.
• Alignment:  Chaotic Good.
• Size:  Medium, stand between 4’7" - 6’2"
• Speed:  30’.
• Skill Training:  You gain proficiency Perception and Survival.
• Weapn Training:  Proficient with Pikes, Shortswords, Longbows, and Shortbows.
• Reverie: They must sleep just as humans do, but while sleeping they are able to perfectly recall anything from their past through dreams. These memories fade somewhat upon waking, but if a particular aspect is focused upon when starting a Long Rest then immediately upon finishing the rest you can make an appropriate skill check(typically Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion) with Advantage to recall some bit of information/lore.
• Art of the Chameleon: By concentrating for 1 round you can wrap yourself in magic which causes you to blend in with your surroundings. This provides Advantage on Stealth checks provided that you move no more than 1/2 your Speed. This magic is extremely sensitive to strong emotions and thus cannot be maintained in combat.
• Life Sense: By actively concentrating as a Bonus Action you can sense the presence and vibrancy of life within a 30’ radius of you. The sensation is most commonly described along the lines of temperature as follows: alive and in good health (Warm); healthy plant life, or animal life in poor health (Lukewarm); plants in poor health, or animals in abysmal health/dying (Cold); and plants/creatures that will die or have died within 1 minute (freezing). Non-living creatures such as undead or constructs, as well as corpses, stones/minerals, and incorporeal creatures are merely voids in your perception with no temperature whatsoever.Since this does not rely on your normal sense you can use this ability while Blinded, Deafened, or otherwise unable to use your normal 5 senses. This does require the use of a Bonus Action every round it is used/maintained. This can be used to detect the presence of invisible creatures so long as that creature would normally be able to be sensed through this ability as described above, as well as to compensate for Blindness. At the start of any turn in which you are using your Life Sense in this way, you choose whether to negate your Disadvantage on Attack Rolls against a single creature or the creature’s Advantage on their Attack rolls against you.
• Languages:  Sylvan, Elven and 1 of the following – Common, Primordial, Gnomish, Orcish.

I’ve never been so thankful for a Wednesday.

First of all, A Beast Requires is closing in on a 100 backers! So far 93 people have pre-ordered 115 copies of the book, pushing it towards that first hurdle of 250 pre-orders. Yea, it’s pretty damn awesome. What isn’t awesome is that this entire month has gotten away from me. There was a carefully orchestrated schedule of events and a timeline set in place, that went out the window to find a shallow grave in the backyard. Granted my entire backyard is a shallow grave, see as it’s the place where good grass comes to die. 

See, I have this job, right? It’s at night, doesn’t pay great, and ever so slightly eats away at your soul. It’s difficult to describe, mostly because of the sort of work they do. Say you’re out at the zoo, and you’re walking through the primate house, unless your zoo doesn’t have a primate house, which would make me sad. But let’s say hypothetical zoo has a hypothetical primate house, full of hypothetical primates. Now there is a spot in this hypothetical primate house, where hypothetical primates fling hypothetical poo. There’s no avoiding the spot, no matter how much you try, and before everyone leaves, they are always pelted with hypothetical poo. My job is to block the exit and ask you which hypothetical poo smells the hypothetical best.

On Monday I gave them my two week notice. On Monday I was offered a much better job. It will take me a few days to adjust to a new work schedule, but it will be much more conducive to updates. With 70 days left in the campaign, there’s a lot to get done, and expect the videos to start returning next week. Thank you all for supporting A Beast Requires. Without knowing it, you’ve all helped keep me sane and helped me to survive the hypothetical house of poo.

- Jay

Dear Friends

There are many exciting news in the world of The Catcher’s Trap. As the official publication day approaches, media interest is ramping up, and the details for the release party are getting sorted out.

So first mark your calendar. The Catcher’s Trap is out in bookstores on November 8th, the release party is on Thursday, November 10th at 6 PM at North Haven Barnes and Noble, 470 Universal Drive N, North Haven, Connecticut. You can RSVP by sending me a message or in the Facebook event.

RSVP here

Yesterday I had an interview with Connecticut NPR as part of a special series on immigrants living in Connecticut. It was a great opportunity to talk about my story, my struggles and the path to my dream of becoming a published author. I will share the link to the interview when it airs in mid-October. I have a couple of more radio engagements lined up and several interviews with blogs and a newspaper. All very exciting stuff.

It is going to be a busy fall for your friendly neighborhood nerd-author. I’m so looking forward to that!

Finally, please remember you can help make another dream come true (I know, I have no shame) let’s help this high heel lover, machete wielding, fabulous drag queen get into bookstores. Get a copy of Bad Medicine and support my efforts to win the current Crypt TV horror contest at Inkshares.

Order here:

THANK YOU!!

Trivia Update:

I have done more world-building for Tantalus Depths than will even come close to actually showing on its pages. This is partly because I do intend to expand upon the universe in the future, both in direct sequels and unrelated anthology stories, but if I’m honest with myself, it’s mostly because I don’t know when to quit.

While much of the world-building I’ve done is crucial for fleshing out characters and themes within the book, there are some things I’ve crammed into the story purely because I can.
Here’s a short list of Easter eggs, hidden references, and insignificant facts you can expect to find in Tantalus Depths.

Don’t worry, there are still plenty in there that I’m not telling you about.

What else can you expect to find in Tantalus Depths? The unexpected, mostly. I’ve filled every page with layers of meaning. It’s an adventure on many levels. If Tantalus Depths affects you the way I want it to, by the time you’ve read the last page your brain will have either exploded or twisted into a knot.

Be a part of this adventure. Pre-order Tantalus Depths today!