It has been a long time since I updated all of you who have helped me get to this point today.

Today, December 12, 2020 is my 3 year Anniversary for when this book was published.  

  Well folks, I am way overdue for an update, and I can’t really put off making one any longer. I was hoping the next update I’d send would be an announcement that Tantalus Depths has finally finished its edits and is moving on in its production, but unfortunately we’ve seen some delays to that end. Originally, this was supposed to be the year it was going to be released, but it shouldn’t really come as much surprise that covid-19 did a number on that idea. Releasing a major novel during a pandemic is a surefire way to make it a financial flop, considering the state of the economy, the fact that many bookstores were closed entirely for several months, and the fact that my publisher’s ability to physically print and distribute the books was crippled as well for much of this year. On top of that, I work in a hospital, so not only did quarantines, stay-at-home orders and social distancing not give me any extra time at home to work on side projects, but my stress levels have been through the roof on a constant basis since March, which is far from conducive to creative writing and editing efforts. Due to all of the above factors, development on Tantalus Depths really slowed to a crawl this year, but it is picking up again. I am on my absolute final set of development edits now (for real this time. I’ve told my publisher I have exactly one round of edits left in me, and that’s it). I’ve been getting back into a consistent writing regimen, and I’m currently on track to be 100% finished by the end of the year.
We have other things to look forward to soon for Tantalus Depths as well. I’ve been told that after we wrap up these development edits, I’ll finally be able to start working with my cover designer on Tantalus Depths’ official cover art. I’ve seen some of this artist’s work already, and it is extremely impressive professional work. In addition to that, between the end of my development edit and the beginning of my copy edit, we are planning to have a special round of edits with a professional physicist to check the scientific accuracy of Tantalus Depths, which I could not be more excited for.
I have many other things in the works right now, but most of them are still too up-in-the-air to talk about at this stage. I know the long delays between updates makes it seem like I’ve forgotten about my writing, but that’s far from the case. A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes, there just haven’t been many new exciting benchmarks in my progress worth making announcements about. I don’t like making promises I can’t keep, so I’ve been trying to avoid predicting what will happen when during this process. The world of professional publishing is still mostly unexplored for me, and everything I’m doing is a first. I certainly never thought it would take this long to publish my first book, and I’d like to think it won’t always be that way, but I am learning as I go. Thank you all for your patience during this process. I know most of you are as eager as I am to see what the end of this process looks like, and I’m really looking forward to celebrating with you all on the other side.
Because there’s still no definite release date planned for Tantalus Depths, and because I need to keep my writing skills sharp while developing my editing ones, I do have one special side project I’ve been working on since the summer that you will be able to read very soon. I’ll give a bigger update specifically for that later with more details, but for now here’s just a quick rundown of what to expect.
My new short story, "Reliquary," will be appearing in the upcoming "Passageways" anthology. This is my third published short story after "Breach" and "Countermeasures," and like them it is set in the same universe as Tantalus Depths (that universe has a name now, by the way, so look forward to a series title drop soon as well). Passageways is a special anthology that features nine short stories from different authors who each have their own literary universe of stories. Think of this anthology as a dimensional crossroads: a place where vast worlds filled with fascinating characters, complex storytelling, and carefully crafted settings can be easily accessed from one another. If you read this anthology and find a story you really like, good news! There are more stories where that came from, and you’ll like them too.
I couldn’t be more excited for people to read Reliquary, and I’m deeply honored to have it collected with the works of so many other brilliant authors who I respect so much. Check it out! It’s available for pre-order now, and will be released on December 11.  

Howdy, folks. Hard to believe it’s been almost three months since my last update. This summer has vanished way too fast. I hope you are all staying safe and keeping as well as you can.

The Good News: Bane of All Things is almost ready to go to copy editing.

The Bad News: In The World that Was, this would have meant we were about seven months from a publication date – the day BoAT would be on bookstore shelves and up for purchase online. And most importantly – in your hands. But alas, we are stuck with The World That Is. Because of that, we are looking at a publication date in the summer or fall of 2021.

“Why is that, Leo?” you ask.

In short, it sucks right now to be trying to publish a first novel from a debut author with a reasonable hope of a successful launch. “Successful” being a mercenary measurement of how many books we actually sell in a particular period of time. 

I of course don’t want to just publish a book – I want to build a career as an author. And publishing a first book under circumstances where it isn’t likely to do well is a surefire way to sabotage that.

“But aren’t people stuck at home and reading more right now?” 

Yes, but the books that are doing best are generally the ones available from established authors…and anything about Trump.

Bookstores across the U.S. are still operating with skeleton crews and curbside pickup. The usual machinery of book promotion and launch is stuck in low gear and many people have been laid off (I mean across the industry, not at Inkshares – in fact, Inkshares just hired a new chief operating officer away from The Onion, but that’s another story).

These impacts of the pandemic on book retail and book promotion works against first-time authors like me most of all.

So in the interests of giving BoAT the best possible chance to do well, and me as an author to do well, the prudent course is to aim for that time frame a year or so from now, when we hopefully have a vaccine and the world is returning to some semblance of normal.

“So, what are you doing in the meantime?”

I’m glad you asked. Since we have the time to spare, we are doing some final additional tweaks to BoAT. This is all my idea. In fact, on our call last night, Inkshare’s CEO Adam Gomolin said he thought the book was in a quite strong place and we could just push it into copy editing now. But I figured we’ve got the time, so may as well use it.

In case you’re wondering, all the revision and tweaking up till now is what’s considered “developmental editing.” Copy editing is the real brass tacks nit-picky spelling and grammar stuff. BoAT is already pretty clean, so I wouldn’t expect that a lot of work of this sort remains.

But wait, there’s more!

BoAT is intended as the first of four books. I am just completing a second draft of Book 2 – The Crucible Tree. By the time BoAT does publish, the odds are good I will have already completed a first draft of Book 3 – tentatively titled Throne of Souls. Or maybe I will pick up where I left off a couple of years ago with the revamp of something entirely different – my post-apocalyptic weird western novel. We’ll see.

And on the cancer front

I continue to chug along – four months down, eight to go with my gene therapy meds. At present only mild side effects from the meds. Otherwise, doing well.

That’s all for now. As always, stay safe and be kind.

Howdy! And my sincerest best wishes for you and yours through whatever hand this mad time may have dealt you.

Just a quick update. Earlier this week, I received my third editorial letter for Bane of All Things from my awesome editor, Sarah Nivala. Sarah is quite happy with where we are with the current draft and so am I.

Through two rounds of developmental editing that enriched description, provided more context for readers to be better be able to get a handle on the complexity of this story, and to make my characters and their interactions with each other more engaging, BoAT has gotten a little thicker -- from 129,000 words as first submitted to Inkshares, to 158,000.

Formatted as a trade paperback, this equates to about 500 pages. That’s still relatively lean compared to many of the epic fantasy titles out there these days that are bending bookshelves, but Sarah has offered some great ideas on how to tighten up the story. (Hint: Chapter Four may be the new Chapter One).

Over the next month, I will be working on those revisions, and then BoAT will be handed off to Inkshares CEO Adam Gomolin for his thoughts.

At present, we still don’t have a publication date. Due to the impact of pandemic lockdown measures on bookstores and the kind of public gathering launch events that are key to a successful kick-off for a new book, Inkshares is not releasing any new titles until 2021.

As soon as I have insight on when BoAT may finally be in your hands, you will, too.

On the cancer front, I have continued to be in good health since my last update. Today marks five weeks into my one year of gene therapy medication that promises to beat this thing forever. I am glad to say that the side effects of the meds have so far been less severe than I had feared they might be.

Stay tuned, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued faith and patience.

Cheers

Leo

Dearest Supporters,

I have not sent out an update via Inkshares for a long while, preferring instead to send newsletters and blog posts through my website, deborahmunroauthor.com, but some of you are not on those mailing lists, so hello! How have you been? I know we are living in challenging times, and I hope you’re getting the support and companionship you need. I am well, living in virus-free New Zealand, and finally done with lockdown. I am definitely feeling like I’m on a remote island in the South Pacific these days with the borders closed, no international travel allowed, and my daughters reaching important milestones without me present (graduation from a Master’s degree program, birthdays, new jobs, joint vacation plans, and more), but all is well, and I am safe. My daughters are safe, too, and we’ve found new ways to connect, including an online version of Pictionary which is quite fun.

My big news is that I took this period of time over lockdown to finish restructuring and editing my novel, APEX. It is now out with my beta readers for feedback and comments, and then it will be off to my amazing editor at Inkshares, Sarah Nivala. They will give the new, more exciting and action packed version of my book a read, and then hopefully bless it for me to incorporate minor edits and move onto the next phase of production! Who knew it would take over three years to get to this point? I certainly had no idea! It’s been a huge growth opportunity for me, especially in the management of frustration department. Creating a work of written art is way harder than I ever imagined.

I’d love to hear from all of you, so feel free to reply to this email or separately via dmunro@deborahmunroauthor.com and update me on your life, your latest project, or anything else.

Be well, Debbie

Howdy, folks.

It’s hard to believe it’s been only three months since my last update. Feels like a year. I hope everyone is keeping safe and sane as best they can as we weather this viral storm.

Today, I returned the revised manuscript for BoAT to my editor at Inkshares. I do hope that with two rounds of developmental edits now complete, the end is in sight, but we will see.

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary, if you can believe it, since I got the word that Inkshares would publish this tome. Whether you work with a publisher large or small, it can routinely take 18-24 months to get a book out the door.

With Inkshares, I had hoped to shorten that cycle to 12-18 months. But thanks to social-distancing measures, it’s hard to say when we might have a launch date for BoAT. Bricks-and-mortar bookstores, in addition to online sales, are an important part of Inkshares’ marketing strategy. The team doesn’t want to launch any title at a disadvantage. Neither do I.

So, stay tuned.

As some of you know, since my last update, I have had a cancer diagnosis – metastatic melanoma.

I have had two surgeries to remove all the lymph nodes under my left arm. In mid-May, I will begin targeted gene therapy – a year of fiendishly expensive meds that have a good chance of completely and permanently eradicating the cancer.

By some morbid twist of fate, a half dozen friends, neighbours, and former colleagues have also had cancer diagnoses in recent months.

This of course puts a whole different flavor on living in the time of a pandemic. It emphasizes how much the small victories matter. How much a positive attitude matters. And how important it is to occupy yourself in productive ways.

Thank you all again for your patience and support. Stay safe and keep reading!

Cheers

Leo