Oh, man!!! Feast you eyes on Chris Pyke’s phenomenal, two-pane illustration that goes along with one of Mission 51’s earlier chapters, The Press Conference.

You can read the chapter it in its entirety here: The Press Conference.

So what do you think!?!?  :D

Hi everyone! Here’s another quick update:

1. First of all, please join me in congratulating Jaye Milius, author of the crazy cool "Terminus," on achieving Quill status! To me, this is what Inkshares is all about, outstanding new authors able to showcase their work, crowdfunding readers like us confirming its value with our pre-orders, resulting in a publication deal by a real publishing company. Really, how awesome is that! - A huge congrats, Jaye, on a completely well-deserved achievement!

2. On a more egotistical note, I noticed Inkshares has me listed as the "#98 Most Influential Reader!" Ha! Who knows how that works! I guess I’ll just keep being who I am and doing what I do, and we’ll see how high that will go! :-)

3. Chris Pyke and I are in the last stages of finalizing another cool illustration. We went back to one of Mission 51’s earlier chapters, "The Press Conference," and picked out not one but two essential moments in that short scene. We’ll present them in a two-pane, comic-book style illustration. I’m pretty excited about that!

4. Mission 51 will continue in draft mode while it is entered in the Launch Pad Manuscript Competition. The competition is now closed, and we are waiting on judging, etc. I have no idea how many people have entered, but I’m sure the competition is fierce. At the very least, I will get comprehensive feedback from a panel of judges who are all important players in the entertainment industry. That’s sure to be valuable. But please, cross fingers and toes for me that Mission 51 is well-received and at least makes the first cut in late September.

5. Last but certainly not least, I extend a very warm welcome to all the new Mission 51 followers. I am truly grateful that you are part of our fantastic family of mutually supportive authors and readers!

Peace and love, y’all!  :-)

I’m sending you a small excerpt from the chapter called "Full Moon." I hope you enjoy it!

Overnight, the Mission 51 funding campaign came to an end, and the project is now in “draft” mode. We finished with a very respectable 183 pre-orders, though that was shy of the 250 required for Inkshares to publish. The book will not be published at this time.

I’ll have to say, I am much, much more excited about the whole thing than I am disappointed. When I started, this book was not written. Now it is! - I became aware of Inkshares earlier this year, half-way into the Nerdist Space Opera contest. I had an idea for a book for quite some time, so I decided to jump in late in the contest, learning the Inkshares process as I went along. I basically started from scratch, hammering away madly, and by now have developed a solid story of which I am proud. Along the way, I have met a multitude of awesome people: readers, supporters, fellow authors, artists, and the folks at Inkshares. I am nothing but gratified and encouraged!

The final tally for Mission 51 was 194 followers of the project, of which 128 wonderful people pre-ordered 183 copies of the book. I received 14 high-quality recommendations, was chosen as a “Staff Pick,” and received the support of the GREAT SCI-FI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE. Wow! Thank you!!!

Now that Mission 51 is officially in “draft” mode, all of the readers, who have my everlasting gratitude for your interest and generous support, will get their money back. The project will remain listed on Inkshares, will continue to gather followers, and I will be able to communicate with you through this forum, to keep you updated on the continuing progress of Mission 51.

I will continue to revise, enhance and beautify the book, including the art. It is possible that I will engage in another funding campaign here on Inkshares, but I will not do it until the book is entirely finished, which it nearly is. I will await another suitable contest before that happens. When that moment comes, I will be completely prepared to deliver a top-notch product! I hope you will decide to support it again at that time.

For now, I have entered Mission 51 in the 2016 Launch Pad Manuscript Competition. I’m pretty excited about that! It opens several other opportunities for publication. Please check out the link. I’ll let you know how that turns out.

In any event, like I said before, I can assure you that this book will be published one way or another. I would love to have the backing and services of a formal publishing house like Inkshares, or some other publisher, but I have self-published several books before and I will self-publish Mission 51 if the need be.

So stay tuned for future developments. I will keep you posted. I am not going away!

Again, thank you all so very much for supporting me and Mission 51. I have truly felt the love!

Peace!

Ferd  :-)

With only 3 days to go in the funding campaign for Mission 51, it seems clear we will not reach the required 250 pre-orders for publication through Inkshares, at least not at this time.

BUT, this is just a bump in the road to publication. It is a one door closes, one door opens kind of thing. Let me fill you in on the plans.

In 3 days, the funding campaign ends, and shy of a miracle where we do reach 250 pre-orders, Mission 51 will automatically go into “draft” mode on Inkshares. All of the readers, who have my everlasting gratitude for your interest and generous support, will get their money back. The project will remain listed on Inkshares, and I will be able to communicate with followers through this forum, to keep you updated on the continuing progress of Mission 51.

I will continue to revise, enhance and beautify the book, including the art. I am convinced that this fun story has merit. I have been encouraged by the support from personal friends and family, by 188 followers of the project on Inkshares, by achieving 168 pre-orders, by 14 high-quality recommendations, by being chosen as a “Staff Pick,” and by the support of the GREAT SCI-FI for the 21st CENTURY and BEYOND SYNDICATE.

With that in mind, I have decided to enter Mission 51 in the 2016 Launch Pad Manuscript Competition. This opens several opportunities for publication. Please check out the link. I am very excited about it!

In any event, I can assure you that this book will be published sooner or later, hopefully sooner. I would love to have the backing and services of a formal publishing house like Inkshares, but I have self-published several books before, and I will self-publish Mission 51 if the need be.

So stay tuned for future developments in the Mission 51 saga! I will keep you informed.

Thank you all so very much for your words of encouragement and your generosity. I have truly felt the love here on Inkshares. It is a great platform, a wonderfully supportive community of readers and authors. I have enjoyed every minute and I am not going away!

Peace and love always!

Ferd   :-)

9 days left in the funding campaign, and 83 pre-orders to go to reach the Quill publication goal. It seems daunting, but not impossible!

Can you help get Mission 51 published? If you haven’t gotten your pre-order(s), there is no time to hesitate! Please, get one (or more) now! Why not be on the short-list of Super Readers!?  :-)

If you are an author with an active project, get mine and I’ll get yours!

Remember, if I reach Quill, I will match the amount of money that people have invested in me and Mission 51 with a donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities and their mission to help families with sick children.

Mission 51 is ready to launch. All it needs is YOU!

Thank you for your support! :D

18 days of funding left and we seem to be stalled at 162 pre-orders, which is not really close to the 250 required for publication by Inkshares. But I am not going to worry too much about that. My plan is to keep refining the Mission 51 manuscript, which I think is already a riot (of course I would think that, it is my book, LOL) and just keeps getting better all the time! It will get published one way or another when the time is right, and maybe this is just not yet the right time.

So, the other part of Mission 51 refinement relates to the art. Chris Pyke just finished another piece, this one to go with the chapter "Roswell Revisited." Take a look. It is too spectacular for words. Absolutely awesome talent! :D

Only 21 days of funding remain for Mission 51. I would love to see 9 pre-orders over the weekend. Can you help? Here is how:

1. If you have not yet pre-ordered, please click the green button below and follow the pre-order links. Time is of the essence. I need 4.2 pre-orders a day to qualify for Inkshares’ Quill publication services!

2. If you have already pre-ordered a copy of Mission 51, thank you! Now please take a moment to gently encourage/persuade (harass!) a friend to do the same! :-)

3. If you have already pre-ordered a copy, consider purchasing another one, for a friend, family, or neighbor. It could be a birthday present, or an early Christmas present. Particularly good for readers! :-)

Thanks again, everyone! YOU are the ones launching Mission 51, and I greatly appreciate it!

Dear Inkshares family,

With only 24 more days of funding, I am asking for your help! The first little step: I need 5 pre-orders to reach 150. If you could find it in your heart to fuel the fire with a pre-order or two, I would be forever grateful! Also, at 150, the Mission 51 Raffle kicks in. Someone is going to win a personalized Idan Carré sketch suitable for framing!

Thanks, everyone!

Peace and love!  :-)