Greetings, faoii! 

Not one to sit idle while our army’s story goes untold, I have continued my various conversations with professional authors around the country while I wait for Inkshares’ signal that we’re ready to proceed. The most common bit of advice from professionals? To change the name of The Last Faoii to something else!  Is that not surprising? Many authors thought that people wouldn’t be intrigued to read a book whose name they can’t even pronounce at a glance, which isn’t something I’d thought about before. 

So, since we’re just sitting at the barracks for now, anyway: What do you think, my warriors? Would you prefer a change from The Last Faoii to Blade Blessed? And would you prefer different artwork for the cover? Here’s the cover we’ve been using since our campaign’s beginning, and next to it is a completely different (definitely not complete) cover that I whipped up quickly just to see what it might look like. I’m also considering hiring a cover artist to make something even grander (since we will not be able to utilize Inkshares’ cover artists), but I don’t know if I prefer the simplistic blade-on-black design or one featuring Faoii-Kaiya. Opinions, faoii?

At ease, faoii. There are no orders tonight, only words.

I am 28 years old today. 

I know it doesn’t seem like a particularly important milestone, but look around you. Somehow, in one year, we have gone from The Last Faoii sitting on my shelf, consigned to gather dust for the rest of eternity to this. An entire army of people willing to lift a blade to make sure that it becomes more than just a dream. That it becomes something real-- a sword for our daughters to wield when it seems there are no more heroines. I had given up a year ago. I knew Faoii was a story worth telling, but had lost hope that it would ever happen. It was on a whim that I decided to try Inkshares for one final charge at an unattainable victory. Who would have thought at the time that so many would come to the call?

I don’t think I ever truly expected to be where I am now. I play many roles, depending on the day. I am a mental health activist, a political blog writer, a teacher, a sign waver... and a faoii. I didn’t expect to be these things-- Blades, on many occasions I didn’t even expect to see this birthday. But now I’m here, and I am, as always, eternally grateful to be able to say that I fight many wars on many fronts-- but there is only one where so many people stand behind me in the name of a tale that no one else but us can make happen.

I know that everything seems uncertain, faoii. Inkshares can’t tell me when our story will be published or even when they’ll request the manuscript that waits so tentatively on that shelf. It would be so easy to lose hope; to regress to where we were a year ago. But we will not.
 
I will continue to fight for this story until there is no more breath left in my body. And I am honored to have you at my side during the battle.  In 28 years, I have never wanted to be anywhere as much as here. Shields up.

Faoii-Tahani

Two weeks to go!

If you haven’t ordered your copy of FAE CHILD your time is running out! I am so grateful and excited to report that the Fantasy Syndicate here on Inkshares has picked FAE CHILD as their book for February 2017. This is an amazing honor and I don’t want to let anyone down who has put their faith in me and my little book. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. :)

To recap: 2 weeks to go, 82 copies to sell. I’ll update again as we get closer to the deadline!

Much love, Jane-Holly

Greetings, Faoii.