We’re now in the final week of the Inkshares Mystery & Thriller Contest and I’m hoping to finish strong with some more orders before December 14. In honor of the fact that I wrote the first draft during National Novel Writing Month (also known as November) last year, I donated $5 of every order to the NaNoWriMo.org non-profit. For the final week I’m going to double that . For every new order placed until the end of the contest, I’ll donate $10 to NaNoWriMo.org. Hopefully that will encourage a few more people who might have otherwise been on the fence to order a copy. If you can help spread the word, that is greatly appreciated.
The book can be ordered at https://www.inkshares.com/books/gumshoe-rules
I’m 40% of the way through editing the third draft and there are now thirteen revised chapters available on the Inkshares site. There’s a tricky middle part I’m working on now. I’m stuck on a plane for 4 hours, so once I get through this scene, the story accelerates and it should be smooth sailing. The most recent chapters are posted under the READ tab below the cover on the Inkshares site. (Click here to go to the Prologue.)
I’d like to thank everyone who has supported this creative project. It has been challenging but also a lot of fun. For anyone who has contemplated writing a novel or any kind of creative project, keep in mind the most important step is simply to start. The best way to accomplish a daunting project is to dive in knowing that you can make progress one step at a time. It isn’t always pretty, but the more you work on it, the better you will get. And if I can do it, I know you can too.
As a reminder, if you haven’t yet mentioned this project to others, this is last call! If you can email one person and encourage them to order the book it will make my day. Please mention that $10 of every order is going to a good charity. The more orders, the bigger the check I get to write.
Thank you for all of your support!
--Z.Z. Traver
PS. I was able to meet up with my editor, Scott Couturier of Mission Point Press at a local writer’s gathering. Scott has helped immensely with his feedback and detailed notes on my manuscript. He’s also a published author of dark fantasy fiction and an all ‘round expert in noir and weird fiction. I highly recommend Scott to anyone looking for professional editing help. 
