Thank you all for your support. I greatly appreciate those of you who followed or pre-ordered The Dead Wizard. However, given that I have done a poor job of campaigning and that a new contest has opened up, I am going to be cancelling the current campaign and reverting The Dead Wizard to draft status so I can enter the Launch Pad contest.
I hate the waiting that comes with trying to get a book published but that is the system. Never mind that it has stunted my development a functioning member of society, but thinking you can tell a story is a minor curse compared to some. So I hope you can take the wait in stride, like I try to do. 

Look for The Dead Wizard returning as a project seeking funding soon. Plus hopefully a website you can direct your friends to. The more the merrier, right? Thank you again.

Brian Marsden

Hello All You Damn Dirty Apes!

Whoa! I know, too aggressive. I’ll try again. Hi Everybody! Hope you’re all doing great. I’m sending out a quick update to just let you know a few good things about this Business of Monkey’s book.

1. I did this:

I turned our bathroom into a recording booth, put a microphone in front of my face and read Monkey Business into it. I am currently editing that recording to turn it into something called an "audiobook." Which will be available to you soon. My plan, my hope, my dream is to give it to you for FREE if you purchased a physical copy of the book (or you’re willing to purchase one) OR... if you preorder my new book Black Cloud when it starts taking preorders.

There are still some technical issues to be worked out with all that but Inkshares is on my team and we’re going to make it happen. I think you guys will enjoy the audiobook. I know I really enjoyed making it.

2. Monkey Business is doing great!

• #1 Community Interest in Fiction on Inkshares, which is awesome!

• We’re up to 70 Reviews on Amazon.com (with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating.) If you would like to contribute your own review please do that right here, right now!

• In the Kindle book store, Action and Adventure category, Monkey Business has climbed as high as #406. Top 2%. Which is pretty awesome considering I have done no marketing whatsoever in the past couple months. Which I know makes me a huge slacker but it does reflect well on the book.

All of which is to say, Monkey Business is doing great and that’s thanks to all of you! Thank you for supporting this funny little book. Please stay in touch. Look forward to the audiobook and please go follow my new project Black Cloud which I hope to launch officially soon. In the meantime, read the sample chapters already on Inkshares. I think you will thoroughly enjoy them.

As the monkey always say... hang in there!

- Landon

Hi, everyone!

Machiners!

I was just made aware of an issue downloading the eBook on Inkshares. The eBook had not been available for download. Inkshares just fixed this. So if you had recently gone on Inkshares and were puzzled about how to get your eBook, please try again! Full instructions are just below. 

I hope you enjoy the story. And remember, your support is still very much needed. After reading the story of Jonathan and Nikolai, please leave a review (CRITICAL) on Amazon and Goodreads (see my previous update for full details). 

Still having issues? Email me: matthew.sobin@gmail.com Thanks so much! -Matt

eBook Download Instructions

1. Log into Inkshares.com and go to the homepage for The Last Machine. Click on the "Download" tab next to "Reviews" (red arrows in the screenshot):

2. You will see the various eBook options as shown below. Pick the one for your device.

Updates, Faoii! Listen up!

I won’t lie, faoii. This is an incredibly difficult update to write.

Remember how I told you once that I’d given up on The Last Faoii ever getting published? (The journey to this point is a long, beautiful that I detail on my blog HERE). It’s true. I worked for years trying to figure out the publishing world, and failed. Over and over. I was young, naive. I dug holes that I couldn’t get back out of and stumbled through the literary world with ungraceful feet. Ultimately, I put Faoii-Kaiya and her story on a shelf and walked away from it. I had prepared to let The Last Faoii die.

Then I found Inkshares and I figured "why not give it one more try?" At this point, what did I have to lose?

Never did I suspect to get so much support. An entire army picked up swords to make this book a reality. We were backed by syndicates and strangers. We almost made it to the top of Inkshares’ biggest contest. Every step of the way was hard work. I wanted to give up several times, but how could I let so many warriors down? And I kept hearing that voice in the back of my head: This is Faoii’s last chance. Take this hill or surrender. So I kept going. I kept going when Thane Studios dropped us right at the beginning of the contest. I kept going when Inkshares changed their royalties without announcement unexpectedly (that was a hard blow--I have probably spent more on editors and promotions now than I will make in return. And yet, it’s still worth it. This book was never about the money). I kept going even as I got sicker; as life got harder. I kept going because every single one of you stood behind me and worked to make this happen. And all you asked in return was a signed copy of the book I created for you.

Well, as it turns out, Inkshares has now decided that it’s not cost-effective to send out signed copies anymore. Poof. Done. Just like that. All the promises I made you apparently mean nothing. I’m putting more money into the project to order bookplates now so that I can at least give you SOMETHING to make your $20 pre-order worthwhile, and if you live in MT I’ll obviously still sign your book(s) when they come in, but all my promises of signed copies? I can’t guarantee that anymore and that hurts me greatly.

At this point I understand if you decide to drop your sword. Pull out of the fight. Demand a refund. No one deserves to be treated poorly, and I would not blame you if this was the last straw. You have fought honorably for this book-- you deserve to be respected. 

But, the beginning of this update still stands true-- I am completely aware that this is Faoii’s last chance. Either I keep going as I have been-- either I keep fighting until there’s absolutely nothing left to fight for-- or Faoii dies with me.

So the march continues.

I’m sorry, faoii. I wish I had better news for you. The book is still coming. You WILL still be able to read it. It’s just, I feel like I failed you, and there was nothing I could do about it.

But what else can we do? Shields up.

Faoii-Tahani

Asteroid Made of Dragons came out a year ago today.

Thank you.

Derek

Editing update!

I was thrilled to begin the editing portion of production, but I had no idea it would be this amazing. (I mean, I guess I did a little, because Inkshares posted their production process here.) I’m in the "story architecture" portion of the developmental edit. What this means is that my editor (the incredible Matt Harry, author of "Sorcery for Beginners," which you can check out here) started challenging me right off the bat. He threw great questions at me regarding what I want to say with my book and how I can make each character more meaningful in the story. 

Long story short, I’m restructuring the story. 

This is a GREAT thing, believe me. It does not offset the current release date aim of February/March of 2018, as long as I put in the work. And so far, I certainly have. In the two weeks since production has started, I redesigned the story into a four-page structure, and my editor, my beta readers, and I all see this becoming a story that is vastly improved and will be a fun read. 

Personally, I’m over the moon. 

At first, I’ll admit, being challenged on my own story and being presented with difficult questions was frustrating. Then I realized that pulling together a new and improved version is better for everything all around. This is a process I would not have gotten at a traditional publisher. Any other publisher would have simply helped me clean up the story I submitted. Working with Matt Harry makes me feel like I’m in a writer’s room and I’m the lead writer. It’s been an amazing couple of weeks working on the new and improved Mr. Butler, and I am sure that you all will enjoy the final product all the more. 

What’s next? I’m expanding my story structure into individual chapters with summaries describing what will occur in each chapter. Then Matt will go over everything with me and help me tighten the story up. 

After that, it’s rewriting time! I am excited to write this story. It’s going to flow quickly. 

With the detailed treatment my little book is getting already, I truly feel like a contest winner. And I won thanks to all of your support. Thank you. 

I will let you know when the chapter summaries are finished and I’m moving on to getting this adventure down onto pages. Until then, just know that I love you all. 

And if you haven’t preordered, you can here. Thank you for your support everyone.

-Michael.