FROM THE BLOG DIARY OF EMILY HUNTER.

Entry #1: July 10, 2013

Okay, so this is supposed to be helpful in some way.  I’ll believe it when I see it, but here’s hoping...

First of all, I have to apologize.  I am not a tech savvy person.  I don’t have a facebook and I don’t tweet.  So me starting a blog is a little strange, I’ll admit.  I had an old email address that I just tried to log into for the first time in god knows how long, only to find it overrun with ads for male enhancement drugs and people from Nigeria trying to give me money.  Turns out you need a google email address to start a blog on blogger, so I guess I got a new one.  If anyone ever reads this, I guess you can feel free to drop me a line.  Unless you’re the prince of Nigeria, in which case, fuck off.

Second of all, I might have to apologize again.  One of the conditions ("rules" is more like it) of this blog, is that I’m not allowed to delete anything except typos.  So if I ramble or say god knows what, it’s here for posterity for all eternity.  Sorry to any readers out there.  Luckily, I doubt anyone but me and one other person will read this.  So no worries, imaginary readers.

So this is supposed to take the place of a diary; somewhere to collect my thoughts.  I’m supposed to add something every week if I can, no matter how big or small it is.  So apology number three if I bore you with an entry all about how I like sushi.

I’m also supposed to be as honest and forthcoming as I can be.  But, as I’m firing these thoughts deep into the web without knowing where they’re going, we’ll probably get there slowly.  I’d hate to see people at work look me up and read some of this.

Can I swear on a blog?  Oh, I guess I already did. 

So this is entry #1.  Numero Uno. So here we go on a tour of my brain.

I guess I should start with the introduction.  Hello world.  My name is Emily Hunter.  First time blogger.  Pleasure to meet you.

Where to go from there?  I work in a grocery store.  It’s a little place, family owned.  The owner is a pretty nice guy. I stock shelves and pretty much run the place on the third shift.  It’s great for me because I’m kind of a night owl, and I like my alone time.  Not many people come in, so I’m usually by myself. The owner doesn’t seem to mind leaving me on shift alone because he’s got plenty of security cameras, a police panic button, and the police station is less than a block away, and fully visible from the front entrance.  Still we’ve been robbed twice, never while I was on shift, and both times they caught the robbers.  Once as they left, once an hour and a half later.  So it’s perfectly safe.  (My mom doesn’t like me working there alone.  I’d usually not worry about her finding this and reading it, but she just got her first smartphone two weeks ago and has apparently gotten really good at using it.  So, just in case you’re reading this mom, there’s nothing to worry about.)

So I just got off work at 8, took the bus home and walked in my door at 9:15.  I got to work on this stuff, wrote my first entry, and now I need to go to bed.  Working third shift also means you miss out on the sun.  I never sleep as much as I’d like.  (I’m following the rules and not deleting that sentence.  Just so you know.) 

So signing off,
Emily  

I’m not dead yet.

Dear friends and followers, I have been getting back into the groove of active campaigning. I try to keep accurate records, in case things should happen to go wrong ... it also helps to alert me to friends who have promised an order but who may have forgotten. Do not worry: I shall hunt you down.... Er. I mean, I shall send you a gentle reminder. Yes.

(Seriously though. I really appreciate everything I’ve gotten from you guys so far. Some of you have been hugely encouraging and enormously helpful. In many ways, this will be as much your victory as mine.)

Meanwhile! I’ve finally managed (after many, many takes) to record a video for the project page. Go take a look!

What to expect from me in the near future:

1. A third Peterkin Investigates IF game.
2. A floor plan for the Veterans’ Club.
3. A gentle reminder.

Now, let’s talk about a couple of works around here that I would really like to see getting further on their campaigns.

1) "Upload", Mark Meredith. I’ve spoken about this before, but it bears repeating: this is some quality noir happening here, for all it’s classed "science fiction". The Thriller Night Syndicate seems to agree, since they’ve named it this month’s pick. It tells the story of Detective Qin (look, an Asian hero! Not that I’m biased or anything!) in a world where people habitually clone themselves to guard against unexpected death. Well, here’s Qin in a newly cloned body, and the story opens in gritty, noir fashion on a crime scene where it’s discovered that the vic is ... Qin’s previous body. Seriously, if you love mysteries (and if you’re following "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", then chances are that you do) you’re going to love this one.

2) "The Fairy Stepmother, Inc.", Maggie Hoyt. This is a very different flavour, but delicious all the same. It’s Cinderella told from the stepmother’s point of view ... though I suspect there will be a number of twists thrown in. Evelyn, the stepmother in question, is introduced as an intelligent, independent woman, who has to deal with some rather rigid societal expectations; and it’s all told with some delightfully wry humour. Check it out: I promise you the prose will just race along like a drive through the countryside.

Until next week, friends! In the meantime ... don’t forget!

Hi everyone!  Happy Fall!

Long time, no chat, huh?  It’s been about a month and a half since It’s All Fun and Games went live, and I’ve got all sorts of news to share.

The first thing is that I was fortunate enough to receive some pretty cool media attention to coincide with the release.  I had a nice sit-down with John Holyoke from the Bangor Daily News, and I was featured both in their online paper and on the front page of the Lifestyle section.  IAFAG also was in a segment on the 207, a statewide public interest show that airs nightly in Bangor and Portland.  It was fun hearing people tell me that they’d seen or read about me.  Look out Kardashians, I’m coming for you.

I’ve also been out and about for a couple public appearances.  I had my first public book signing at The Briar Patch in downtown Bangor.  If you live locally, make sure you stop on by – it’s a wonderful store filled with books, games, and other things that the little people in your life will enjoy.  And then at the end of August I was the featured presenter the Orono-Old Town Kiwanis (which, having just recently seen Calendar Girls at Penobscot Theatre Company (Season Tickets Still Available!), makes me chuckle at the role of “featured presenter”), where I talked about NANOWRIMO, Inkshares, and all the nuggets of stuff that go into making the sausage we call a novel.

I had the horrifying experience of being asked by my award winning voice actor, Cassandra Lee Morris, how to pronounce a few words and realizing that I never really thought about how those combinations of letters would actually sound.  Garbaldar is a tricky one to roll off the tongue, and don’t even ask me how to pronounce Gahrauah.  I actually just punted and told her to make something up.  Memo to me – read all future novels aloud before sending them for publishing and make sure the names are actually pronounceable.  If you’d like to read more about Cassandra, you can visit her web page here.  She’s pretty impressive, that’s for sure!

Sales have remained steady, though they have tapered off somewhat.  Word of mouth is a wonderful thing, so if you know anyone who might be interested in It’s All Fun and Games, have them swing by their Friendly Local bookstore or Amazon and pick up a copy.  Or grab it on an e-reader, or in a week or two the ebook!

Also, if you’ve read the book, please swing by Amazon, Goodreads, and (if you have an account) Barnes And Noble and leave a review.  They don’t need to be long – “I really liked it” is plenty!  I’m currently sitting at 51 reviews on Amazon, but there were 578 people who preordered the book.  It’ll take just a few moments of your time, and can make a huge difference.  We haven’t yet broken into B&N’s retail stores (which would be instantly several thousand copies sold), but a couple hundred reviews on Amazon and Goodreads would make a pretty convincing argument. 

In fact, go do it now.  I’ll wait. 

….

See?  That wasn’t so hard, was it?  And now you have a warm fuzzy cause you know you did me a solid.  Speaking of which, I’ve had a number of people tell me that they’ve let the book around their office or circle of friends.  That’s great, and I hope your friends all enjoyed the book too.  Please ask all those folks to leave me a review as well.  3 minutes of clicking and typing is a great price to pay for a novel.

So, I think that’s all the news that’s news.  You may or may not have received an email from Inkshares regarding new contests.  There are three right now.  Of perhaps the most immediate interest to backers of It’s All Fun and Games are the Geek and Sundry Fantasy Contest and the Crypt TV Horror Contest.  If you’ve got any interest in helping another author fund their novel, here are some suggestions of books written by some of the buddies I’ve met throughout my own contest process –

 A Beast Requires

Apex

Arcadia

Bad Medicine

Exile, Magus

Phew!  That was long!  Thank you again for all your support, and I promise not to wait so long between mailings next time!

Short update just to show I’m still alive. Writing is continuing steadily as the end draws ever closer for the final draft of The Children of the Forest. In the meantime, enjoy another preview of a possible cover for the final version. Have a great week everyone ~

P.S. Preoders are always welcome. If you’ve followed along with my little passion project but have yet to grab a copy, I’d suggest taking a look at the sample chapters provided, and if you enjoy what you see, why not grab a digital version (or 10) I’m just saying...

Everybody is sending out reader updates today and I don’t want to be left out!

Eric Landreneau (author of Beneath White Clouds) reviewed Monkey Business. So check that out here if you’re interested!

And if you guys would consider following my new project Black Cloud, I would be very grateful!

And now just for funsies here are some ridiculous Monkey Business videos. The prices are wrong but who cares? There are sock puppet monkeys. Happy Sunday!

In the mood for Hip Hop?

In the mood for something a little more Rockin’?

How about something Epic?

Or do you just wanna make love down by the fire?

 Bye bye!

Hello Air Pirates!  I am super excited to announce the new cover design for my high flying adventure novel "Wings of the Pirate". I am feeling very honored to have the creative skills and support of my longtime friend and acting collaborator, Clint Beach of Attic Studios #cabeachphotos #atticstudiosproductions.  We are currently 36 orders away from being published and coming in for the homestretch.  Let’s bring this bird in for a safe landing well beyond the 250 goal and not come crashing in a fiery wreck just short of the beach.  Click that green preorder button now (If you don’t have that on your screen -Thank YOU again!) and get a copy ordered for you or for that adventurous spirit in the family. 

Thanks!!

Eric H. Heisner

www.leandogproductions.com