After a raft of orders overnight, Squids In is in...drum roll please.... 5th place. Oh, I know you were all expecting more from this wacky book about a video-game playing octopus but unfortunately the other entries in the contest are equally as fascinating and so have been raking in the orders themselves. It looks like the Octopus and I have our work cut out if we want to break into the top 3. As such, the octopus has committed to cut back on his drinking and get himself into shape for the fight ahead. As such, the Wii has been dusted off... 

Hey, everyone!

Jason here with your weekly To Live and Die in Avalon update!

Editing is progressing quite well on the first draft which is slowly morphing into a more polished second draft. Initial feedback from my beta readers has been very positive and I’ve already cleaned up a lot of stuff myself. 

We’re at the 30-day mark and as I see the book taking shape toward a completed form I’m getting more and more excited to get it into your hands. The complete novel has eighteen chapters with only four of those (pre-revision) chapters up on the campaign page. There’s a lot more story out there and some really great stuff I can’t wait for you to read, but the book has to go into production before that can happen! If you feel that this is a book worth being published then please pre-order!

Those of you who have already pre-ordered have already shown your faith in the finished product and I can’t thank you enough. Please keep spreading the word! 

That’s all for this week. As I said last week, I’ve put the supplementary fiction series The Avalon Chronicler on hold while I dig into full on edit/second draft mode, but please, if you dig this kind of thing and want to see more of it, let me know!

Also, if you have a moment, please check out the draft of my next project:

https://www.inkshares.com/books/aurasong-blue-sword

As I get closer to finishing Avalon, you may see some more updates on that subsequent project!

Thanks and have a great week!

Jason

@atomicboywonder

split0@gmail.com

Well, unfortunately despite the boost from syndicate backing, we have not been able to reach our goal of 250 pre-orders by June 5th. We’ve come up 22 orders short of that lofty goal, so the free short story promotion won’t be offered at this time. I’ve decided to set that as a goal for the 300 order mark: Once we hit 300 orders (however long that takes) I’ll make my short story The Perspective Machine free for all for 5 days.

We’ve made a lot of good progress this weekend, and I do fully expect Tantalus Depths to reach the Quill goal some time this week. Don’t forget to show support in any way you’re able, either by bringing friends or family in to buy pre-orders or simply to spread the word on all social media platforms. Remember: this whole project can only succeed with your help.

Dear friends and followers,

I delivered the first cheque to Chez Doris on Wednesday, for $74. I was given a quick tour of the place. They do some good work there, providing meals and legal services to women who need it. $74 isn’t a lot, I’m embarrassed to say, but every dollar counts.

Things have been getting steadily crazier without my realising it. To everyone who has contacted me recently about anything, I apologise. I’ll make time somehow.

On the writing front: well, "Murder at the Veterans’ Club" is complete but for some minor editing, and I can set it aside to concentrate on other business. I’d have liked to move on to "Best Man for Murder", the sequel, but--some good news, actually--I’m working on something for Choice Of Games, and that’s taking up a good portion of my creative writing energy. And also some of my logic-coding energy. Don’t worry, though: a first draft for "Best Man for Murder" has in fact been completed, and what I should be working on there will actually be a complete rewrite--changing names, key plot elements, and maybe even whodunnit. What’s the point of a second draft if you don’t rethink everything, right?

(Those of you who’ve read the second chapter of "Murder at the Veterans’ Club", did you know that in the original first draft, the thing Benson had stashed away in his safe deposit box was a Gutenberg Bible? Fascinating little Macguffin, but it ended up making no sense.)

Also on the writing front, I am involved in this: "Too Many Controllers", a submission for the current Nerdist contest.

Now, what could a guy whose writing is mostly set in a video-free era possibly have to offer in anthology of video game stories, you must be wondering. Well ... all will be revealed in time. At the very least, follow the book to keep tabs on the news. Or better yet, pre-order a copy. It could be worth noting that this book will almost certainly see daylight before "Murder at the Veterans’ Club"; and short stories can so easily be thought of as little appetisers before the main course.

Until next week: have fun, and keep reading. (Seriously, crazy as things are, I wish I had time to read more.)

Squids In has been getting a lot of attention and recommendations this weekend. The octopus thinks I’m doing such a good job that he’s decided to leave me to it and is off to play the PS3 for the rest of the day...