Dear Readers,

Since my campaign for Fae Child ended, SUCCESSFULLY, I’ve been a little quiet. Part of this is the fact that my family got a cold and then I got it (and still have it) and part has been just hunkering down to type out the last bit of the book. I have it all in my head, I merely need to transcribe it. I have also nailed down the last bits of my character motivations that were bugging me, which has led me to the realization that this could be a trilogy of books. But, of course, first things first.

I have secured an editor to help me polish the manuscript! I am very excited about this, and eager to see how much better the book can become with some professional notes.

Inkshares has also made the decision that they are discontinuing the practice of offering signed books. They fulfilled this in the past by mailing all the books to the author, and then shipping them back to Inkshares HQ for fulfillment. This cost Inkshares a lot of money (not necessarily covered by preorder dollars), and I can understand why they are stopping, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me, or for backers who purchased ’signed paperbacks.’ Unfortunately this means that once Fae Child is in physical form, I will not be sent the books to sign, and when you receive your copies they will not be signed. I am very sorry that this is the case, but there isn’t anything I can do about it.

Of course for backers local to me (Pacific NW) I will certainly sign any book I am within arms length of (even if they’re not mine!), and will probably be having a signing party after the book has been published. I am looking into bookplates, which are stickers with my signature that can be fixed into the book, but of course, first things first.

Thank you all for your continuing support,
Jane-Holly

p.s. You probably have noticed that the Cover has undergone several transformations. It is certainly closer to it’s ’final form’ but it may change again!

Dear Readers,

Hello everybody!

Apologies for the radio silence.  I owe you all an update on KILL CREEK, so...here it is!  The editing process is going well and I couldn’t be happier with the experience.  The Inkshares team has been insanely encouraging but also willing to push me to make this book as strong as it can be.  Their notes are smart and specific and always in the interest of making my story better.  I love the changes and feel you’re going to end up with a very cool, very scary, very satisfying horror novel, a book I hope you’ll enjoy and feel confident recommending to others.

Which brings me to my next bit of news: KILL CREEK will be published in October of this year!  That means paperbacks and/or ebooks will be shipped to those who pre-ordered during my fundraising campaign (a million thanks to you).  And my book will be available to the entire world via on-line booksellers and actual holy-crap-they-still-exist bookstores like Barnes & Noble.  Inkshares is backing this baby 100%, and I’m very excited to be a part of the team.

I also wanted to share the new cover art with you.  I think it perfectly captures the creepy, elevated haunted house story I’ve written.

Thank you SO MUCH for your support and your patience during this process.  October will be here before we know it!

Best,

Scott Thomas

March is winding up and significant work is progressing on Human Resources. During the past month, my developmental editor was assigned and read the manuscript. Since then, we’ve been working furiously on the planned edits to whip the book into shape. Matt, my editor, is brilliant. He’s been deconstructing the manuscript with insightful observations, making great suggestions, and generally keeping me working hard. With his support, a new outline for the novel is emerging, that trims away unnecessary distractions, crystallises the themes, and adds extra punch to the plot. The unfortunate outcome of this effort is more work, but I’m excited by the improvements. Human Resources will be dramatically improved by the time it reaches your hands. On a related note: feel free to send me all your caffeine, I’m going to need it :).

If you haven’t already done so, it would be great for everyone to follow my various online accounts — it feeds my ego, staving off the crushing self-doubt of a writer!

• Follow my Facebook page.
  
• Follow me on Goodreads.
  
• Follow me on Amazon.
  
• Sign up to my newsletter (covers more than these HR updates).
  

Finally, I wanted to point your attention towards two particular projects on Inkshares:

Sorcery for Beginners

A 13-year-old boy finds an easy-to-read, how-to manual for magic. Now he just has to prevent everyone else from stealing it.

Sorcery for Beginners is in production and written by my talented editor. It’s a fun premise and is going to be a great read.

Rule Britannia 

A female airship Captain and her crew work to prevent a despotic Queen Victoria expanding her empire.

This new project is by a fellow Tasmanian and now funding. There isn’t enough steampunk in my life, and Rule Britannia will fill that void in an epic manner. The excerpts have me bouncing up and down for more.   

Dear friends and followers,

It has been a while, and I apologise for the radio silence; we are still waiting for an editor to be assigned to us, and can only be patient. And anxious. And anxiously patient....

If any of you are in the Montreal region in April, however, I would like to draw your attention to the following event:

It is as it says above: the Arthur Ellis Awards recognise the best in Canadian crime writing. I’m not in the running (yet) but, being in Montreal, I’ll be there as one of the local crime writers playing host. With me will be Peter Kirby (last year’s winner for Best Crime Novel), Michael Blair, Michael Kent, Jim Napier, Geri Newell, and, of course, Hilary MacLeod who is also the organiser for the event.

In the meantime, here’s hoping for a speedy editorial process.

Top of the something, Space Crew! 

I have emerged from the confines of the writer’s cave to give you all a well-deserved update. 

Turns out the manuscript, and my mental health, needed more reworking than expected. I am declaring it now, and please don’t scream at me: I am a month behind! 

(best if you imagine me shouting it like this)

So March is wrapping up, and so is this story, finally! At last! The end is on the horizon. I expect that in one week I’ll be finished writing and onto editing. 

Here’s the updated total timeline:  

To compensate for my lateness, I’ve made sure to boost the quality of this thing, so I’m expecting editing to take half what I had planned (about two weeks). This means that if you think about it, I’m only a couple weeks behind. 

Beta readers wanted! The next phase requires a couple of people to read this thing for early feedback. I have some folks in mind, and I have specific requirements, but if you’re interested, hit me up on Twitter (@acbaldwin) or by email at acbaldwinbooks@gmail.com. No promises, but if I need you I will call on you. 

So that about sums up the remaining work. I’m really excited about this story after a lot of progress has been made, and I can’t wait to make it a reality. 

Your Silly Space Captain who forgot their drawing tablet today, -AC