Hello everyone!

So… I have a small request today. The nominations for the Dragon Awards are now open and my book is eligible! I know most of you haven’t had the chance to read past the teaser chapters on Inkshares but the book finally went to the printers last week so the wait is almost over!

Anyway, I would very much appreciate it if you could take a minute to throw a nomination in for the best fantasy novel! This type of thing can do wonders for the visibility of a new book.

There’s a tonne of categories but you don’t have to fill in any more than you feel like.

 http://application.dragoncon.org/dc_fan_awards_nominations.php

 Thank you all yet again!

65 days to publication! And just because - here is the updated cover now complete with blurbs :) 

Hey everyone! I have news! Important News!

Every year, debut books and new books that JUST came out are eligible for awards! One of them, is easy to vote for, and has a huge impact!

If you think that the Seventh Age: Dawn is your favorite Apocalyptic Novel of the year, let the Dragon people know! There are a ton of categories so you can nominate your favorite stuff all over the spectrum. 

Click Here - to nominate things. You can fill out the entire thing, or only one, and even come back later and add stuff. It’s free. There are a ton of great writers and books to nominate, and it’s one of the bigger Sci-Fi Fantasy awards so even a nomination really matters!

Thank you so much for your time!

Yesterday Inkshares finished the final layout of The Punch Escrow and sent it off for galley printing (that’s book biz talk for advance reader copies). The book’s gotten some AMAZING blurbs from some AMAZING people. I wanted to share my favorites with you:

"An alt-futuristic hard-science thriller with twists and turns you’ll never see coming. I couldn’t put it down." - Felicia Day, author of the bestselling You’re Never Weird On The Internet (Almost), Geek & Sundry founder, and soon to be Kinga Forrester in Mystery Science Theatre 3000!

"This book angered me to my core, because it’s based on an idea that should have occurred to me. The fact that Tal executed it so well, and made such a page-turner out of it, just adds insult to injury." - Scott Meyer, author of the Magic 2.0 series

"The Punch Escrow will have you rooting for its plucky, sarcastic hero as he bounces between religious fanatics, secret agents, corporate hacks and megalomaniacs in a quest to get his life back." - Robert Kroese, author of the Mercury Falls series, Starship Grifters series

More news soon!

-Tal

Yesterday Inkshares finished the final layout of The Punch Escrow and sent it off for galley printing (that’s book biz talk for advance reader copies). The book’s gotten some AMAZING blurbs from some AMAZING people. I wanted to share my favorites with you:

"An alt-futuristic hard-science thriller with twists and turns you’ll never see coming. I couldn’t put it down." - Felicia Day, author of the bestselling You’re Never Weird On The Internet (Almost), Geek & Sundry founder, and soon to be Kinga Forrester in Mystery Science Theatre 3000!

"This book angered me to my core, because it’s based on an idea that should have occurred to me. The fact that Tal executed it so well, and made such a page-turner out of it, just adds insult to injury." - Scott Meyer, author of the Magic 2.0 series

"The Punch Escrow will have you rooting for its plucky, sarcastic hero as he bounces between religious fanatics, secret agents, corporate hacks and megalomaniacs in a quest to get his life back." - Robert Kroese, author of the Mercury Falls series, Starship Grifters series

More news soon!

-Tal

Exciting news, faoii! Listen up!

Today has been a wonderful day. It was the first day that I felt like myself since I got sick over a year ago. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like everything was going to be okay. Honestly, I had gotten so used to feeling run-down that I had forgotten what a true faoii feels like. I remember now. And it’s wonderful. Today was filled with hope and it made all the doctors appointments, fear, desperation, and pain of the last several months seem worth it. Things are getting better, faoii. We are going to make it.

But, here’s what YOU care about: Five minutes ago I sent in The Last Faoii manuscript to Inkshares. It is the first step in the march to publication-- the march to our campaigns ultimate and most glorious victory. Ready your weapons, faoii. The final battle is about to begin.

Shields up. Now and always.

Faoii-Tahani

Welcome to new followers, and greetings to those who have faithfully stuck with me for awhile. I have some glorious news! 384 copies of The Walls are Closing In have been presold, which slides us over the 50% mark! This leaves 366 copies to go!

I am working on an audio version of Chapter 1 to be released once the 400 order target is met - likely sometime in the next week.

That is not all on the exciting news front! In addition to the dystopian book bundle giveaway that I am running to help spread the word, I have also decided to offer a raffle specifically for those who place a preorder. I will be raffling off a $250 gift card for Airbnb as soon as the 750 order mark is met. Everyone who has already ordered has automatically been entered!

So, for $10, folks can support an emerging author, and enter for the chance to win a $250 Airbnb gift card. Please tell your family, friends, and random strangers you pass on the street.

In the meantime, check out these other great books currently on Inkshares.

Everything is Normal: The Life and Times of a Soviet Kid

One eventful middle-class childhood behind the Iron Curtain in Soviet Leningrad. A mix of a fun memoir and social history of the years preceding the collapse of the USSR.

 Rule Britannia 

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

Greetings, faoii! 

Not one to sit idle while our army’s story goes untold, I have continued my various conversations with professional authors around the country while I wait for Inkshares’ signal that we’re ready to proceed. The most common bit of advice from professionals? To change the name of The Last Faoii to something else!  Is that not surprising? Many authors thought that people wouldn’t be intrigued to read a book whose name they can’t even pronounce at a glance, which isn’t something I’d thought about before. 

So, since we’re just sitting at the barracks for now, anyway: What do you think, my warriors? Would you prefer a change from The Last Faoii to Blade Blessed? And would you prefer different artwork for the cover? Here’s the cover we’ve been using since our campaign’s beginning, and next to it is a completely different (definitely not complete) cover that I whipped up quickly just to see what it might look like. I’m also considering hiring a cover artist to make something even grander (since we will not be able to utilize Inkshares’ cover artists), but I don’t know if I prefer the simplistic blade-on-black design or one featuring Faoii-Kaiya. Opinions, faoii?

Yes, I’ve been quiet for a while. Didn’t feel like blowing you guys up with the same old "stuff is happening, *clickety clack*" even though I’ve been diligently at work.

I was awaiting the final round of feedback, and it was monstrously wonderful. Michael Haase provided it. He’s the author of The Madenss of Mr. Butler and all around swell dude. Having incorporated many of his fine suggestions I can say ...

Bombs away!

That is: I’ve submitted the manuscript to Inkshares!

What does this mean? It means that I cannot tinker and putter any longer. It means that however long it takes Inkshares to copyedit it, for me to approve the changes, and then for them to send it to press is how long you’ll wait to have it in your hands. It means that it’s finally happening. This book that seemed like it might never exist is coming. It’s real. It’s happening.

And it feels wonderful.

Thanks to all of you for all you’ve done for me. I’m grateful.