11 days remaining.

54 orders to go until guaranteed publication.

Can we do it? Yes we can! Spread the word - we need all the help we can get to conquer the mountain we’re climbing right now.

I am also really excited to announce that Fae Child was selected by two more syndicates! The Write Out Loud and the Sci-Fi syndicates both picked it as their February 2017 book! I am honored and still amazed at how the Inkshares community is rallying around my book. Thank you to everyone, from the bottom of my heart.

Talk to you soon!
Jane-Holly

p.s. There are a total of SIX syndicates who have picked Fae Child to support: Rite of Passage, Break the Bechdel, Staff, Fantasy, Write Out Loud, and Sci-Fi. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

***If you’re on my author mailing list, you may have gotten this twice, sorry. If you’re not on the mailing list, then sign up HERE. Cheers!***

Hey, gang! It’s been a while. But I’ve kept myself busy! Let’s catch up some, shall we?

1st - Too Many Controllers was pulled from production for reasons beyond our control, but you can already find some of the stories from those amazing authors elsewhere on the webz. (Before you ask, if you invested, yes, refunds will be coming soon, so I’m told)

"So, what’s that mean for your short story, "1989?"

Glad you asked. I am currently working on plans to expand it into a longer tale. Right now I’m not sure if that means a novella (a short novel or long short story) or a full-length novel, but I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

2nd - I’ve been working on Timeless (working title), the indirect sequel to Ageless. I have planned the entire story and it seems to be turning into a full-length novel. I was hoping for something along the lines of a novella. But, alas, it seems that the life of Eugene will not be abridged. Things have been going well with the writing. I am about halfway through the first act with hopes of finishing the first draft by April. Follow the Inkshares draft page HERE.

And here’s the placeholder cover too!

3rd - I have a goal for 2017 to write one short story a month unrelated to any other thing I’m doing. I wrote one in January with the hope of giving it to you guys for free. But it needs a LOT of love, so maybe I’ll hold off on giving them out until they have seen a good bit of revision. I already have my idea for this month’s story. I’m eager to get it out of my head. Incidentally, the January one has a working title of "Cause & Effect."

4th - Happy Valentines Day! Much love to all who have supported this crazy dream of mine. Thanks!

Meet Saghan. A venomous viper, hailing from the distant swamps of Drakora. A slithering, green-scaled assassin with little care for life - whether those of his victims, or his own. A slave. A self-aware puppet who knows he can never break the invisible strings of the all-powerful puppeteer.

I commissioned this concept of Saghan about a month ago, and while I received a couple other pieces in the meantime (including this amazing one of Maxan, if you haven’t already seen it), I am so utterly impressed by artist Nic Morales’ interpretation of my character that I’ve sent him to the front of the line. Saghan serves as a foil to Maxan. Whereas Maxan makes choices informed by his sense of right, Saghan has no choice, and has given up on the idea of deciding his own destiny. And yet, we have a fox, and we have a snake... Both creatures known for their cunning, their guile, their deceptive natures. Maxan and Saghan are more alike than they know.

This right here… This portrait… THIS is EXACTLY what I saw in The Animal in Man. Make no mistake, this world is brutal, full of beasts, full of killers.

I truly wish I had more news in terms of the book’s publication date, but no movement has been spied on that horizon just yet. Please continue to be patient, as I am. And in the  meantime, I will continue to post new pieces of concept art as they come in. Thanks as always for your continued support, my dear Animals.

Another thrilling week has passed and it is time for an update! The Walls are Closing In is sitting at 229 orders, a mere 21 orders from the first milestone of Quill light-publication (250 orders), and above the ideal rate of funding for the full Inkshares contract (750 orders). Chug chug chug.

The book received a bit of spotlight on the Inkshares blog in a post by Elena Stofle, Operations Manager at Inkshares. Thank you, Elena!

"Castle’s tale about a walled United States is exciting, maddening, and full of hope. Two walls have been constructed at the northern and southern borders of the United States—with no way in or out. Patricia is a brave and intelligent heroine living between the border walls with a thirst for the truth about life before the Seclusion, and the future that could be had if the walls were to come down.

I have only read the chapters posted on Inkshares, but I am so excited to read more about this epic, futuristic tale that is so different and fresh in the sea of modern dystopian stories that are out there. "

The full post can be read here

Next weekend, February 16th through 20th, I will be attending the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. I am eager to dive into classes for both journalism and fiction writing, and network with other authors. There is one session that I am particularly looking forward to - Writing the Resistance: Authors as Activists and Agents of Change.

The Walls are Closing In has been nominated for three syndicates this month!

If you happen to be a member of Staff Syndicate, Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate, or Rite of Passage Syndicate, and deem that The Walls are Closing In fits the bill, I would be eternally grateful for your vote. 

That is it for now. Thank you again for your support. Until next week!

TREKONOMICS nominated for best audiobook of the year!

Dear all, friends and readers,

I just learned that Trekonomics was nominated for an Audie Award (the Oscars of audioboooks) in the business and personal development category. It is quite an honor to have a book on a list next to works by Stephen King, John Scalzi, Colson Whitehead, Siddhartha Mukherjee etc.

The audiobook, read by the amazing Oliver Wyman, can be sampled here: http://amzn.to/2avFi4F

Thank you all for your support and friendship,

As usual, Live Long, and Prosper!

Manu

ps: here’s the (image) announcement for the business/personal development category.

CAMPERS!

The new #SunshineisForever cover is here! What do ya’ll think? Check it out!

Thanks for the support!

Kyle T. Cowan