Hey there,

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The reason I’ve been quiet is because I didn’t have much to say and I didn’t want to bother you. That being said, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. Aside from life doing it’s thing and my full time job, I have been doing some significant amount of writing, which is what I suspect you really want to know about.

Let’s get to it.

(A God in the Shed: Part II)

The bulk of my time has been taken up by work on the sequel to A God in the Shed, titled : Song of the Sandman.

Writing, editing and rewriting this sequel has been one of the most depressing and difficult creative journey of my life. I very nearly quit writing entirely at one point, and writing is one of those things that brings me the most joy in life.

But the storm has been weathered. The book is on the verge of completion. We have a date to go to copy editing, which means a solid release date isn’t far behind. While I apologize for the delays in getting this book to you, I hope the wait will have been worth it.

I do have a little something to help tide you over until Song of the Sandman hits shelves.

Achewillow is a side project I’ve been working on with my friend Amy Frost (winner of the first season of America’s Next Top Podcaster). It’s a ‘cozy’ horror story that isn’t as intense as A God in the Shed, but has a much weirder background setting. I wrote the story, so you can expect some strange characters, old gods and bizarre magics. It’s also codeveloped with Amy who brings a layer of cooking and coffee to the story. Also, she narrates it, which really elevates whatever I put on the page.

Achewillow takes the shape of a storytelling podcast, the first season of which spans 15 half-hour episode. It’s essentially a free audiobook. It tells the story of Miriam DuFour, a young adult who’s life is spiralling into the gutter until she receives a strange envelope. In it, Miriam discovers that she’s inherited a coffee shop from a relative she didn’t know she had in a town she didn’t know existed: Achewillow. From there, she is drawn into a world of subtle magic, baking, demons, coffee and the occasional raccoon.

I’m really proud of Achewillow and I hope you listen and enjoy it. This is the first of a few projects I have in mind to make sure you and I, dear reader, don’t lose touch for so long again. Of course, the more successful Achewillow is, the easier it becomes for me to put things like this together. So, if you do like our little podcast, consider rating it on iTunes, or leaving a review. I can’t overstate how much impact this has on the success of such a project.

The last time I put Arch-Android, the sequel to The Life Engineered, back on the shelf, I was done with a second, mostly satisfying draft. Once Song of the Sandman is out of my hands, I’ll be doing a third draft which will be sent to beta readers. From that point on, we’ll be in good shape to get this book into your hands.

The Life Engineered has always had a special place in my heart and I’m very eager to bring you the next chapter in that story. 

That’s it for now. I apologize again for the long silence. I didn’t feel like had much to say that was worth your time, but that’s about to change.

Cheers and much gratitude,

J-F.

Howdy, folks. Just a quick note to confirm that the Editorial Letter is in my hand and first round revisions have begun in earnest. My intention is to turn around the new draft of BoAT by Christmas. Only then, when Inkshares can assess how well I have executed on said revisions, will it be time for a serious conversation about a release date.

But a wordsmith can dream, can’t he? My hope would be a release for the fall of 2020, but we will see. I REPEAT – that is my hope, not a given. It may even be wildly unrealistic, but we will see where we stand in the new year.

What is the significance of next fall? Each October, Ottawa plays host to CAN•CON – the Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts and Literature. This is the place to cross paths with authors, gamers, poets and illustrators of fantasy, science fiction and horror. The creative community of the National Capital Region turns out in force, joined by colleagues and special guests from across Canada and the U.S. I support CAN•CON on the media relations side as a volunteer and am also a recurring panelist.

It would be fantastic to have a launch event for BoAT at CAN•CON 2020!

But before we get there, there is lots of work to do. For Inkshares, it’s not just about how quickly we can arrive at a strong and polished product, but when it makes the best business sense to launch it into the market.

For now, my focus must be on taking to heart the awesome insight that my editor, Sarah, has provided on the manuscript and forging ahead with those revisions. She has made great observations about some things I need to work on with character and pacing and effectively getting the reader oriented and grounded in this world that I have created.

But while there is still much work to do, Sarah’s overall assessment of the manuscript was as follows:

“Bane of All Things is an exciting, rich novel that creates a truly vivid and complex world that is original and interesting. Obviously, comparisons will be drawn between your novel and A Song of Ice and Fire and perhaps An Ember in the Ashes, but it is a unique entity. Your novel is engaging because the fantasy realm that it draws us into is intricate and compelling and the themes of loyalty, faith, and loss help you to tell human stories in a fantasy setting. You’ve created a fascinating cast of characters and creatures.”

That works for me.

HELLO EVERYONE!! 

Long time, no hear from. Alot has happened since I started with Inkshares to publish my first novel, Beyond the Code. I got to have book signings at big bookstores like Chapters and Indigo, I have had several good reviews from professionals, I put myself out there in the writing world and now, I’m proud to say that Beyond the Code is now available on AUDIOBOOK!! Check it out through the link 

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Code-Kelsey-Rae-Barthel/dp/1947848097

It was a great experience and the narrator, Lisa Beacom, did an amazing job. She delivered an awesome performance that brought the characters to life and I couldn’t be happier. 

Check it out and spread the word!!! 

Kelsey Rae Barthel 

Howdy, one and all. Four months have already passed since the Inkshares crowdfund campaign for Bane of All Things ended in success so it’s time for an update.

(BTW, this is still the placeholder cover -- you will definitely be the first to know when concepts for the true cover arrive, but that is still a long way’s off.)

Things move slowly in the publishing business and that’s just par for the course. As much as I can’t wait to have the finished product in my hands (and in yours), it takes time and plenty of sober second thought to polish a novel from a debut author, and develop its marketing plan, to ensure it has the best chance of standing out from the crowd and doing well.

My editor at Inkshares continues to work on my Editorial Letter. This comprehensive assessment of BoAT’s strengths and weaknesses will give me a handle on what edits and revisions I must make to ensure this story is the best version of itself that it can be. The plan a couple of months ago called for me to have my Letter by now, but it’s taking a little longer than first expected.

In the meantime, Inkshares has already set up my Properties page. Properties is the side of the Inkshares platform reserved for talent agents, other publishers and movie and TV producers. This is where they come to scout out interesting books they may want to licence in some way, or even opt for the Hollywood treatment. So who knows what could happen there!

Also, I vowed as part of the crowdfunding campaign that I would donate one dollar from each copy pre-ordered to non-profit Autism Ontario on behalf of my autistic son and nephews. That donation has been made, rounded up to a nice even $500.

Thanks again to each and every one of you for making all this possible. Stay tuned for further updates as the production process for BoAT moves ahead!

Cheers

Leo

I’ve been told that ebooks will be released on July 23rd. Physical books will following in the ensuing weeks. The reason? Because there are just so many bloody copies of my book that the printer needs more time. Thank you for making that the case. Thank you for making this box on my living room floor a possibility.

Thank you for everything.

Dear Followers and Supporters -

I have been radio silent for quite some time, but I do have news to announce regarding the status of Fae Child. 

Since the book funded in March 2017, I finished the first draft in July of that year. After that my family and I had several life changes that stole my energy and attention, including becoming small business owners and having a fourth child. The THIRD draft of the book is now underway with a few small tweaks to accomplish before I send the manuscript in to Inkshares.

At that point I will find out when they anticipate the book being published - there would be a copy edit to do and a few other miscellaneous things.

I have a cover for the book well underway with a talented artist, Aliana Wong ( www.alianawong.com ) and I have updated the cover on the Inkshares site to reflect the in progress work. I am in love with it already.

I also have had a short story accepted into an anthology which should be published later this year. Here is the link to the announcement: https://writingbloc.com/announcement-of-the-stories-and-authors-for-the-upcoming-deception-anthology/

That is all for now! I will send out another update when I am sending it off to Inkshares. 

Thank you all for your support and your patience,

Jane-Holly

Dear Readers,

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve sent an update through this site, but I wanted you all to know: we are ONE MONTH AWAY from the release date of THE PHANTOM FOREST and, as such, you are probably wondering, "When do I get those books I pre-ordered like 200 years ago?" SO SOON! But in order to make sure they get to their proper destinations, please make sure your mailing address is up to date. How do you do this?

Log into Inkshares, and navigate to the upper right hand corner. Click on your picture, and scroll down to "Shipping Address." It takes 3 seconds! If you’re having trouble, please feel free to email or message me directly, or email avalon@inkshares.com to update it. 

I’ll keep it short and sweet, but I’m thrilled by the critical response so far and the excitement we’re seeing on social media among bloggers, booksellers, and librarians! When you receive your books, please do post a picture and tag me and Inkshares on Twitter/Instagram! We can’t wait to see it in everyone’s hands next month! 

Hugs,

Liz