So the several year long journey of getting Ghosts of War: Retribution to publication day has finally come to an end. Many, many hours of writing and editing and deadlines and design and planning and crowdfunding and... 

I got a cold on release day, proceeded to be wiped out, and forgot to do an update... 

Go me. 

But fear not! The book is just as released today as it was yesterday and here are three simple things you can do to help the book as it takes it’s first steps into the wider world. 

1. Read it! 

Unsurprisingly the first step is to actually read the book. If you haven’t yet received your print copy (they’re on the way!), you should be able to download the ebook from the Inkshares website. If you haven’t bought it yet, and would like to here are a few places you can do that: 

Physical 

• Amazon: http://a.co/bSrMEBY (Note: Amazon seems confused about the release date at the moment) 
• Inkshares: https://www.inkshares.com/books/ghosts-of-war 
• Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghosts-of-war-paul-robinson/1127930360 
• Indigo (Canada): https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/ghosts-of-war-retribution/9781947848900-item.html
• Booktopia (Australia): https://www.booktopia.com.au/ghosts-of-war-paul-robinson/prod9781947848900.html 
• Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781947848900 
• The Book Depository (Worldwide free shipping!): https://www.bookdepository.com/Ghosts-War-Paul-Robinson/9781947848900   

Ebook 

• Kobo (US Only): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghosts-of-war-10 
• Inkshares: https://www.inkshares.com/books/ghosts-of-war 
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-War-Retribution-Paul-Robinson-ebook/dp/B07DJ5PH3B 

2. Leave reviews! 

The next step is to head over to Amazon and Goodreads and leave your reviews. I believe the magic number is 50 reviews for Amazon before it does something magical with their algorithms. So lets aim for 50. 

Every review helps grow the books profile, and will help to get it in front of more peoples eyes. 

• Amazon: http://a.co/bSrMEBY 
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39858389-ghosts-of-war 

 3. Tell some people about it! (or everyone even)

Spread the word. Tell people about the book. Encourage them to buy a copy (and leave a review!)

-------------

I think that’ll do for the moment. Lastly though, I want to thank everyone that helped make this thing a reality, you’re all awesome. It still feels weird. It still doesn’t feel real. But I am a published author today (er, yesterday) because of all of you.

I do really need to go lie down now though.

Hi Readers!

I come bearing some pretty great news. As of this week, The Phantom Forest is being moved from the Quill collection to the "full" Inkshares catalog. So, what does this mean? 

Well, first of all it’s an awesome opportunity! Quill is a limited release platform, in which I had to do a lot of the marketing/design legwork myself, or hire outside vendors. The bump up to the Inkshares catalog basically means the book will get greater marketing/publicity support, more reviews, updated artwork, and likely an additional pass with their fantastic in-house editor. The best news is that we are still shooting for the same release date - November 13th! There’s a lot to do before then, but the team is working hard and I’m hopeful we will pull it off. 

Now, how did this happen? Because wonderful people like YOU started telling everyone how much you loved this book, and the Inkshares team listened. The Phantom Forest will enjoy a wider release and become accessible to even more readers because you made your voices heard. I am SO thankful I can’t even think straight. 

This will likely be my last update on the Inkshares website, as I’m going to move everything over to an email listserv. Next time ya’ll hear from me, I’ll have many more details about this new and exciting process! 

Thanks again everyone - this is truly a reader-driven platform and it appears the readers have spoken. You’re truly the best!

Liz

It’s Pub Day!

I’ve been having a blast all day talking up the book, hosting games and giving out prizes, watching the reviews come trickling in. I almost forgot to ping you all and let you know the book is officially out there. Published. For reals. We actually ran OUT of books, if you can believe it. Multiple outlets are out of stock of the paperbacks, that’s how well today has gone. I am told that if you order them Ingram will print them to order, so if you’re looking to get a physical copy, ordering from Amazon or walking into a brick and mortar store will probably be your best bet.

And once you have read the book, please consider leaving a review. That would be super cool. So far readers are loving the book. It’s got five stars on Amazon and Goodreads, but the more the merrier, so please consider taking the time to toss a review up on your platform of choice.

I’m beat. It’s been a long, amazing day. I love you all.

May the Code replicate Eternal.

Happy June!
We’ve been busy here preparing for a move, which is exciting, but also a good distraction from waiting for my turn with the developmental editor at Inkshares. It seems like he will get to look at my book this summer. 

In the meantime, I’ve kept busy with some other writing projects. I’m working closely with a new group called Writing Bloc, contributing to their blog and assuming the role of Project Manager for a short story anthology that should come out this fall. You can check out Writing Bloc and my contributions at https://writingbloc.com/.

I spoke at a panel on The Art of Publishing at the Claremont High School Literary Festival Word Play on May 19 and had a great time!

I also just finished outlining a new novel-- this one is speculative fiction and I’m really excited about it! I’ll keep you all updated as Rock of Ages moves forward. Thank you so much for your support!

Let me get to the point: There’s a sequel to A God in the Shed being published an it’s titled Song of the Sandman.

“Oh great another campaign.”

Nope.

We’re just going to go ahead and publish Song of the Sandman. There’s still a pre-order page however and I’d love for you to pre-order your copy today.

Well, obviously it helps the publisher with the initial publishing costs, but more importantly, it allows me to offer some exclusive perks to my readers.

Pre-Orders get you:

• For digital pre-orders you get the book early. I’ve seen readers get their e-copies up to two weeks ahead of the official release date.
• For physical copies, you get a signed book in the mail
• Physical copies also come with the e-book through the Inkshares website
• If you pre-order 3 physical copies or more, your name will appear in the book’s acknowledgements. NOTE: This one is subject to extremely tight timing as the book is already in the middle stages of production. You want you name in this book? Don’t delay.
• I’m going to be putting together a few art pieces and getting prints to slip into the signed copies. 

Pre-orders also allow me to put together project page with information about the book which, let’s face it, is pretty exciting.

Check out Song of the Sandman now and consider putting in a pre-order. Show Inkshares the raw power of A God in the Shed readers.

Thanks!

JF Dubeau

Temporary cover

Dear friends and followers,

Things are really progressing! We have:

• Galleys! And a new cover!
  
• Reviews! Blurbs!
• Interviews! (You’ll want to check this out.)

So, first off, the galleys. LOOK! Inkshares posted this to Twitter a few days ago:

Yes, there’s a blurb there from Andy Lewis of The Hollywood Reporter. It says, "A mystery that recalls the best of Golden Age detective fiction. With fresh characters and unique twists, Huang has created a whodunit with just the right mix of old and new."

If you head over to one of the online retail outlets like Amazon, you’ll see a few other blurbs too: 

• "Dorothy Sayers is alive and well and writing under the name of Christopher Huang. A Gentleman’s Murder echoes the traditional mysteries in the best sense: no car chases or explosions, just great characters and a feel for time and place." - Rhys Bowen, author
• "Settings and atmosphere captured perfectly from nearly a century ago, complex characters, and a compelling mystery―Christopher Huang’s A Gentleman’s Murder is a must read for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry." - Daryl Maxwell, Los Angeles Public Library
• "A dazzlingly atmospheric debut that transports you to 1920s London. A Gentleman’s Murder is a meticulous mystery that will keep you guessing until the end and please fans of both Agatha Christie and Gillian Flynn." - Sarah Nivala, Book Soup

Over on Goodreads, Advance Reader reviews are already coming in.

And interviews. Well, interview, singular ... for now. I exchanged a few friendly words with Jacqui Castle, author of The Seclusion, on her blog. Here’s the link. (While you’re at it, why not also check out The Seclusion? It’s quite the disturbing little dystopian epic.)

And we’re on track for the official publication date of 31 July 2018. TALLY HO!