There’s only 5 days remaining in the campaign...

Please help to support my book anyway you can. I value the tremendous support you have already shown me and the incredible community that has grown here since I had joined 6 months ago is breath taking.

A big thanks to the epic fantasy syndicate which had shown a keen interest in my work and a special thank you to all the supporters out there who have believed in my work.

THANKS!

270. 

I am both honored and impressed.  

Y’all are GREAT!

Um, this is the background blurb for goblins.  It’s in Chapter Three:  Progress and Regression.  I hope you like it!  Only 9 days left!  To get all the main and populous races in here, there will be some days wherein they are doubled up!  OH!  and 5 more sales means one more raffle winner!  Y’all have been truly astounding and I am very highly impressed with each and every one of you! 

Goblins are a fascinating race.  There are dozens of ways by which a Goblin might acquire power within the ranks of its race, but the three most common are via finding and defending a claim to a Big, via being considered the most traitorous and crafty, and via accumulating the most material wealth.  Larger members of the race tend to be victimized and culled early, especially by those who perceive them to be enemies.  

Their skin is highly sensitive to their emotional states, ranging in color from pale yellow tan when they are completely relaxed, to a dark green, almost blue color when they are agitated, fearful or excited.  They are highly sexist, with females almost never being seen.  The gender is much less common than that of males.  They have their own ranking system and their pull is primarily over who may breed with them.  Like most Hard races, all relations are initiated by the female aspect.

Goblins are one of the few Hard Races to lay eggs.  These are very soft and only set out for about ten days before hatching and are laid in clusters of between five and thirty.  A female goblin can lay these eggs approximately five times per year and each egg laid may have a different sire.  Goblins do not differentiate lineage, and young goblins are given only passing care before being treated as any of their adult counterparts.  They are physically fully mature at five years and mentally mature at about nine, though their brains remain highly plastic for the entirety of their two to four decades of life.

Thank you.

 Those two words carry so much weight, yet they can hardly express my gratitude. The initial support A Beast Requires has received has been incredible, and I’m flailing like the muppet I am every time a new order comes in. Yes, I am a muppet, which totally explains my hair.

 A year ago I joined Inkshares. It was a different contest, and while that campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, I came away from it as a better writer, and a better human being. I met other writers from all over the world, each hoping and working towards funding their campaigns. Our backgrounds were as varied as our manuscripts, but we all shared the same struggle. Writers are an odd fellowship. We’re all fighting the same battles, waging the same war against deadlines and doubt, and sometimes we feel as if we’re out there alone. But we aren’t. We all struggle together. Writers support other writers because we know how hard it is.

 I met a lot of amazing writers last year, including my soul siblings A.C. Weston and Rick Heinz. Their support last time around carried me through to the end, even when that ending resulted in an unsuccessful campaign. I am forever thankful that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet such amazing people like G. Derek Adams, Dave Barrett, and Thomas Arnold. Trust me, there’s more, and as this campaign goes on I’ll be giving them as many shout outs as I can.

 I know this is going to be a long campaign. I know how difficult it is to constantly work at promotion, and making your enthusiasm spread like wild fire. I’m ready for it. I’ve been chomping at the bit for a second chance to put my book out there in the world. A Beast Requires is a work of blood, sweat, and tears. Seriously, this book has tasted its author’s blood.

 I know it’s impossible to do this alone, and every one of you following me is signed up to ride the crowdfunding crazy train. I’m working on some campaign goals, things to unlock as more people sign on and pre-order a copy of A Beast Requires. I already have the first goal ready, so at 100 pre-orders I will unleash Chapters 6 – 10 upon the world. Exciting, right? Well, one of my favorite combat sequences occurs in Chapter 10, and it brings on a whole new perspective in battling an ogre.

 I hope everyone enjoys Chapters 1 -5. Comment, critique, or scream at me as much as you want. All of your input is appreciated and valued.

So thank you again for your support. I love you all. Yes, even you, Zachary Tyler Linville.

 Until the next update,

 Jay

It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN  (cue musical number)!!!

I’m working on a final polish for my piece and I’ll be posting a synopsis for one highly populous race in the world of Borehole Bazaar each day as a last, final bid to generate extra momentum.  I’ve already funded, so this is just for encouraging folks who would LOVE to get a copy of this work.  It’s a fascinating, engaging read.  I promise ;)

To get things started, allow me to post a link for the first two.  These can also be found at the beginning of each of the first five chapters, though this is a cleaner format without that pesky story separating them!

Orcs

Bugbears

Normally, I’d post my weekly short story.  This week, however, the tale was not cute enough.  Hopefully, Inspiration will bite me and I’ll be able to get one out to y’all tomorrow or Thursday!  

OH!  The short story collections are all finished.  They are, of course, each uniquely hand-painted by myself.  There was an issue with the bindings but they should be hitting the mail in a few days at the most.  To all the raffle winners; I’m working as fast as I can!

Have a great day y’all and know, without even an iota of doubt, that your dreams are worth chasing.  Thanks for being AWESOME!!!

It’s been an interesting year, and with all the progress that I’ve made, I now find myself back at the beginning. I loved being a part of the Nerdist contest. I was able to connect and ultimately friend some outstanding writers, discover some amazing books, and push myself harder than I ever thought possible. It was a rollercoaster of tears; tears of joy, tears of frustration, and tears of sorrow. And yea, I didn’t make it, but in my mind I didn’t ultimately fail.

I won.

I became a better writer.

A year later and it’s a brand new day. Geek & Sundry are running a contest for fantasy stories, and I just so happen to have one ready. Why this contest? Because Felicia Day is one of my spirit animals, and I won’t let my previous failure define who I am as a writer.

 So many of you supported me last time around, and here I am hat in hand, asking if you’d consider supporting me once again. Because even through A Beast Requires didn’t make its goal, your support pushed me to keep on editing and revising. It pushed me to get better, to be better, and I think you’ll all be happy with what I’ve accomplished.

Once again, for just $10 you get the chance to back me, and get a sparkling edition of A Beast Requires as an ebook. There’s also a dead tree edition… I mean paperback, for $20, which will come with that fabulous, one of a kind, new book smell.

It’s going to be a long campaign, and I know I’m going to have to push it if I want to stay in the top ten of Geek and Sundry’s Fantasy Contest. With your help, I can do this. With your help, we can see A Beast Requires in print, and I can so totally shove it in the faces of all the dudes who picked on me in high school.

So once again it’s time to #feedthebeast

Let’s do this.

Making a Comeback!

‘To achieve a success after a retirement or failure.’ – a reliable dictionary I found online.

I am making a comeback. The Slave Prince is making a comeback.

My last success on Inkshares was in January 2015. My last failure on Inkshares was in January 2016. (What a coincidence!) But what is failure, really? Giving up. So that’s why I’m back.

When The Slave Prince didn’t make it to the top 3 in the Sword & Laser Collection Contest, I was disappointed. But I knew, from the get-go, that I wasn’t going to give up on this book. And when the opportunity arose, I would put it out there again.

The opportunity has arrived… in the form of the Geek & Sundry fantasy contest.

The Geek & Sundry contest opens now till November 1st. The top 3 books with the most unique pre-orders will receive a full publishing deal with Inkshares.

Obviously, The Slave Prince is at risk of ‘failing’ again. But I’m not going to fail, because whatever obstacle stands before me, I will dig under, I will climb over, and if I have to, I will break my way through. (Sounds like I’m giving myself a pep talk, eh?)

I don’t think I’ve said this before, but The Slave Prince is an important book to me… far more important than The Battle for Oz. If I could turn back time, I would’ve funded The Slave Prince first. But alas, I’m no time traveller.

The Slave Prince wasn’t just written for fun, but for me. The Slave Prince, Thom himself, reminds me I can do anything if I believe in myself. The adventure reminds me that perseverance can make the impossible possible. And the premise… the premise reminds me of the power of child-like make-believe. (Why am I tearing up? This is weird.)   

Every time I revisit The Slave Prince in my editing rounds, I am reminded to believe in myself and keep contending for the impossible. If it were another book, I’m not too sure if I’d feel the same. So here I am, hoping you’ll stand with me and this book.

I know my book isn’t the best book out there, but I hope the story speaks to you. I also hope… you’ll give me a chance to make this comeback real. Thank you so very much for reading all the way to the end! And please grab a copy on your way out. I would be eternally grateful.