I cannot fathom why this book, such a well-written masterpiece of mood and suspense, has not funded already. I have followed this one for quite some time, and it would be a damn shame not to see it published. I need to read the rest.
Hey, everyone!
9 days left in the funding campaign, and 83 pre-orders to go to reach the Quill publication goal. It seems daunting, but not impossible!
Can you help get Mission 51 published? If you haven’t gotten your pre-order(s), there is no time to hesitate! Please, get one (or more) now! Why not be on the short-list of Super Readers!? :-)
If you are an author with an active project, get mine and I’ll get yours!
Remember, if I reach Quill, I will match the amount of money that people have invested in me and Mission 51 with a donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities and their mission to help families with sick children.
Mission 51 is ready to launch. All it needs is YOU!
Thank you for your support! :D
Hey all! Short update!
Due to a few orders rolling in, we still need several orders until we reach 100 and I can post chapter six. Would love for this to happen this week!
I’ve been very busy and don’t have much time between work and family, so here are the updates:
For now, here’s the background for Mars:
Humans have long been fascinated with Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, often called the "Red Planet" because of its red hue as seen in the night sky. It is named for the Roman god of war.
Ever since humanity has contemplated space travel, we have dreamt of going to Mars. In recent years the draw has become even more pronounced as we have discovered frozen water and even liquid water on the surface. Among all the other planetary bodies in the solar system, Mars is the most like Earth. It has an atmosphere, a better temperature than most, decent gravity, and a close to 24 hour day.
However, there are several hurdles to living on Mars. Its atmosphere is extremely thin and unbreathable - the air is much thinner than even the top of Mount Everest. Although the temperature is occasionally bearable, it is on average much colder than Earth and can be incredibly cold at times, causing even carbon-dioxide to freeze. In addition, the "soil" on Mars is contaminated with perchlorates, which can adversely affect human health, acting as a thyroid inhibitor and lung toxin.
Despite these hurdles, many prominent figures have announced their desire to "colonize" Mars in the coming decades.
My dear Animals,
After this update I’m out. Radio Silent. Taking a Hike. You could say I’m ‘Going Astray.’ (Alluding to Animal in Man’s first chapter.) You won’t get another update from me until my manuscript is done, I swear it. And in this final update before its arrival, I’m pleased to report that the writing is progressing faster now than ever before. But enough about my own work. I wanted to shine a brighter light on three sci-fi novels that have totally got me on their hooks this week.
Lady Timekeeper: Cities in the Dust is co-authored by two very dear friends of mine, Marie Green and MK McFadden, who I’ve known for almost three years now. We grew up on criticizing each others’ work in Full Sail University’s Creative Writing Master’s program, so I can tell you truly: there are no other authors I know better ‘round here than them, and their work is worth your attention. Writing about time-travel can be extremely difficult (I know, I’ve tried), but Marie and MK manage to weave two of the most important story elements into the complexities of the concept: ACTION and SUSPENSE. Go follow Lady Timekeeper right now!
For the second spotlighted book… A quick story, if I may: so the other day I was in the forums dropping my two cents about comment etiquette, when an unfamiliar name came up as a notification. “Kaytalin Platt liked your…” etc. etc. So I checked in on her, and lo and behold found this amazing story she’s putting together, “The Living God.” Right now, as I type this, there are simply NOT ENOUGH FOLLOWERS on that draft. It’s another story about time travel (I’m sensing a theme here!), but it’s set in an epic fantasy world. It’s like Jeremy McGuire (or whoever) said in his movie, “You had me at ‘Time Mage.’” Please go follow Kaytalin’s draft.
Another quick[er] story: I got an email yesterday informing me that Brien Shores’ novel “I Think You Dropped This” has returned to Inkshares for a renewed funding campaign. What sort of world do we live in where writing this good can’t make its funding goal? Perhaps a world where people who are reading this aren’t clicking this link to check out Brien’s amazing book. I don’t want to live in a world like that. The mouse is in your hand, as is the power, to make that ardent wish a reality. ...OK, ok, enough with the meta… The bottom line is, Brien’s storytelling is a mind-f**king good time. You will be pleasantly puzzled one moment, and laughing out loud the next. Go check out “I Think You Dropped This.”
(One last look at the breathtaking artwork for The Animal in Man, shall we? Credit to artist Ilie Vaduva.)
Peace out, you Animals. No more updates from me until the big one hits, but if you ever want to get a hold of me, I’m a DM or a tweet away.
